Finding a Way to Reach All Students

This piece was written in collaboration with his former student, Justin Frago

There is an innate human desire to know the intimate details. After hearing about a tragedy we wonder "What happened? Who did it? Why? What could have been done to prevent it?" Particularly heinous acts cause us to scan our surroundings and wonder how to insulate ourselves from similar violence in the future. We seek reassurance from those who even vaguely resemble the perpetrator that they won't behave similarly. Perhaps this explains why in the wake of the Newtown tragedy one month ago, as the press coverage built to a frenzy, one of my former high-school students, Justin Frago, posted to Facebook: "As a person with Asperger syndrome and visual processing issues, I can assure you that I don't plan on killing anyone."

Over the course of the 12 years I worked as a secondary school educator and administrator I met countless awkward, gawky, shy 8^th graders who were daunted and overwhelmed by the prospect of high school. I remember the first day in 2008 that Justin, a nervous 8^th grade kid, came to check out the Met Sacramento High School with his parents to decide if it would be a good match. Justin and his family described the ways in which his schooling up to that point had been an ordeal: he had struggled to connect with teachers and classmates; he was deeply ashamed of his Asperger syndrome diagnosis, and he did not have clear aspirational goals for the future. I remember the worry on Justin's face as he peered about anxiously at the other visiting students and pointedly asked me what the school was going to make him do.

I met Justin at the Met Sacramento High School, a Big Picture Learning school where I was a teacher and advisor. Our uniquely innovative "one student at a time" approach enabled our staff to connect with Justin and collaborate with him and his parents to personalize his learning experiences. Early in 9^th grade, Justin's face quickly transformed from darting eyes and quiet disregard to an incredulous smile as staff and students of all grades warmly welcomed him and engaged him in intimate conversations; he was encouraged to share who he was, what he was passionate about and the learning experiences he wanted to pursue. ...

To read the complete piece, please visit The Huffington Post.