Juvenile delinquency (1955)

40 JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY tern which he has already shown no desire to follow. Since its inception, much lipservice has been paid to the educational philosophy of "learning by doing," but in actual practice, this ideal fell far short of fulfillment. Certainly the opportunity to make "learning by doing" a reality has been achieved at Twin Pines Ranch to a degree seldom possible in the usual school situation. Any curriculum which failed to take advantage of such an opportunity would there- fore be little more than useless, and all our aims are toward vital and func- tional teaching which would help these boys better to make their peace with themselves and their environment. In all cases, we attempt to relate closely the academic subjects we teach to the vocational education with which we hope better to equip these boys to get along and gain recognition without recourse to antisocial means. Such a cur- riculum must of necessity be highly flexible in order to fit into the needs of the individual, and in order to help him to find out for himself the field in which to find his greatest worth and happiness. In the event we find individuals whose aptitudes and abilities are such as to warrant higher education than the sec- ondary level, we stand ready to help them achieve such a goal. In vocational education, we attempt to use every possible means to teach useful skills by actual work on jobs necessary to the building and maintenance of a well-run ranch, so that the boy can look to his finished job and know that he has really made a contribution to the general welfare. We purposely avoid "pseudowork" hastily put together for instructional purposes, and just as easily demolished as soon as completed. Under the guidance and instruction of our counselor instructors, the students in vocational education construct the build- ings in which they eat. sleep, attend school, work, and play. Besides the build- ing trades classes, there are several special trades, which the boy may select as his vocation. These special trades are machine shop, both types of welding, tin and coopersmithing, auto mechanics, cooking and baking, and laundry opera- tion. Vocational agriculture is an important part of our educational system. Here, also, the practical application is productive as well as instructive. On the academic side of the curriculum, we believe that mathematics can best be taught by helping the boy to see for himself the necessity for its use in planning and completing work within the broader skills we are attempting to teach. Our aim in English is to help the boy express himself satisfactorily, both orally and in writing, so as to establish better communication between the boy and bis ranch and his home environment. Under social studies, good citizen- ship, of course, can best be learned by being a real contributing member to the everyday life of the ranch. But since we cannot live in a vacuum, we believe that we should help the boy to become aware of what is going on in the world today, and the possible effects of those occurrences upon himself. Also, being a citizen of democracy, we should create in the boy a reasoning respect for the rights of others regardless of nationality, color, or creed. Although we will be hampered for some time to come by lack of equipment and modern playing fields, we believe that we do best to concentrate almost entirely on games with a great deal of carry-over value for the individual so that he can continue to work off surplus "steam" through worthwhile recrea- tional activities even after leaving the ranch. Physical education is a required subject in the regular educational curriculum. In order that our boys be given wholesome contacts with the community at large, as well as lose some of their selfish devotion to themselves by participating in team sports, we are very fortunate to have been invited to be a member of the Arrowhead League. Our participation in this league makes us a member of the California Interscholastic Federation (C. I. F.). In the rehabilitation of the boys through the educational process of social living, our aim is to give each individual boy the guidance necessary to help him evaluate his abilities and preferences, and to make his own decisions as to what occupational and formal school woi-k will be of the greatest help to him- self while at the ranch, as well as to his future success in life. The boy must learn to make his own decisions if the rehabilitation program is to be of last- ing value. Methods used to carry out this purpose : (1) Counseling and guidance by ranch supervisors and the teachers through personal interviews and in group instruction in the classroom and on the job. The teachers help each boy to find a new attitude toward hooks and the class- room. By patient instruction, they will endeavor to get the boy to discover for himself that he is able to do the basic or elementary subjects that before seemed impossible. Thus, confidence is gained and self-expression realized. The work supervisors help the boy to discover and develop his occupational interests and