Wednesday 17 March 2010

A boarding school, a home



Societies are obliged to protect and shelter the youngest citizens in risk. Dangers may even come form their own families. In these cases, authorities have to provide kids with a decent home with expert loving carers where they can become citizens.
The boarding schools and institutions we visited made part of the schools. Here there's a small video to illustrate my words.
The boarding house at Tostrup and the institution at Blaesborg belong to Ryomgaard Realskole. And Helle is an only institution in itself.
At Tostrup we met Benny, the manager, who talked aobut the main characteristics of the home. It is for disadvantages kids who have been removed from their parents. They need not only specialised learning tools, but social inclusion work. They go to Realskole and then come back in hte afternoon. Special workers took them to other evening activities such as ballet, sport and so on. Like any kid in a normal family. They have, of course, rules to be followed: no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no sex. The cabinet with the fire is a special place Benny decided to build in order to allow smoking to the oldest and to teahcers, himself included. There is also a cinema room, a lounge, a place to play billiards. we sopke for a little bit with kids when they were having their snack. They were happy to be there, although I felt a kind of sadness in all of the, They have to leave the home once a fortnight and travel to their own homes. This weekend can be devastating fro them because they come again to an unsafe world.
At Blaesenborg there is a home where a real couple with their own children live with 7 kidsfrom the boarding school. These boys and girls are already studying at colleges and they come and go everyday by themselves. They have to shop for their breakfast and lunch, but the family provides dinner. They get a kind of salary from the municipality so that they can learn how to manage money. There is a cleaning team and a kitchen team to make the housework. Their rroms are big, well equiped and clean. It was pleasant to be there. They keep the contact when they stop studying in a formal way at least for half a year in order to solve their problems.
Helle is a continuation school for special needs kids, mainly for students with very few expectations to get any more knowledge. Tehy study in workshops where there is a combination of theoretical and practical activities.
I think taking care of these kids is preventing criminality in the future. Once again, it's a good investment.
Too long for a post, but there are many issues to be talked about.

4 comments:

ivasil said...

By no means too long. I was dying to know more. It seems your visit was really worth it.
I will look again, think it over and have some questions, if I may. All this interests me a lot. As far as I know, this kind of organizing things is only very little implemented here. One of he general ideas these days is that kids should be included in regular school, almost under any circumstances, and i doubt it's in their own interest. And for some, it's impossible and they are just lost.
OK, I am not so well so I have to go to sleep, but I will definitely come back tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing!

ivasil said...

God morning.Some of the questions I have in mind. Sorry if they are too many, you don't have to answer all, or any! :)
Tell me a bit about Ryomgaard Realskole: is it a regular school, how come the 2 institutions belong to it? Are there kids from normal families, too? Any special teaching techniques? How many kids? How many in a group? Fixed learning levels or free ones (I mean depending on the age or not).
How old are the kids in the homes(except the ones in Blaesenborg). Teenagers? How about younger ones?
Why do they have to go home, and how about after they finish school if this is such a dangerous environment?
I'll stop, but more are rolling in my head. Sorry for all that.
Still tired and confused(have I told I did not recognize a student in a class last week? the others thought I was joking, but I was not), but I must go to school.Bye.

caluad said...

Ryomgaaard Realskole is a normal schho. It's a private institution with a school and the other two facilities as homes. Most the hcildren come from normal families. There are about 40 kids that are living in the boarding shool.Teaching is mainly based on the skills and inclusive approach. Assistant teachers help in the classroom with those kid with difficulties. There are between 20 and 23 kids in each group.
Learning levels are fixed by law and they have inspections to watch their levels are standard.
Kids in homes are teenagers. Younger ones are supposed to be in different institutions.
They have to go home by law. In osme cases is a contradiction, but in other it is a way to help structuring the famly, or at least, an attempt.
There are also families that can host some of these kids if the situation is really dangerous.
Take care and on't work too much.

ivasil said...

OK, thank you for the answers. Sorry again for so many questions. As funny as it may seem, I was so impressed and so "immersed" in this visit of yours that I dreamed all night I was having one.
The spring is definitely near: the doves are singing in every tree and my 11 years olds have starting kissing behind the PE room. :)