All children in public education should have access to a “First Hour”……a transitional hour to stop and think…..get it together……….be prepared, a fresh start. This would be an hour that children who are disadvantaged in any area would have a time to (one could say) equalize. If children need certain structures and opportunities they would get it…….before they start their day. People would have access to children who need social skills training, breakfast, back pack organization, homework checks, teen daily guidance, coaching and counselling academically and emotioanlly, or simply extra tudoring. This would allow a free access, time for specialist where they can meet with kids and not take them out of an academic class.

This first hour would be a reading or academic support hour for children not needing this structure, or a time for gifted and talented to access also what they need. “Call it a “needs” hour for all. Highly structured, and efective time managed hour….. m-fri). Teachers are given prep time….and tudor time for academically needy kids. They are not involved with first hour kids emotional needs….unless they “want to be”. Usually teachers are to burnt out for this (sad but true). Emotionally needy children are seen at this time by loving nurturing role models….highly trained parental figures, counselors, encouraging principals, highly trained parental figures. There should be a mandated college educational requirement that you be trained as an educational transitional counselor.

The position of a trained transitonal school counselor/mentor…..goes thru a program similar to (a hospice training, or eventually make it a vocational program or two year associates degree….These people report to the school counselor or can be supervised by a school guidance or adjustment counselor. People come in from the community that have been trained and cleared thru cori checks…… college interns…..people who want to be doing this type of work, student tudors. Set it up like paid or highly respected volunteer positions. These people get maybe a benefit from gov…… like tax right off…….state health benefits. Must commit to a one year position.
They leave after “first hour’. Certain paid postions stay to do recess, ( a notoriously understaffed disasterous time for a high percentage of students). This person would understand how to interact with students in play……setting up games, teaching and coaching fair play……..encouraging and modelling positive social interaction. Kids do not know how to do this today. Many kids get labelled with behavioral, adhd, and other because they simply do not know the basic rules of group social skills. They end up in the school office vice principals office (a too late situation) with punishment rather than a social learning opportunity. Vice Principals in elementary schools are a huge administrative cost and you have a person mostly sitting in an office (often with little counseling training) investigating what happened at lunch, before school, and recess. It is not a good learning and prevention model. We are now even moving towards police in the schools. Where will it end? THis does not happen in private schools-why? More community oriented.

A lunch and recess transitional workers will sit with the kids k-12, rotate around the cafeteria. Eat with these kids. It is great when teachers do this, but honestly teachers need a “lunch break”. They will know the groups and gangs and who is in or out because they will rotate from grade to grade with children. They will understand social dynamics, when a child is reaching their limit, what their triggers are, if they have had breakfast, if they have change their clothes this week, got their homework in, etc. They will know what kids learning styles are and how they will do with certain teaching staff, etc.

How can we pay for this? Attract senior citizens & unemployed college grads, or assoc. degree with an 8 week vocational educational program similart to medical assistant for doctors, to train for a “transitional counsel. jobs (before school-lunch -recess-after) especially “First hour”. Eventually lesson Vice P positions, police, and sped referral. Grades will increase. Also
I believe in school T-shirt uniforms. Pants optional Thanks! J