Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/755919
"ere's never a morning where I don't want to go to work," says Howell, who goes from site to site to conduct science labs. "I used to think alternative education was where teachers went to work with ' bad kids,' but in reality these are great kids. ey are highly motivated, ready to learn, and want to better themselves. It's a choice to come back to school, and they are in control of their own learning." Since it began in 2008, CBK has pro- duced close to 2,000 graduates, and the county 's dropout rate has decreased by 2.3 percent. " We have a 7.7 percent dropout rate in Riverside County," observes Malcolm Anderson, who coordinates vocational training. "So I love being part of changes that serve students as never before. I was a Come Back Kid when I was a young guy. I went to opportunity school , dropped o u t , t h e n p a ss e d t h e C a li f o r n i a Hi g h S chool P rof iciency E xam . I w orked at a number of jobs, woke up in my early 30s, earned a college degree, and enrolled in a credential program. When it came t i m e t o c h o o s e w h e re I w o u l d d o my practicum, alternative education seemed like the natural choice." It can take more than one try for some students, says Alexis Quinonez, who runs a club called Tech Ninjas offering basic computer programming skills. "Some- times a student will start here and not be very serious about it and drop out. en they re-enroll and show dedication and drive. I like that we can offer second and third chances. But I am tough on students. If they aren't doing their work, they can't be in the program." Helping students who have been away from school, sometimes for years, with credit recovery is a challenge, says Tabitha Muteti, who is credentialed to teach stu- dents with mild to moderate disabilities. Some are at elementary school reading and math levels. Her intervention classes h elp get th em up to sp eed , and sh e i s amazed at the progress they can demon- strate in a short amount of time when there are no distractions. "I always tell my students to reach for the stars — just go and grab them," she says, reaching for imaginar y stars. "I let them know it's never too late." Clockwise from top left: Come Back Kids educators Tabitha Muteti, Tony Howell (with student Jazzmin Cortez) and Malcolm Anderson help their students "reach for the stars," as Muteti tells them. 37 November / December 2016 "I USED TO THINK ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION WAS WHERE TEACHERS WENT TO WORK WITH 'BAD KIDS,' BUT IN REALIT Y THESE ARE GREAT KIDS. THEY ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED, READY TO LEARN, AND WANT TO BET TER THEMSELVES." — TONY HOWELL, RIVERSIDE COUNTY OFFICE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION