Why do I teach?
About four years ago, I began volunteering weekly at the Mahomet Area Youth Club, a non-profit organization designed to provide youth between the ages of 6 and 18 with a safe and positive supervised after school environment. After about five visits, one of the older kids started feeling more comfortable with me and slowly began opening up. One afternoon, this 12 year old boy disclosed to me that he hadn’t seen his best friend in over two weeks. He had been calling and visiting his friend’s house but was unable to get in contact. He proceeded to tell me about how he and this friend were in a physical altercation with several known gang members. He was able to get away, but his friend was less fortunate. He was getting increasingly worried because he hadn’t seen this friend since the incident. I did my best to reassure the boy and suggested he discuss the matter more with his parents and school social worker as well. The next day, I called my volunteer supervisor at the club to inform her of what I had learned. Several weeks later, I learned that the boy’s friend was in the hospital for severe injuries he sustained during the fight. This interaction with this young man was the first experience I had that made me truly see the need for social workers in the lives of delinquent youth. Troubled youth need access to positive outlets and role models, such as after school programs and encouraging teachers, to help steer them away from engaging in delinquent behavior.
Two years ago, I was hired at the Champaign County Probation and Court Services Department. About two months into my hire, one of the adult probation officers left on maternity leave, and I was asked to take over her case load of over 150 clients, including interstate transfer cases. As I held more and more office visits with these clients, I realized the importance of having community resources to assist in their success. Many of my clients were repeat offenders or not getting the adequate services needed such as mental health or substance abuse evaluations and treatment. I enjoyed this position because I was able to make those needed referrals to outside agencies for my clients and create partnerships with their counselors so that we could help the clients determine to set the best goals and case plans for them.
While most of my work is with the adult population, I did have some juveniles on my caseload as well. When I first started working at the courthouse, I saw a juvenile who I thought I recognized. After reading his file and his officer’s case notes, I realized that this adolescent on probation was the same one I had formed a bond with nearly three years before at the Mahomet Area Youth Club. I was excited to see him again, yet disappointed that the setting in which I did was in my office, across a desk in the third floor Probation Department at the courthouse. He had been on probation for about a year and a half at the time I saw him for gang-related offenses. Since that first time I filled in and coincidentally met with him, I sat in on every one of his office visits with his officer to see his progress. After I saw him that first time, I realized that just because you want positive changes to occur, does not mean they will. It takes hard work and consistency for that to happen.
Across all my cases, I saw a trend. Nearly all the juveniles who were unsuccessful on probation – continually recidivating, earning additional time to their sentences, etc. – they were the ones who were not involved in school, were not doing well in school, and felt they had no one teacher or adult figure at their schools they were comfortable with. Nearly all of the juveniles who were successful in their probation – early terminations, no recidivism – they were the ones who did feel they had someone at school they could talk to; they were involved in school. And this was across all SES backgrounds, regardless of home lives, Title I or not Title I schools. What I found, was that having at least one positive relationship with an adult at school, yielded more positive results in young people’s lives. The young boy I met at the Mahomet Area Youth Club and again in the Probation Department fit this trend exactly. Although he had a very supportive mother, he hated his school, and he continued to have time added on to his sentences. This young man has no idea, but he is a huge part of the reason why I decided to switch professions and try to effect change from within the classroom as a high school teacher.
Two years ago, I was hired at the Champaign County Probation and Court Services Department. About two months into my hire, one of the adult probation officers left on maternity leave, and I was asked to take over her case load of over 150 clients, including interstate transfer cases. As I held more and more office visits with these clients, I realized the importance of having community resources to assist in their success. Many of my clients were repeat offenders or not getting the adequate services needed such as mental health or substance abuse evaluations and treatment. I enjoyed this position because I was able to make those needed referrals to outside agencies for my clients and create partnerships with their counselors so that we could help the clients determine to set the best goals and case plans for them.
While most of my work is with the adult population, I did have some juveniles on my caseload as well. When I first started working at the courthouse, I saw a juvenile who I thought I recognized. After reading his file and his officer’s case notes, I realized that this adolescent on probation was the same one I had formed a bond with nearly three years before at the Mahomet Area Youth Club. I was excited to see him again, yet disappointed that the setting in which I did was in my office, across a desk in the third floor Probation Department at the courthouse. He had been on probation for about a year and a half at the time I saw him for gang-related offenses. Since that first time I filled in and coincidentally met with him, I sat in on every one of his office visits with his officer to see his progress. After I saw him that first time, I realized that just because you want positive changes to occur, does not mean they will. It takes hard work and consistency for that to happen.
Across all my cases, I saw a trend. Nearly all the juveniles who were unsuccessful on probation – continually recidivating, earning additional time to their sentences, etc. – they were the ones who were not involved in school, were not doing well in school, and felt they had no one teacher or adult figure at their schools they were comfortable with. Nearly all of the juveniles who were successful in their probation – early terminations, no recidivism – they were the ones who did feel they had someone at school they could talk to; they were involved in school. And this was across all SES backgrounds, regardless of home lives, Title I or not Title I schools. What I found, was that having at least one positive relationship with an adult at school, yielded more positive results in young people’s lives. The young boy I met at the Mahomet Area Youth Club and again in the Probation Department fit this trend exactly. Although he had a very supportive mother, he hated his school, and he continued to have time added on to his sentences. This young man has no idea, but he is a huge part of the reason why I decided to switch professions and try to effect change from within the classroom as a high school teacher.