Men of honor rise to the challenge

They wear jackets and ties, sit up straight in their chairs and pay rapt attention to their teacher. When talking to each other and meeting new people, they speak courteously and pepper their speech with "please" and "thank you."

They look and act like students at an elite preparatory school, but they do not come from elite backgrounds. These seventh- and eighth-graders attend Walton Middle School in Compton, a Title I school where nearly all of the students receive a free or reduced-price lunch. Some live in foster homes or group homes. Some have parents in prison or live with grandparents. They are at an age where they might be tempted to join a gang to feel a sense of belonging — unless they are offered a positive alternative.

Until recently, these 25 boys — all of them African American — were among the lowest academic achievers in the school and anything but polite. But that is changing, now that they have joined the "Distinguished Gentlemen's Club."

The club, which meets all day on Mondays, was the brainchild of Phil May, a resource teacher at the school who decided that something had to be done to help the biggest underachievers on campus. With the encouragement of his principal and the support of fellow teachers, he began recruiting students in the lunchroom and on the playground. He told them that in order to join and stay members, they would have to wear ties on meeting days and work hard to raise their grades in all their classes. He wasn't sure how the boys would react, but most rose to the challenge.

Eighth-grader Alexander Hurt was skeptical when he was first approached with the idea. "I thought wearing a tie was a little weird at first," he admits. "But now I can hold my chest out and be proud. I really love Mondays. I'm really glad I was picked out for this."

May, a Compton Education Association member, expects members of the Distinguished Gentlemen's Club to live up to the name. Since his students, he says tactfully, have some "holes" in their educational backgrounds, one of the first things he does is teach social skills. "If you only learn two words, that should be 'thank you,'" he tells them. He instructs them in how to behave appropriately in the classroom as well as in the library, and teaches them conflict resolution skills for the playground.

"One of the things I've learned is that dealing with conflict and use of vocabulary go hand in hand," he explains. "Sometimes they don't have a large enough vocabulary to express themselves, so a lot of time they may strike out physically. They also do that because that's what they grew up with. I can't change 13 or 14 years of behavior overnight, but I'm trying."

"This club has helped me get along better with other students," says eighth-grader Julius Carter. "He taught me how to be a nice person. I have manners now."

May and fellow teachers donate ties and jackets for those who don't have them or can't afford them. "It improves their self-esteem and gives them a different image," he says. "When kids are more professional-looking, they act more professional. It's funny because on Mondays they keep the tie on, even when they are playing basketball. I asked them why they have the tie on when they are sweating and they said, 'Because we look good.'"

True gentlemen are more than well-dressed and well-mannered. They must also become well-educated. A big chunk of time on Mondays is spent on math skills. As a resource teacher, May finds it easy to adapt his lessons to include hands-on projects that emphasize practical uses for math. He explains to his students that there is a relevant use for everything that is taught: "I never teach you anything that you can't use in the real world."

His students can often be found using their knowledge of math as they build model airplanes, measure the dimensions of indoor and outdoor areas, and use percentages and fractions to study a favorite subject — money.

In keeping with May's belief that people understand subject matter better when they teach it to others, his students tutor sixth-graders in math. This, in turn, increases their self-esteem and confidence, which makes them more enthusiastic about learning.

"It makes me feel good about myself to know I'm helping someone else for a change," says eighth-grader Chris Alcendor. "This has made me more focused in life. I know what I want to do to get ahead."

"I used to hate math because it made no sense to me," says eighth-grader Jonathan Parker. "But now I'm getting good grades. I've gone from a D to a B because I understand it — it makes sense now."

"It's very exciting to be in this club," says eighth-grader David Smith. "I used to not like school, but now I do. At first, I was trying to bring up my grades just to stay in this program. Now I am bringing up my grades because I want to get good grades."

Being a critical thinker is also an important part of being a Distinguished Gentleman. When, during a recent lesson for Black History Month, May suggested that Martin Luther King Jr. may have died in vain, his students' jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Martin Luther King had nonviolent marches. But you guys want to fight each other. He fought for us to get an equal education. But look at our academic scores. He didn't fight battles for us to be in the bottom 3 percent of math scores and the bottom 12 percent of language arts scores. If we want to make his life — and what he stood for — meaningful, we have to honor his memory by working hard and achieving equality. Education is a powerful thing. Nobody can take it away from you."

To broaden the horizons of his students — many of whom have never ventured beyond their neighborhood — May takes them on trips to museums, libraries and colleges. They also spend time in the computer lab sharpening their technology skills.

The Distinguished Gentlemen's Club appears to be having a positive effect schoolwide, say teachers at Walton Middle School. "It seems like the members are more motivated to succeed in my classes," says Yvette Arnold, a seventh-grade English teacher. "And they are also behaving better because they know they have to behave well if they want to remain in the program."

Although there is a waiting list to get in, the club isn't for everyone. Some of its members could not meet the high standards of behavior set by May and were voted out by fellow members.

While the gentlemen have found a strong male role model in May, they are also finding themselves serving as role models for other boys on campus. "If all of us get good grades on our tests, I think everyone will start following us," says Julius Carter. "But I think the real test will be how we do after we leave Walton Middle School."