Focus Initiative

The small size of our summer school class is incredibly enabling.  At Focus Academy we believe that merely teaching traditional academics alone will, in no way, prepare an individual for life.  We teach students how to live in addition to maintaining a rigorous academic standard.  Part of that "how to live" curriculum includes addressing the unmapped, experiential world of socialization, and with a small class, I can actually take the students out to where life and socialization happens.  We went to the mall.

The trips purpose was to teach concentration on subject matter regardless of what was going on around us.  With the public schools out of session and the mall a baby sitter of choice for many, what better place was there to test that call to concentration?  We had been working on math and each student was given a reward towards which they would work.  The general learning goal of social understanding was targeted and taught during the "down times" as opportunity arose.  

Our first lesson was found in a display window while we entered the mall.  The awareness of other people in my space comes so naturally

it's easy to forget that some students are completely unaware of the people who enter their space. Not only am I continually

aware of who is in my space, I also tend to monitor the others who enter my space. If abnormal activity is detected I either move away or

hone in on and specifically observe the abnormal activity. I automatically change my behaviour based on who is in my space. I naturally understand the principle of "being on display." However, to someone who does not understand social behaviour naturally (by no fault of their own) this principle must be explained and illustrated. The perfect metaphor to explain this principle happened to be a window displaying clothing

in the mall and I took the time to discuss this with the students. Though it may have to be explained many

more times in many different ways, we have at least started the discussion and taken a first step towards social understanding in this area. We also

completed an impressive amount of math and all students were able to earn the rewards for which they were working despite the incredible distraction of a

mall atmosphere. My hat is off to the students I get to work with this summer!

-Richard Kelly