Chapter Forty-Four

REPORT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

Andrew D. Rondell, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools of California
Sacramento, California

Dear Dr. Rondell:

We, Drs. Joseph Davis, Phyllis Langton, Shirley Samper, and Jack Dillon, respectfully submit this report concerning our recent observation of twenty fifth-grade students in San Diego County.

The twenty students—ten girls and ten boys—came from two public schools: Bayshore Elementary School in Del Mar and the School of Two Thousand Smiles in Monte Vista. Although both schools serve approximately the same number of students—approximately 300 at Bayshore and 260 at Two Thousand Smiles—their educational structures and philosophies differ considerably.

I. The Two Schools

Bayshore Elementary School serves students in grades one through five and is organized much like a traditional American elementary school. Classes generally consist of approximately 30 students, a teacher, and an assistant.

The School of Two Thousand Smiles serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Classes are limited to approximately twenty students. Each week, every grade, two through twelve, two classes of 10 devoted specifically to human development, meet for two hours under the direction of a specially trained facilitator, whom the students call a “Tator.”

The human-development sessions resemble, in some respects, like extended group-therapy sessions. Their emphasis is on communication, self-understanding, relationships, empathy, and the development of the individual student.

II. Observations of the Students

The Bayshore students appeared highly disciplined, polite, and orderly. They wore school uniforms and generally behaved in a manner that could be described as obedient, conforming, and respectful of established rules. The ten Bayshore students consisted of seven Caucasian students, two Asian students, and one Hispanic student.

The students from the School of Two Thousand Smiles presented a distinctly different impression. They described themselves, with considerable amusement, as a bunch of “ragamuffins.” We observed them to be spontaneous, curious, imaginative, expressive, and friendly.

Among the ten students from Two Thousand Smiles were four Caucasian students, two African - American students, one Asian- American-student, and three Hispanic students. The students appeared comfortable with one another across ethnic backgrounds. We observed no apparent social distancing based upon ethnicity or anything else. The students engaged in considerable friendly banter, but it appeared to be accepted as part of their normal interaction.

III. Search for Prejudice, Brutality, and Offensive Behavior

We were specifically asked to observe the students for indications of prejudice, brutality, cruelty, or offensive behavior toward one another.

One evaluator expressed concern that several of the Two Thousand Smiles students appeared to be somewhat “too wild.” When questioned further, however, she stated that she did not feel threatened or fearful of any of the students. In fact, she acknowledged that she might have had a more enjoyable childhood had she attended a school with an educational environment similar to Two Thousand Smiles’.

We did observe disagreements and differences of opinion among the students. We also witnessed one incident in which a boy made fun of a physically handicapped girl. Several other students immediately objected and stood up for the girl, even threatening the boy verbally.

Although this incident was troubling, we also believe it is significant that the other students responded by defending a classmate they believed had been treated unfairly.

IV. Overall Assessment

After spending several hours observing and interacting with these twenty fifth-grade students, we found the overall atmosphere to be one of respect, warmth, acceptance, and kindness.

The students welcomed us and treated us with courtesy and openness. While the students at the two schools differed noticeably in their behavior and manner of interacting, we found no evidence that the greater spontaneity and freedom displayed by the Two Thousand Smiles students resulted in an atmosphere of cruelty, prejudice, or fear.

Indeed, we came away from the experience deeply impressed by these young people.

We respectfully report that we are very proud of these boys and girls and that our experience with them has left us more hopeful about the future of our schools and, indeed, about the future of our country.

We thank you for the opportunity to participate in this observation and evaluation.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Joseph Davis
Dr. Phyllis Langton
Dr. Shirley Samper
Dr. Jack Dillon

Evaluators