Book by Owen Leahy

Jason Camron’s Alternative Education

Owen Leahy

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to Jason Camron for allowing me to use him for my main subject, for letting me take photos of him. As well as Suzan Wilfolk for letting me interview her, and giving insight to the alternative programs in the MVLA district. Finally I would like to dedicate this to the Freestyle Academy for allowing me to create a Documentary project.

Jason Camron , in his backyard next to his lemon tree

Acknowledgements

Freestyle Academy for giving me the opportunity to create a documentary. And give me the freedom to explore anything and the possibility to learn new things through this project. I would also like to dedicate this to Jason Camron, for wanting to be the center of my documentary. As I couldn’t have done this without him. Finally I want to thank Suzan Wolfolk for letting me interview her, and giving me a different perspective on Alternative Education.

Jason Camron’s Living Room

Preface

Introduction

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Preface

We started the Documentary Project in the early weeks of February. As we learned about documentaries and watched documentaries. We started off with a book by Mary Beth Meehan and Fred Turner, “Seeing Silicon Valley”. After reading and analyzing Seeing Silicon Valley, I was eager to make one of my own. At first I wanted to make a documentary about my family and their jobs and life. But I wanted to challenge myself to think more outside the box, so I thought of something that I can relate to and still gain more knowledge and insight to. When I came to the idea of doing a documentary about alternative education, the person that came straight to mind was

my friend Jason Camron. The reason why I choose Alternative Education is because education is the foundation of any society. It shapes our values, also our understanding of the world. However, the traditional education system has been criticized for being rigid, one size-fits-all. And is failing to prepare students for the challenges of the modern world, and prepare students for college. Alternative education is a diverse range of educational approaches that prioritize personalized learning, experiential learning, and creativity. Additionally alternative education is a diverse range of educational approaches that prioritize personalized learning as well as experiential Learning and creativity.

FootHill College, Uper Building Quad

Introduction

Jason Camron, a teenager born and raised in the Bay Area, is pursuing a more fulfilling route through non-traditional education. Camron took an unconventional schooling route and has bounced around to many different types of alternative and general schools. He’s attended the Waldorf Peninsula School as well as Blach Middle School, Mountain View High School, and he currently attends Foothill Middle College. By attending a variety of alternative schools, Camron is actively proving that alternative education has benefits even for mainstream students.

FootHill College, Englsh Buildings

Chapter One

Sixteen-year-old Jason Camron appears in many ways to be an average high school student: he is tall, athletic, and sports dark brown hair. Outside of class, he spends most of his time on the golf course. Camron has been on the Mountain View High School golf team all three years, and has been playing golf for most of his life, allowing him to travel to many places. His strong passion for engineering led him to take the engineering class at Mountain View High School and enroll in the engineering program at Foothill Middle College. Currently, Camron is fulling his needs for education by pursuing alternative education to gain the change in classwork as well as the change in environment.

Many people assume that alternative education is for “bad” students. In “Reimagining Alternative Education,” Tesha Robinson explains, “alternative education is often associated with students who are at-risk and who display extreme misconduct.” Robinson emphasizes the improvement in students when they switch to the alternative education, rather than staying in the “normal” school route.

Camron, as a mainstream student, contradicts this stigma. Suzan Woolflolk, the Director of Alternative Education Programs at the Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District, claims that it is a

Portrait of Jason Camron

brave jump to switch to these programs because it shows that you put your education first.” Camron clearly shows that he puts his education first. One example was when he left Mountain View High School to attend Foothill Middle College, by doing this and is actively showing how he is taking back the negative stigma that alternative education gets. In fact, “Alternative schools have the potential to create a personalized educational experience for the student that is often not possible in another type of school setting, in particular, a local public school” (“Benefits of an Alternative School’’).

Camron’s decision to pursue alternative education is a testament to the fact alternative education is different rather than “normal” school. Camron emphasizes that he “gets a new classroom every quarter. To change the environment.” This quote contrasts the normal school environment as you only move classrooms every year. When Camron arrives at Foothill each day he attends to his classes but each quarter he is experiencing a new setting to avoid the lack of reputation that he was receiving at Mountain View High. Also This show how these slight changes in the school environment and teaching ways help Camron learn.

“Camron’s decision to pursue alternative education is a testament to the fact alternative education is different rather than “normal” school.”

Jason Camrons Backyard , different

Foothill College uper campus (Previous Pages)

Chapter Two

Outside of his academic pursuits, Jason Camron has a pronounced affinity for golf, as well as for spending quality time with his friends and family. Jason Camron made the decision to enroll at Foothill Middle College after his second year at Mountain View High School. Seeking smaller class sizes and broader course selection options, he enrolled at Foothill Middle College, where his academic performance has been outstanding in his first year. He feels that the classes he has taken this past year have been extremely helpful to his academic success.

Compared to his grades when he was at Mountain View High, when he felt he wasn’t receiving the grades that he wanted to receive. Camron stated, “I was like putting in a whole bunch of work, like for my classes and I was

like not getting anything out.” This is one example of how he was doing academically in his duration of Mountain View. The homework load was relatively the same, but he is more engaged with his work and the change in class environment.

At Foothill, he is taking English, History, Principles of Business and Chemistry, and Engineering. Camron’s engineering passion and experience started at Mountain View where he took Engineering 1 and 2 in his freshman and sophomore year. Camron’s academic

achievements after switching to Foothill and his well-rounded personality make him an amazing contribution to his school’s community. His dedication towards his studies and involvement in various activities reflect his commitment to personal growth, by taking charge of his academic choices.

From speaking with Camron he feels he is more engaged in the subject matter, and it seems that Camron has found courses that inspire him since transferring to Foothill Middle College. Camron explains, “my grades are definitely better and I

actually kind of enjoy going to classes cuz I like to pick classes I want to take, not classes I have to take.” From this Camron feels more motivated and invested in his studies by taking classes that interest him. Principal Woolfolk emphasizes the importance of being engaged in class: “ We have a number of students, even ones that voluntarily chose to come here this year and some of the students wouldn’t come to class for months; they were not even coming to school at Los Altos or Mountain View. And then at Alta Vista, an alternative school, they’re coming. They’re showing up. It’s a smaller classes.” This displays how a slight change in the school setting can be extremely helpful, just as it has for Camron. As Wolfolk said, with this change we are getting students to come to school and participate with the change in classroom setting.

“His dedication towards his studies and involvement in various activities reflect his commitment to personal growth, by taking charge of his academic choices.”

Chapter Three

Foothill Middle College is filled with a diverse range of people and age groups, so coming from a school with people all the same ages could be a hard adjustment. Camron claims that one of the hardest things that he had to do was adjusting to the social scene at Foothill. Camron feels that there is less community building at alternative schools, as most students at alternative schools are there to gain a more beneficial learning experience other than socializing. According to the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University, “Alternative education as not at all secondrate, but whose focus expands beyond the academic to consider the needs of the whole

child—social, emotional, … support” (Cable et al.). This source shows how alternative education doesn’t just focus on the education but also the emotional state of the students. From talking to Camron he feels his typical school day is not as exciting compared to his time at Mountain View. Camron states, “I get my lunch and then I’ll go sit in my car and do homework because there’s not really anything else to do” ( Camron). Camron’s daily lunch routine at Foothill strongly contrasts his lunch experience when he was at Mountain View, as he would be with close friends during lunch rather than sitting alone in his car. Due to the fact that Foothill is a commuter campus, the Middle

Foothill College History Building

College experience sometimes lacks a strong social environment.

Next quarter Carmon will be taking English, Principles of Business and Chemistry. He is taking on a new load of classes next fall as he enters his senior year at Middle college. Nevertheless, Camron feels more confident in himself entering college the following year as he will have two more years of college classes under his belt than his peers at Mountain View.

By taking challenging courses, Camron is developing important critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills that will help him in his career path. It’s admirable to see him taking control of his education and making the most of his opportunities. With his strong work ethic and dedication to learning, he is setting himself up for success both academically and

professionally. Also, alternative education offers an abundance of unique opportunities to explore different subjects and career paths that traditional education may not provide. By Camron taking advantage of these opportunities, he is acquiring a diverse range of skills and experiences. Ultimately, Jason’s dedication to his education and pursuit of his passions demonstrate the power of alternative education to help students reach their full potential through alternative education.

Camron is also continuing to keep his passion alive through the Mountain View Golf Team next year. It’s impressive to see that he is not only focused on his academics but is also pursuing his interests outside of the classroom. By continuing olf, he is not only keeping his passion for the sport alive but also developing important skills such as teamwork and perseverance. These life skills will certainly pay off in the near future, as he goes on to his senior year and a four year college.

Jason Camron in his backyard

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jason Camron’s story shows the potential benefits of alternative education for all types of students. His experience attending multiple alternative and general schools shows the advantages of experiencing a variety of schools. Camron’s decision to pursue alternative education contradicts the negative stigma that alternative education is only for “bad” students. As he is a good student who partakes in sports and passions that he loves. Camron’s academic achievements and well-rounded personality make him contribute to his school community, and he is an inspiration to challenge the negative stereotypes surrounding alternative education. Although he had made sacrifices in social environments, Camron’s dedication to his studies and involvement in many activities reflect his commitment to personal growth. Overall, his experience proves that alternative education is a viable and rewarding option for students who want to explore their passions and fulfill their potential.

Works Cited

1) mt_admin. “Benefits of an Alternative School.” AmeriSchools Academy, 9 Mar. 2021, https:// amerischools.org/2017/01/09/educational-benefits-alternative-school/.

2) Cable, Kelly E., et al. “Alternative Schools: What’s in a Name? Education Policy Brief. Volume 7, Number 4, Winter 2009.” Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University, Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. 1900 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47406-7512. Tel: 800-511-6575; Tel: 812-855-4438; Fax: 812-856-5890; e-Mail: Ceep@Indiana.edu; Web Site: Http://Www.indiana.edu/~Ceep, 30 Nov. 2008, https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED510969.

3) Robinson, Tesha. “Reimagining Alternative Education.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2 Aug. 2021, https://www.edutopia.org/article/reimagining-alternative-education

4) “Middle College High School.” Middle College High School - High School (CA Dept of Education), https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/midcolhs.asp.

5) Adam W. Jordan and Todd S. Hawley. “Alternative Schools Save Lives.” THE BITTER SOUTHERNER, 30 July 2019, bittersoutherner.com/from-the-southern-perspective/education/alternative-schools-save-lives.

Foothill College Quad

Author Bio

Owen Leahy is an 11th grader at Mountain View High School. Owen has an older brother, a mom and dad and two golden retrievers. He has dyslexia, which is a learning disability and has been dealing with this his whole life. Some of his core values in life are to always try his hardest in school. And always try to participate in class, and to be an advocate for himself and others. In his free time outside of school he likes to hang out with my friends and go to the beach or watch the sunset. Owen loves to go on runs with my two dogs around my neighborhood. Leahy is currently lifeguarding at the Palo Alto hills Country Club. Owen will contiune at Mountain View High School the remainder of his high shool experiance. Leahy plans on going to a four year college after high school.