Kids ‘in crisis’ from entire region come to the Phillips School in Annandale
Students come to the Phillips school because their local public school system cannot provide the special services they need, says Program Director Trudy Bell. “All our students are complicated,” she says. Students range from those on track for a traditional high school diploma “to kids who don’t have the potential or motivation for that.” In addition to teachers, Phillips has speech and language therapists, counselors, reading specialists, and physical therapists, along with a computer lab and art rooms. And, “We reach out to parents and make them part of the team,” Bell says.
Only about two or three students have their tuition at Phillips paid by their parents. For everyone else, the students’ home district pays the tuition and also provides transportation—by school bus, taxi, or car. School systems that don’t have the resources to provide the special services for students mandated by federal law send them to private schools like Phillips.
“Every one of our children was in a crisis somewhere else. That’s why they are here,” Bell says. For example, she describes one former student, who started at Phillips at about age 11. She had an unstable home life and had a hard time accepting responsibility. She cut class a lot, talked backed to her teachers, and told stories that often weren’t true. “She blossomed here,” Bell recalls. By building her self-esteem and coping skills, she learned “she could get through anything.” After three years at Phillips, she returned to her regular public school in Fauquier County.
Another former student “came to us a sad, sad urchin of a young lady who wouldn’t connect with anyone or say anything,” Bell says. She eventually broke out of her shell and was the senior speaker at the Phillips graduation ceremony and got a scholarship to the College of Southern Maryland. “What we were able to do for her will have a remarkable impact on her life.”
Laura Heyer, one of two high school supervisors, told of a young man with a “0 to 60 temper” with limited academic skills who tended to turn over desks and storm out of a room when he got frustrated in class. He eventually learned to settle down and understand his strengths. He got a driver’s license after 15 tries, has a job, takes care of himself as well as his mother, and is “trying to be a productive citizen.”
“We help young men and women—and their families—understand that they can have a good life even if they don’t go to college or get a high school diploma,” Bell says.
Much of the educators’ work at Phillips has to do with teaching kids appropriate behavior and building their self-esteem. Students who have a “meltdown”—often involving screaming and throwing things—are removed from class and taken to a quiet place where they usually calm down, once they no longer have an audience.
“There are many things we do to catch kids being good,” Bell says. Kids earn points or small monetary rewards for “successful days,” which they can cash in for rewards, like extra time in the game room or lunch with the staff, or another reward. “The key is finding what each kid responds to,” Bell says.
Most classrooms have just nine students. Students are grouped according to their age, social function, and academic ability, and stay together in the same group during their stay at Phillips. “Each class is as homogeneous as it can be,” says Stacey Thompson, who supervises the program for students age 6-14.
The daily schedule includes reading, math, spelling, social studies, and social skills instruction. “Everything is modified and done on a slower pace, says Thompson, and “the daily schedule is the same every day, so it’s predictable and they know what to expect.” In some of the classrooms, the overhead lights are covered with green or blue cloth to create a more calming atmosphere. Some classes use yoga or “brain gym” exercises throughout the day to prevent sensory overload.
Older students learn independent living skills, such as how to pay bills and read a lease, along with academics. There’s even a model apartment—with bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom—to prepare youths for life after school.
Several Annandale businesses, including the Arden Courts assisted living facility, Leewood Healthcare Center, and Magill’s restaurant, provide career education opportunities for Phillips students. Other local organizations that have worked with Phillips include Fuddruckers, George Mason Regional Library, Super Petz, and Northern Virginia Community College.
Lindsay Harris, the other high school supervisor, arranges field trips to places like drug stores, grocery stores, and banks. “You can learn in the classroom,” she says, “but real-world skills are very powerful when students have a chance to use them in a community setting.”
One response to “Kids ‘in crisis’ from entire region come to the Phillips School in Annandale”
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Amazing! The staff of Phillips should be an example for a society that has placed blame with school systems.