EDSS 531

Student at Risk
February 7,14
This program, "Student at Risk, started a !oup"e o# years ago, as a $ay to tea!h
to"eran!e to edu!ators%
Through the program presentation there $ere many interesting points made, regarding
ho$ to he"p students $ith emotiona" and persona" issues% & be"ie'e a"" o# them !ou"d he"p
and !hange the students( beha'ior% )s the presenter said, ha'ing a mentor is primordia"
#or these youngsters to #ee" that they ha'e somebody to ta"k to% )"so the tea!her must be
in'o"'ed and make an e##ort to rea!h to them be#ore taking drasti! dis!ip"inary measures%
&ndi'idua" inter'ention and target group inter'ention !ou"d be ta!ti!s that may be used to
stop teenagers #rom destroying their #uture%
)nother point that $as tou!hed during the dis!ussion, besides ta!ti!s that you may use to
!orre!t beha'ior, $as to get to kno$ the #ami"y o# these students sin!e nobody kno$s
$hat is happening in their home% *as"o$+s ,ierar!hy o# -eeds e.p"ains the importan!e
o# meeting the basi! needs su!h as #ood and she"ter% /hen those needs are met 0soon
"o'e, #riendship and in intima!y be!ome important, and then persona" esteem and #ee"ing
o# a!!omp"ishment take priority%
1ersona""y & think that no$adays a si2eab"e number o# teenagers ha'e "prob"ems"% Some
o# them !ome #rom a "o$ in!ome househo"d $here both parents $ork3 there#ore in many
instan!es they do not get the attention and "o'e that other kids re!ei'e% Furthermore, they
do not ha'e the means to "i'e a norma" !hi"dhood be!ause o# "a!k o# e!onomi!a"
resour!es% Taking this in !onsideration, edu!ators need to re#"e!t on these issues and
de'e"op a di##erent approa!h% Tea!hers must tea!h students ho$ to ask #or he"p and, at
the same time, de'e"op a persona" re"ationship% )"so, "take nothing, a raging kid says,
persona""y and do not mirror the kids beha'ior"%