Compass As Your Guide

Figure 1

"You can see a completely different amount of growth in these students," insists Mrs. Dietterick, one of the five teachers at Compass Academy, an alternative education school in Mount Carmel. From the outside, Compass Academy hardly looks like a school at all. Large picture windows stretching across the first floor break up the homogeneity of the dull beige building (Figure 1). Above rests a hunter green awning with faded, barely visible letters announcing, "Deli 339." The exterior of the building paints a poor reflection of the lively band of students and teachers who work diligently inside, striving to forge a better future.

Compass Academy consists of a mere fifteen students ranging from twelve to eighteen years of age. Every student who attends the school has been removed from their previous public school due to consistent disruptions or violence. Hand drawn posters listing appropriate behavior and school rules sporadically cling to the walls, often times covering a hole fixed with plaster where a student lost their temper and bombarded the fragile wall. On the occasion of a violent outburst, the educators must follow a de-escalation procedure. If talking one on one with a student does not work, the student must be physically restrained to prevent harm towards the other students. "The police have been called for serious threats, violence, and property damage," explains Mrs. Dietterick in her light, melodic tone that resembles a songbird. But the school contributes more than simply managing violent teenagers. The majority of students attend regularly and express a genuine interest in learning. If a student completes the program, they have the opportunity to return to their public school or even earn a High School Diploma if age permits.

 The corporate company, Justice Works, oversees Compass Academy. In addition to providing standard academic education through courses such as Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Life Skills, Health, and Gym, the school also offers group counseling, truancy remediation, and community service opportunities to their students. In the group therapy classroom, four long tables arrange to make a "C" shape around the white board. Students hunched in chairs are scattered haphazardly around the tables or up against the dark wood paneled walls. Rambunctious chatter and the light shuffling of feet on the red and white tiled floors engulf the room while faint whiffs of smoke mix with the overall fragrance of men's deodorant. One student scribbles, "Once youre calm express youre anger" on the white board; clearly oblivious of the grammatical errors. The teacher, much younger that all the others, stands in the middle of the "C", ready to begin today's lesson on anger management. The students only remain quiet and attentive for seconds at a time before returning to their usual squabbles.

         "Mr. Eck sucks!" exclaims a tall, lanky student in a white baseball cap. Mumbled agreement erupts among the other students. 
         "Nah, Nah, I can defend Mr. Eck," interjects a much older student with a husky voice and dainty facial features, "Mr. Eck is smart, I just hate it when he proves me wrong." 

Before long, the teacher regains control of the boisterous bunch and continues the lesson. Students take turns volunteering their personal experiences of anger or triumph over their temper. In the background of their narratives, faint squeaking of chairs and the occasional sniffle disrupt the otherwise quiet and attentive room. Constant movement and fidgeting serves as a distraction from the various stories. One petite student with fiery red hair contributes a constant "tap tap tap" of his pencil while another frantically shuffles papers in a corner. Before the end of the thirty minute period, the class covers all ten steps of anger management from "Think before you speak" to "Practice relaxation skills."

Compass Academy utilizes incentive strategies in order to promote acceptable and valued behavior. Each student begins the day with thirty points and has the opportunity to earn more by actively participating, doing their work, or volunteering to clean. Likewise, they can lose points for bad behavior like being disruptive or instigating other students. Depending on the amount of points earned, students reach different stages; stage four being the highest. According to each stage, students can order lunch on Fridays from nearby businesses or even get five dollars contributed towards their lunch. Multiple students tentatively slurp their fountain drinks from McDonald's as they sit in class, trying to make every drop last. In another room, a rough and crackly voice excitedly proclaims, "Bro, I got 6 points!"

Compass Academy Educators

Mr. Eck, another teacher at Compass Academy, maintains responsibility for most of the math, science, and current event courses. Like most of the other educators at the school, Mr. Eck procured a bachelor's degree in Psychology. The group of ten students, mostly consisting of males with the exception of one reserved and serious female, meander into another classroom for Mr. Eck's current event class; their feet dragging on the floor since the end of the school day draws near. The room's crisp cool air contrasts the more musty and suffocating room used for group therapy. Two groups of lab benches rest on either side of the room with a projection screen strategically placed on the wall between them. Mr. Eck casually leans on the cart supporting his laptop from which the current event video will play. He brushes his shiny silver hair away from his face and places his glasses on top of his head, making his matching, grey goatee visible. The silver hair tangles into an unkempt bird's nest resembling that of Einstein. Mr. Eck towers at six feet tall with a large belly, dressed in a sweatshirt and cargo shorts. The room fades into darkness, other than a soft light shining through the picture windows that provide a view of the street. Clamorous chitchat erupts once again, but suddenly silences with a thunderous, "HUSH!" bellowed by Mr. Eck who readily begins class.

In preparation for current event class, students playfully grasp a handout regarding the CNN video that will be played (Video 1). The narrator of the video assertively, yet almost in a poetic rhythm, presents information about the religious tension residing in Yemen as well as facts pertaining to smoking. Some students scribble answers on their handouts in the hopes of earning more points for the day, while others don't bother to watch the video at all. An older male student with dark, swooping bangs and deep set eyes repeatedly asks his classmates for answers. As a result, Mr. Eck pauses the video every five minutes to go over the questions on the handouts and help students catch up. Above one of the green lab benches hangs a model rocket that students from the previous year constructed, painted, and displayed with pride. Following the video, Mr. Eck collects the handouts, making sure to check that students' names occupy the page as the students rush out of the room like a herd of cattle to catch their vans, vibrating the building as they go.

Video 1

From the outside, Compass Academy certainly does not look like a school, but rather an abandoned deli. On the inside however, resides a group of vibrant students with goals and achievements just like any of us. Whether it be to earn enough points to advance a stage and get McDonald's for lunch or to earn their High School diploma, each student strives to make the best of their experience at Compass Academy. They participate in lively debates among on another about which teachers they like and share heart to hearts in group therapy. Ultimately, it hails true that these students express a "completely different amount of growth" than can be seen anywhere else.