Garrett's Soldiers: The Effectiveness of the Why Try Program in Working with Children with Conduct Disorders

By Dr. Yolande Maria Minor, EdD

Garrett Soldiers describes the birth of a behavioral intervention program at Garrett Middle School in Cobb County, Georgia to increase the success of at-risk male students. Also, the book embodies the dissertational study , The Effectiveness of the WhyTry Program with Conduct Disordered Students by Dr. Yolande Minor. The study showed that the more positive perception and the increased amount of time commitment by facilitators of the WhyTry program contributed to the decreasing number of males and females being expelled from school. Also, the independent variables were close to being significant in the decrease number of students involved in the juvenile court system. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the amount of students involved with aggression and the destruction of property.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450049825

Dr. Yolande Maria Minor, EdD

Dr. Yolande Maria Minor is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She is a charismatic poet and educator. She is a pursuer of academic excellence. She has been a successful and dedicated educator for 22 years. She possess her own licensed educational consultant business know as New Horizons which is dedicated to the success of all children, especially the disabled. Dr. Minor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Emory University. She obtained her Master’s degree in Education from Georgia State University specializing in the area of the Mildly Handicapped. Furthermore, she received her Doctorate degree from the University of Sarasota in the area of Counseling Psychology. Dr. Minor has been an advocate for excellence throughout her academic career. She has been recognized by Who’s Who Among American Teachers and the National Society of Professional Women. She is a member of Chi Sigma Iota, an Honorary Society for Counseling. Dr. Minor is certified to teach in the areas of Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disordered. Also, she has specialized training in Assertive Discipline, the Why Try Program, Survival Skills for Women, the Parental Course of Children Coping with Divorce, and Conflict-Resolution. Dr. Minor is a GED instructor for the Haitian Community of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, under the leadership of Rev. Eddy Williams. Lastly, Dr. Minor is serves on the Educational Committee of the Neighborhood Planning Unit of Adamsville in Atlanta, Georgia.

Book preview

Garrett’s Soldiers

title pic.jpg

AND

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE WHY TRY

PROGRAM IN WORKING WITH CHILDREN

WITH CONDUCT DISORDERS

Dr. Yolande Maria Minor, Ed.D.

Copyright © 2010 by Dr. Yolande Maria Minor, Ed.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: GARRETT’S SOLDIERS

My Shining Star

My Beautiful Mozart

Expressing One’s Self

Reaching Student’s Where They Are

Garrett’s Soldiers: The Beginning

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I will never accept defeat. I will always succeed. I will attempt to increase my grades, integrity, and belief in myself

Garrett Soldier’s: The Dancers

Garrett Soldiers: The Community Ambassadors

Garrett Soldier’s: My Ambassadors of Community Change

CHAPTER ONE: THE PROBLEM AND ITS COMPONENTS

Introduction

Literature Review

Purpose of the Study

Research Questions

Limitations/Delimitations

Definitions

Importance of the Study

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Definition of Conduct Disorder

Multiple Definitions

Quality of Life

Conduct Disorder and Childhood Delinquency

Students with Conduct Problems—Impact on Society

Emotional Factors

Co-Morbidity of Conduct Problems and Poor Academic Achievement

Who’s in Control at School?

Peer Risk Factors

Association with Deviant Peers

Bad Company

Peer Rejection

Community

Violence and the Media

Biological Factors

Family Risk Factors

Conduct Disorder Among Females

Understanding Emotions

Gender Socialization

Protective Factors

Other Factors Deemed Effective

The Importance of Social Skills

Therapist Interaction

Children’s Conceptualization of Therapeutic Treatment

Motivation for Seeking Treatment

Evaluation of Treatment Goals and Acceptability

Generalization

Assessment of Generalization

Efficacy of Skill-Based Programs for Youth with CD

Theoretical Models of Interventions

WhyTry School Based-Intervention Program

Integrative Psychology

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Empirical Research of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in School Settings

On the Shoulders of Rogers

Humanistic-Existentialism

Gestalt Therapy

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the WhyTry Program

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Research Design

Selection of Subjects

Content Validity and Reliability

Assumption of Limitations

Procedures

Data Processing and Analysis

Data Analysis

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS

Descriptive Results

Hypotheses Testing

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

Descriptive Statistics

Conclusion

Recommendations

List of References

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Risk and Protective Factors

Appendix B: Letters of Approval

Appendix C: Confirmation of Validity of Results

Appendix D: Commentary on Validity of Test Questions

Appendix E: Program Effectiveness Survey

Appendix F: Code Matrix of the WhyTry Program

Appendix G: WhyTry Program Facilitator’s Survey

Appendix H: Frequency Tables

LIST OF TABLES

Table

1.      Demographic Characteristics of Participants

2.      Summary of Statistics of Training with WhTry Program

3.      The Approximate Number of Conduct Disordered Students Involved in the WhyTry Program

4.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards Aggressive Behavior for Males and Females

5.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards the Number of Males and Females Expelled

6.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards the Reduction in the Involvement of the Juvenile Court System for Males and Females

7.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards the Destruction of Property for Males and Females

8.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards the Reduction in the Deceitfulness of Males and Females

9.      Statistical Comparisons of the Two Predictor Variables towards the Reduction in Violations of the Rules for Males and Females

Dedication

I dedicate this dissertation to my Mother, Mamie Minor, and my Aunt Henrietta Butler whose love and support have helped to turn this once life-long dream into a shared reality. To my Aunt Ethel Milner, Aunt Catherine Allen, and Aunt Ruth Crawford whose soul source of inspiration was education. To my friends and family who have helped me share the dream: Donna Marsh, Diana Marsh, Charlene Sams, Denise Hood, Ruby Mc Cray, Dr. Cynthia Winthrop, Derrick Mathews, Dewan McElhaney, Valeria Pierce, Synethea Anderson, Sonya Carter, Dee Smith, Vickey Brewer, Carol Brewer, Michelle Allen, Alma Graves, Dr. JoAnn Hayward, Neque Minor and TeLeta Wilson.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much".

Helen Keller

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek".

President Barack Obama

INTRODUCTION

GARRETT’S SOLDIERS

Garrett’s Soldiers began as an epiphany of one’s heart for change. The sequence of events were essential to the overall success of the group and the history that the Soldiers have made in their short creation.

In search of my dissertational research project, I knew I wanted to work with youth to help change their perception of themselves, their perception to the world, and to help them succeed from an educational perspective. The following stories account to my perception of events and life changing moments that the student’s bestowed in my life and hopefully in the lives of the one’s who met them as well.

Again, Garrett’s Soldiers beginning came from the life essence for positive change. I have dedicated my life to the service of special education students and I dedicate this book to my mother, my first and foremost agent of change. I think the circumstances that changed my perception of my life existence came when I was placed in a small reading class to help me become stronger in my reading skills, however, in reality I became awakened at a young age that I was placed in a numerical system of classism.

In Atlanta, I attended the classes with the Kings, the Bonds, and the Youngs and the other black eschalance families of Atlanta, GA. The educational levels of success of Atlanta’s dignitaries were placed before my own until my mother’s insightful vigor, determination, and appeal, changed their thoughts of who was important and the importance of my educational advancement. In elementary school, I was made to feel that I was not as good as those in a higher economical stance. The dignitaries children were placed in a academic position for success. I along with others in lower income brackets were placed in stance of careless Title One , which is suppose to give academic support to those with academic weakness. However, it was another income support for schools. There was a careless attitude if the Title One students succeeded or not. Being placed in the same classes as those of a lower income bracket gave me a position of what it felt like to be alienated from everyone else. Yet, my mother and I knew in my own earlier years of educational experience that I was very smart and intelligent to meet any level of excellence that high-crusted society of Atlanta could serve within their realm. I remembered my mother going to the teachers, the principal, and even the school superintendent to give them a piece of her mind. After her vigorous educational fight for her child, I was placed in the same classes of Atlanta’s upper class and I haven’t looked back sense. I remembered my mother even speaking to the superintendent to send me to the best high school in the city at the time, Frederick Douglass High School. Through my remainder years in elementary and throughout my high school years, I continued to pursue a level of excellence. I consider myself a true high achiever. I was an academic achiever in elementary and high school by obtaining on all honor rolls and belonging to all the honor societies. I studied at the most prestigious college in Atlanta, Georgia, Emory University. I received my doctorate in Counseling Psychology with honors.

It is failure that I have a difficulty of handling well. However, through life’s lessons of failure I have learned that going through difficult situations or resistance can only make you stronger. It is said that Abraham Lincoln lost 8 election before he became president. Thomas Edison experimented with 1500 materials before he made the light bulb work, and Albert Einstein couldn’t read until he was 8. I can only speak from my position. If you fail, you have to get back up and keep fighting. Also, I understand now why Albert Einstein looks the way he did in his later years. He had so much knowledge bestowed in his head that his hair standing straight up was the way of expressing himself. His knowledge had to manifest itself some way. In our schools we use to celebrate, Exceptional Children’s Week. I wish this tradition would come back because we as an American Society need to be reminded that we are not perfect and our flaws or freak of nature could be our most significant beauty marks. We need to continue to celebrate our differences.

My Shining Star

My first teaching experience began in South Fulton’s Head Start Program. I knew I needed stepping stones to began my career as a teacher. I applied for a pre-school teacher in Atlanta’s phenomenal Head Start Program. I was very excited of my new found opportunity and daily I met the student’s needs with pre-readiness lessons in math, science, and reading. I remember I had one student that was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome. He was very quiet and often looked uninterested in the things that were going on around him, especially, in the lessons that were being taught. He barely responded by coloring, drawing, tracing, or counting. However, my paraprofessional and I daily attempted to work with him. One morning my classroom of 3 year olds were going over our routines of singing songs, going over the day of the week, the colors, and so forth. I asked my young Einstein to go show me red. He got up and went to a book and said red. I was shocked and the other students were shocked as well. However, since he was alert, I asked him to come to the calendar and show me what day it was. He pointed to the calendar and said Monday. My mouth truly fell open. I asked him to go and show us other colors around the room. He would go to the object that had the color, and literally speak to us the color. This was awakening for all of us. We applauded him and I gave him such a big hug, and tested him throughout the day. He answered to the call. That day was His day of awakening. He participated hence forth and the other students became closer to him as well. Remembering that day, I still shed tears of joy because I know I have made a difference in at least one child’s life. I opened his heart to learning. My purpose in life is to TEACH.

I have to mention the experiences of DEDICATION by showing up daily without heat in the building of the Head Start Program during the winter months. Also, the boiler was constantly threatening to blow and we would have to walk the children out of our building to the one next door to protect them from harm. Some days I wanted to quit and not return, however, I could only see my babies faces each morning I awoke and returned to the conditions day after day. In several months, I was hired a paraprofessional in Dekalb County. This was my way out of the situation. However, I brought my memories with me on my way to further my way to a higher level of teaching.

My Beautiful Mozart

When I was a paraprofessional at Hightower Elementary in Dekalb County, I enjoyed the students, as well. One student I was responsible of working with was diagnosed as Moderately Mentally Handicapped. I was responsible of teaching him how to write his name. Daily we would go at it and we would build on the shaping of each letter. Also, he would like to sing to himself as he was doing his task. Sometimes it was OK. Sometimes he would get too loud and I would have quiet him down. However, I saw his gift and I saw a cute small electronic piano I wanted to give him for Christmas for his hard work. His mother told me after the Christmas break that he could not stop playing and singing with his new piano. His mother and I talked and we allowed him to bring it to school. His playing and singing were so beautiful. It truly touched my heart again. We have to REACH children where they are and ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR GIFTS.

Expressing One’s Self

I remembered teaching