Cousins says she is “not a book person.” During her childhood of dealing with family strife, which took her to towns across rural Maine, rarely staying at a school for longer than a year or two, learning was never a priority. “It was never something I looked forward to — all day, every day,” she said. She dropped out shortly after her 16th birthday.
But last summer, Cousins’ mother-in-law told her about Threshold, a program developed by a Maine charter school aimed specifically at students who’ve dropped out, and she enrolled at age 18.
This story also appeared in Maine Public Radio
Rothschild serves as part teacher, part tutor for the program, visiting her 10 students’ homes for one-on-one classes each week. She designs individualized assignments that she hopes will engage students who’ve often struggled in traditional school settings.
Threshold is akin to home-schooling, only with certified teachers, overseen by a brick-and-mortar school, who provide in-person lessons. The teachers use technology to keep in touch with students daily. The idea is to create an alternative to the day-to-day structures of school — the school bus and the 7-hour school day — that make learning nearly impossible for specific students, including teen parents, youth with full-time jobs or kids who’ve suffered from bullying or severe anxiety. It’s an ambitious idea to reach students that have fallen through the cracks and provide them with a path forward to a diploma.
To read more of Robbie Feinberg's article, please click here.
Comments (0)