KANSAS CITY, MO -
When kids are bad, violent or disrupting class, schools often have no choice but to kick them out. But when kids get suspended for ten days here or there, or 90 or 180 days, they're often already behind their classmates. Kicking them out of school can put them so far behind that catching up seems impossible, but a new program is teaching kids that anything is possible.
Genesis Charter School in Kansas City, Missouri is a second chance school for kids who struggle in a traditional school setting. It's a chance for their own "genesis" or new beginning.
"Parents don't send us bad kids they send us their only kids," says Tammy Eldridge, the principal. "We're here to focus on the needs of every child and take them from where they are and empower them to be successes in life." Tammy says they do that with social workers and counselors, who provide emotional support alongside academic help.
But then there's some kids who can't even attend Genesis. If they're in trouble with the law or got suspended and kicked out of school, they can't be on any school's property, including Genesis. That's why David Anstaett has this make-shift classroom set up at Covenant Presbyterian Church. It's called the Virtual Academy, where kids can take their high school coursework on a computer program. For many of these kids, it's their only chance at an education
"These guys you got to love them they have survived," says Anstaett. For several decades, Anstaett taught gifted students at Hickman Mills and helped start the alternative education program there. Now some of the kids who come to him can barely read, but he says some of them are just as smart as the gifted kids.
"Somebody needs to pay attention to these kids they're all screaming for help," he says.
Anstaett says his students are just kids, and that means sometimes they make mistakes. Like 14 year-old Jamie Jett. "I brought a bb gun into summer school," Jett says. He says he put his friends bb gun in his backpack, it wasn't loaded, but he had no idea it would mean a 180 day suspension. "I didn't think it was that serious, I thought I could just go to another school or I could go back to my school," he says.
Jett's mom found out about the virtual academy, so now he's keeping up with his classmates and keeping his mother happy too. "I promised my mom I would graduate high school," he says.
Before Anstaett got this room at Covenant, he was going to students' homes to help them with their coursework. He still does that now if he thinks the students will do better outside of a group setting. Like 14 year-old Vontrez, who has trouble getting along with others at school. He and his 16 year-old cousin Fred are in the Virtual Academy because they skipped so much school, they're at least two grades behind.
Their grandmother didn't know what she would do without this program. "It was frustrating because I know they need an education," says Lolita Taylor, "and I try to get that over to them because you need an education to get anywhere in life." Anstaett thinks he can get both kids caught up, and even help Fred graduate. "My prayers are being answered for these children," says Taylor, "and Mr. David is a godsend with this program."
Anstaett has gone to a lot of homes and he sees first hand the obstacles his kids are up against. He's seen homes with with holes in the walls and infested with rats and bugs. He's seen homes that have only one room with heat, or no rooms with any furniture. Often parents aren't around, because they're in jail, in rehab, or just gone. And many times his kids don't have any food in the refrigerator. "Last year's population, they could all cite one member of the family that had been killed, they could all cite one member of the family incarcerated," Anstaett says.
Last school year, Anstaett worked with 29 kids, some ended up in jail or dropped out, but 23 of them made it through the program and went back to school. That sounds pretty good to Genesis School's Executive Director Pamela Pearson. "For many students, they feel hopeless in this situation that they can't make it, they can't turn the situation around," she says, "so having the virtual school is critical." Pearson grew up in Kansas City, she saw what happened to classmates who were kicked out of school. "So many times they just hung out on the streets and many of them were killed, many turned to drugs, it was hard for me to see that," she says.
Pearson says sometimes students have to be removed from school if they're a danger or distraction. But the Virtual Academy gives kids an option, so they don't become discarded on the streets. "We are here to give them a fresh start," she says, "we recognize what happened, we know what happened, okay, let's correct it. Let's work with you to correct that situation so you can get back on track."
Getting back on track is what brings Brittny into Genesis. She had been bouncing around, living with different relatives, and her mother hasn't been in her life since she was two years old. "She was on drugs and she chose men over us," Brittny says, "and so she neglected us in the house." Brittny was staying with family in Portland, Oregon, but suddenly had to pick up and move right before finals. "So I have to go back and do my 9th grade year over for a semester."
Brittny signed up for the Virtual Academy, hoping to get her credits caught up and join her classmates in January as a sophomore. We caught up with her a couple weeks into her studies. She says the down side is it's lonely. "I miss peers, talking to people all the time and it doesn't feel like real school here," Brittny says, but she adds that she's learning a lot, "the only thing is you have to be determined and you have to make yourself do your work don't get behind because you don't have regular classes and teachers around."
Anstaett wishes all his kids had Brittny's drive and motivation. "I've got one who is going to turn 16 next month and I'm concerned he's going to drop out," Anstaett says. In fact we spoke to one of his students who said that before he started at the Virtual Academy, he wanted to drop out. "I don't like school," says student Damon Jordan, "but I look it, if I don't finish school I might become a statistic. I don't want to be like that, I don't want to be no bum or something." Jordan says he was getting into trouble at school a lot because he likes making kids laugh. But here at Covenant, he says he can stay focused. "Here when I'm on the computer, I can just do it and no one bothers me because everyone else is on the computer."
David Anstaett is nearly 70 years old, but he says he's never felt more energetic. "I like what I do and I love it when I see a kid turn it on," he says. Yes he admits it can be an uphill battle, he's already lost some of his kids to drugs and one is in jail.
But he says he's not going to give up, because "all I know is they're worth it."
David is already looking to expand his program to include the mothers and grandmothers of his kids. He says he needs to help them get an education too so their children will have a better shot at success.
Genesis Charter School in Kansas City, Missouri is a second chance school for kids who struggle in a traditional school setting. It's a chance for their own "genesis" or new beginning.
"Parents don't send us bad kids they send us their only kids," says Tammy Eldridge, the principal. "We're here to focus on the needs of every child and take them from where they are and empower them to be successes in life." Tammy says they do that with social workers and counselors, who provide emotional support alongside academic help.
But then there's some kids who can't even attend Genesis. If they're in trouble with the law or got suspended and kicked out of school, they can't be on any school's property, including Genesis. That's why David Anstaett has this make-shift classroom set up at Covenant Presbyterian Church. It's called the Virtual Academy, where kids can take their high school coursework on a computer program. For many of these kids, it's their only chance at an education
"These guys you got to love them they have survived," says Anstaett. For several decades, Anstaett taught gifted students at Hickman Mills and helped start the alternative education program there. Now some of the kids who come to him can barely read, but he says some of them are just as smart as the gifted kids.
"Somebody needs to pay attention to these kids they're all screaming for help," he says.
Anstaett says his students are just kids, and that means sometimes they make mistakes. Like 14 year-old Jamie Jett. "I brought a bb gun into summer school," Jett says. He says he put his friends bb gun in his backpack, it wasn't loaded, but he had no idea it would mean a 180 day suspension. "I didn't think it was that serious, I thought I could just go to another school or I could go back to my school," he says.
Jett's mom found out about the virtual academy, so now he's keeping up with his classmates and keeping his mother happy too. "I promised my mom I would graduate high school," he says.
Before Anstaett got this room at Covenant, he was going to students' homes to help them with their coursework. He still does that now if he thinks the students will do better outside of a group setting. Like 14 year-old Vontrez, who has trouble getting along with others at school. He and his 16 year-old cousin Fred are in the Virtual Academy because they skipped so much school, they're at least two grades behind.
Their grandmother didn't know what she would do without this program. "It was frustrating because I know they need an education," says Lolita Taylor, "and I try to get that over to them because you need an education to get anywhere in life." Anstaett thinks he can get both kids caught up, and even help Fred graduate. "My prayers are being answered for these children," says Taylor, "and Mr. David is a godsend with this program."
Anstaett has gone to a lot of homes and he sees first hand the obstacles his kids are up against. He's seen homes with with holes in the walls and infested with rats and bugs. He's seen homes that have only one room with heat, or no rooms with any furniture. Often parents aren't around, because they're in jail, in rehab, or just gone. And many times his kids don't have any food in the refrigerator. "Last year's population, they could all cite one member of the family that had been killed, they could all cite one member of the family incarcerated," Anstaett says.
Last school year, Anstaett worked with 29 kids, some ended up in jail or dropped out, but 23 of them made it through the program and went back to school. That sounds pretty good to Genesis School's Executive Director Pamela Pearson. "For many students, they feel hopeless in this situation that they can't make it, they can't turn the situation around," she says, "so having the virtual school is critical." Pearson grew up in Kansas City, she saw what happened to classmates who were kicked out of school. "So many times they just hung out on the streets and many of them were killed, many turned to drugs, it was hard for me to see that," she says.
Pearson says sometimes students have to be removed from school if they're a danger or distraction. But the Virtual Academy gives kids an option, so they don't become discarded on the streets. "We are here to give them a fresh start," she says, "we recognize what happened, we know what happened, okay, let's correct it. Let's work with you to correct that situation so you can get back on track."
Getting back on track is what brings Brittny into Genesis. She had been bouncing around, living with different relatives, and her mother hasn't been in her life since she was two years old. "She was on drugs and she chose men over us," Brittny says, "and so she neglected us in the house." Brittny was staying with family in Portland, Oregon, but suddenly had to pick up and move right before finals. "So I have to go back and do my 9th grade year over for a semester."
Brittny signed up for the Virtual Academy, hoping to get her credits caught up and join her classmates in January as a sophomore. We caught up with her a couple weeks into her studies. She says the down side is it's lonely. "I miss peers, talking to people all the time and it doesn't feel like real school here," Brittny says, but she adds that she's learning a lot, "the only thing is you have to be determined and you have to make yourself do your work don't get behind because you don't have regular classes and teachers around."
Anstaett wishes all his kids had Brittny's drive and motivation. "I've got one who is going to turn 16 next month and I'm concerned he's going to drop out," Anstaett says. In fact we spoke to one of his students who said that before he started at the Virtual Academy, he wanted to drop out. "I don't like school," says student Damon Jordan, "but I look it, if I don't finish school I might become a statistic. I don't want to be like that, I don't want to be no bum or something." Jordan says he was getting into trouble at school a lot because he likes making kids laugh. But here at Covenant, he says he can stay focused. "Here when I'm on the computer, I can just do it and no one bothers me because everyone else is on the computer."
David Anstaett is nearly 70 years old, but he says he's never felt more energetic. "I like what I do and I love it when I see a kid turn it on," he says. Yes he admits it can be an uphill battle, he's already lost some of his kids to drugs and one is in jail.
But he says he's not going to give up, because "all I know is they're worth it."
David is already looking to expand his program to include the mothers and grandmothers of his kids. He says he needs to help them get an education too so their children will have a better shot at success.
