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'Yes I Can' by Camille Berko

It’s safe to assume that the students with moderate cognitive impairments (MoCI) in Melissa Richardson's classroom are not what you imagine when someone mentions high school.

Stop in for a visit and you won’t see complex math equations on the board, huge world maps hung from the walls, or lengthy novels packed into shelves. But you will find kids with the same drive to learn, grow and succeed as any other classroom. They just do it differently.

Many of Richardson’s students hold academic skills comparable to those in elementary school, however, their social and adaptive behaviors more closely resemble a typical teenager. Richardson’s job is to prepare them for life beyond high school.

To do this, she has created a one-of-a-kind learning environment within her classroom.

A large, blue, spiked ball is perched on top of the many other balls overflowing from a slumped basket near Richardson’s desk. Several motivational signs are on the windowsill. They overlap and are held up by the surrounding storybooks. A singular star lantern hangs in the far corner and every so often, sways slightly. Lining the top of the whiteboard in the back, yoga positions for each letter in the alphabet are displayed and following the same theme, sloths doing yoga are showcased on the cabinets. Taped to a small, worn-down wooden chair with aged yellow padding, is a paper sign with the words ‘teacher chair only’ scrawled across it. A stack of blankets on a table, christmas decoration boxes above the cabinets, fake money magnets on the whiteboard.

Everything has a place.

But more importantly, everything has a purpose.

FOCUSED: While Richardson leads class, Katilin Schwartz pays close attention and checks her work. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

One example is located directly to the right when you step through the door.

Here, a sectioned-off part of the whiteboard showcases photo memories of both current and former students from all stages of their life. From baby pictures, to fun trips, to graduation, this board has it all. And directly in the center, bold black letters spell ‘I can…’

“Probably five times a week we’re all chanting ‘YES, I CAN! YES, I CAN!” Richardson said. “Because that’s our philosophy. That’s what we want our students to know. We want them to believe, ‘yes I can, I can do this.’”

And they do believe it.

Richardson says it’s most moving when a student is working on a skill and they get it, but not only do they get it, they can teach it and have mastered it. When this happens during math, the student with newfound confidence and expertise gets to show everyone else how they figured out the problem on the whiteboard. Their peers elevate them and express their excitement. It’s a proud and inspiring moment.

This uplifting motto of ‘yes, I can’ sets the tone for everything these students do at school, most of which contains functional skills they transfer to their lives outside of the building.

WORKSHEET: Jonathan Larson works on an assignment in class during the english lesson. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

Take, for instance, their morning routine.

The students in room 3109 have it down to a science and it begins the moment they step off the bus.

Students drop off backpacks, coats and other belongings at their lockers, then head into the classroom. Next to the photo board is an updated job chart. Here, students find their name and identify their task, which they often have for several days in a row to incorporate consistency.

As the room slowly fills with students and excited chatter ensues, the clock ticks closer to 7:40. When the bell chimes, everyone knows what to do.

Students independently start their tasks. With occasional, targeted assistance from Richardson, along with assistant teachers Dan Sears and Amanda Vredeveld, they complete their jobs and check their work before circling up.

The room begins to quiet down as the teachers' voices guide everyone toward the back. Chairs begin to form a tight-knit circle and students finish final job preparations.

Sears takes his seat in the ‘teacher only chair’, kids pick spots by their friends and Richardson begins.

One student reports the date and time. Another, the classroom and outside temperatures. Someone reports on today’s lunch menu, someone else counts dollars, another person is the coin counter and on it goes until all jobs have been shared with the group.

“We try to make all jobs very functional so they transfer into everyday life,” Richardson said.

And through it all, students have fun as they learn new skills essential for their futures which may consist of volunteer positions evolving into paid jobs and living at home transforming into living in assisted housing.

LEADER: Richardson addresses the class while a student peers in her direction. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

After the morning routine, comes a short language arts lesson. This could consist of a reading lesson, writing lesson or sight words. On occasion, they finish it off with a couple rowdy rounds of hangman which ends with exclamations of surprise, joy and pride from all around the room.

HANGMAN: Every chance they get, students in Richardson's MoCI classroom take the opportunity to get a new high score playing their favorite spelling game. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

Next up, it’s time for students to work in teams to learn communication and social skills. Some head to the coffee cafe, others do recycling and a final group makes the trek to the front office where they pick up mail and prepare to deliver it throughout the building.

If you’re familiar with a soft knock at your second-hour door followed by several joyful kids announcing they’re there to deliver mail before handing a few slips of paper to your teacher, you’ve already been acquainted with this activity.

“The goal for our students in that situation is that they are working as a team, using social skills, using communication skills, understanding what items they need to perform the job and if a problem comes up, they are working on problem-solving,” Richardson said.

MAIL DELIVERY: Schwartz delivers mail to a guest teacher for her classroom during second hour jobs. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

This is just one way the students in Richardson’s classroom practice and learn functional life skills. Another is by using that big, blue, spiked ball from the top of the basket in the corner.

Some students go all out, weaving through the bodies and chasing the ball at every opportunity they get, while others take a more moderate approach to the game. But everyone's cheers echo throughout the gym anytime the ball soars through the outstretched arms of the goalie after leaving the foot of a now triumphant-looking player.

Soccer every Tuesday and Thursday with these students is chaotic, fun and entertaining. But it’s also all about teamwork, communication and physical health. Whether they notice it or not, spending time in the gym twice a week teaches these kids life skills.

“We work on staying healthy and taking care of our bodies,” Richardson said. “We talk a lot about movement and how it makes us think better and it makes us feel better, so we encourage that every week.”

Everything is a learning opportunity.

And every day, students progress further than before.

“What’s really exciting is seeing their growth,” Sears said. “All the gains that I see on a daily basis, it’s so rewarding.”

HAVING FUN: Issac Shaeffer hides a grin under his mask during class. (photo by Grace Montgomery)

Sears recounts the moment a student he had been working with finally learned how to tie their own shoe after weeks of practice. It’s little improvements that he says make his job as a teacher so much more fulfilling.

When they aren’t in the gym, students spend third hour doing either science or an extension of the english lesson from earlier. They follow this with guided, individual chromebook lessons, listening to online stories or choice time. Next, they head down for A lunch, then come back to the room and do some math, which normally involves all those fake bills and coins stuck to the back whiteboard. They finish with targeted instruction and then the day is done.

In the end, the students in Richarson’s MoCI class might have a different daily schedule than most high school students, but they still come to school for the same purpose. To learn.

And that is exactly what they do, day in and day out.

“They really are thriving and growing and learning,” Richardson said. “Watching the daily growth and watching kids want to learn and participate is so inspiring for all of us. There is a lot of active learning going on, whether it’s socially, emotionally, academically or maturity wise.”

Learning is fundamental to development and although they do it through different methods, these students are constantly acquiring new knowledge and growing, just like any other teenager.

“Our students enjoy going to the gym and playing sports,” Sears said. “They enjoy movies, video games, they enjoy their friends, they enjoy relationships, boyfriends and girlfriends, they enjoy the same foods. They really are a lot more like their peers than they are different.”

ALL TOGETHER: While chanting "YES I CAN!", with the class, Richardson spreads her arms as if to embrace everyone in the room. (photo by Camille Berko)

Sears added he is both proud and blessed to have the opportunity to work with these students.

Like any job, there are difficult days, but through it all, it’s the students that inspire these teachers to continue to guide and prepare them for the future.

“My students are capable and caring,” Richardson said. “And our goal is to empower them so that they can someday go out and be independent and part of the community.”