Thronson, Barbara

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Michigan Reading Journal Volume 10 Issue 1 Article 8 January 1976 Catch'm If You Can Barbara Thronson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj Recommended Citation Thronson, Barbara (1976) "Catch'm If You Can," Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol10/iss1/8 This Other is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Reading Journal by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact scholarworks@gvsu.edu. CA TCH'M IF YOU CAN by Barbara Thronson, Alpena Public Schools Truancy and school dropouts are becoming a problem area in our cor-ridors of education with administra-tors, teachers, probate courts, and society. In America today, the relative rights of society, the individual rights, and the educator's rights are being debated in our courts and educational institutions. Our society is in a state of change. Legal issues are being argued in our halls of justice and parents are beginning to rise up in the turmoil of dissention. Catch'm if you can! Yes, but how do we catch the youth of to-day who are dropping out of school at the age of 14 to become truant cases. In Alpena, Michigan, CATCH was initiated to provide an alternative edu-cational program for school dropouts, juvenile delinquents, and truants. One obvious purpose is to prepare youth for society. In a society marked by rapid and far-reaching economic and social change, how do educators accomplish this goal? For our future society, you th and adults will need to learn skills that will enable them to be flexible, adaptable and capable of ad-justing to their changing environment. It is difficult to reach agreement on the aims of education for that percent of students who don't fit into the regular classroom. In designing the Pro-gram CATCH, young lives are at stake. How do we encourage legitimate re-sources (work, school, and commu-nity) instead of illegitimate resources (truancy, police, and the courts). Hope-fully, this program will place young people in an active role where some-thing valuable is contributed rather than a passive and negative role where some service is provided. How do you set up a program so students will learn they have skills, 13 knowledge, abilities and resources that can contribute to the community in which they live? In group and indivi-dual counseling, we opened the door of communication for many of the troubled' youth. Opportunities were provided where freedom to learn by exploring, choosing, and making judge-ments was evident. Many of the stu-dents learned to develop self-respect for others, they learned to set realistic goals for themselves, and they learned that they could be successful academi-cally. In learning new skills called for by our changing economic scene, these students are enrolled in work situa-tions matched to their interests. One young man worked as an aide to the Department of Natural Resources; a young lady was a teacher aide at Pied Piper School for retarded children in Alpena; another girl was employed as a secretary in the MSU Reading Institute and other young people helped at the Senior Citizens, Boys' Oub, Nursery School, National Armory, and at the Fisheries Department at Alpena Com-munity College. Instead of traditionally using com-munity resources to a minimum, we utilized community leaders for success-ful field trips and classroom experi-ences. Mr. Bob Boynton, Vice-Presi-dent of Peoples Bank, gave a Money Management Seminar, Judge Meden gave a seminar on Law and Order, and Dixon and Dixon Lawyers discussed youth's role in society. As we opened up doors, businesses became more re-ceptive and proud to share with our students. In learning the skills of inter-action with other people, the students had opportunities to go on canoe trips with the help of Sawyer Canoe Com-pany in Oscoda, Michigan. They went camping and backpacking, and became more acquainted with the State by making field trips to Mackinac Island, Marquette, Michigan, Harbor Springs, Leland and to other local areas. None of the' students had ever been across the Mackinac Bridge. What a learning experience for the students who had never been out of their own commu-nity or had known the wealth of resources within their own community. Individualized instruction was pro-vided by the two CATCH teachers in Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and other academic areas. A screening committee consisted of Judge Meden of Probate, Dr. Robert Gutshall, Director of Special Services in Alpena, Dr. Glenn McAdam, princi-pal of the Alpena High School, Dr. James Findley from the Mental Health Clinic, Mr. Bob Wightman from Voe. Ed. - AMA, Wayne Lindsey from Voca-tional Rehabilitation, Ms. Ronnie Fitz-gerald from Social Services pl us the two CATCH teachers, Julie McKenzie and Barbara Thronson. The CATCH teachers worked with the high school counselors on each individual program. The Committee worked as a team to provide the best opportunities for each student. Performance Objectives helped each student meet their own individual goals. Many of the experiences trig-gered off discussions, led to creative writing experiences and aided com-14 munication with information flowing verbally and in writing. One of the CATCH students, Dar-lene Donajkowski, graduated on the Program after completing a class at Alpena Community College. Her Poem, "What Is Me" was published in the national magazine, People and Places, in the July, 1974 issue. WHAT IS ME Grains of sand slip through my fingers, As the wind breezes through my mind, Blowing blades of grass as they Whisper thoughts with no meaning. The sun kisses my forehead, Only with the touch to be Overshadowed by the dark clouds, Then feel each drop of rain fall upon me, As I sit here alone, wondering what is me. The young writing talent of this young lady might never have been dis-covered had CATCH not provided her the opportunity to graduate on their program. CATCH did provide an opportunity for these troubled youths to learn that they had skills, knowledge, abilities, and resources that enabled them to make a contribution in their com-munity. The community was their classroom! Yes, CATCH'M IF YOU CAN. Young lives are at stake. 

Catch\u27m If You Can

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Catch\u27m If You Can

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