| Schools,
Programs, & Visit Reports - Oct, 1991 Issue
|
Provo Canyon School
(800) 848-9819
Provo, Utah
Admissions: Debbie de Hass
Lon Woodbury's Visit: June 26, 1991
Provo, Utah is a family town,
where it is obvious who is the adult and who is the child. Many activities
that are taken for granted in much of the rest of the country are frowned
on, or prohibited, in Provo. In the week I spent visiting several schools
in the area and exploring the town, I saw very little sign of teen-agers
"cruising," but I saw a lot of families doing things together. The weather
was mild, and I saw many young people wearing shorts, but none were
shorter than two or three inches above the knee. I was told this came
from Brigham Young University's dress standards for its students. It
seems fitting that Provo Canyon School should be located in a town that
so strongly supports parents being in control of their children with
a loving and no-nonsense attitude, because at Provo Canyon School there
is no question the adults are in control, and they tolerate no nonsense.
The school has probably the
tightest structure of any school I've been in. The staff explain they
have to control the students before they can influence them. This is
also seen as a vital part of their healing process. The behavioral expectations
are high, and very detailed. Considering the school's student population
lived with little structure before coming there, this structure is designed
not only to maintain control, but to force out the student's issues
when the students conflict with the system. Once the issues come out
from the conflict, the issues can be addressed and worked on through
counseling and groups. The detailed expected behavior has been developed
in response to the student's ability to manipulate almost any system.
The best example I saw of the detail the school uses was when I saw
the students passing from one academic class to another. They were walking
in single file, with little talking or visiting, no shoving, no crowding,
and no horsing around. It was obvious this was what was expected, and
the students had learned it. The reasoning is horsing around could cause
confusion and allow monkey-business. Of course, the students can relax
a little once they get into class, and more flexibility was allowed
in PE class and informal or physical activities when it made sense,
but it was all thought out in advance on the basis of what was needed
for the orderly running of the school, and the structure the students
needed for healing.
When behavior is less than
expected, the consequences are predictable with no nonsense tolerated.
As each child goes through the program, he or she gradually gains privileges.
The main consequence for inappropriate behavior or low grades is a loss
of privileges, which then have to be re-earned. A more severe consequence
for more severe infractions is the Investment Unit, in which the student
moves to a separate unit with tighter structure and includes a quiet
room.
There is an overall psychiatric
management of students, of which the structure is just one part. Their
education system and vocational training has an excellent reputation
for quality in the industry, and of course is well coordinated with
the emotional needs of the students. For example, bad grades will bring
about consequences just as much as acting out behavior will. The students
days are full, leaving very little idle time. In addition to classes,
the students have group sessions of several types, and individual therapy
regularly and more frequent when needed, and planned time for socializing.
Supporting programs include a three-month substance abuse program when
the student needs that experience, and family case management to bring
the family dynamics into the overall healing.
Up until February of this
year, both the boys and the girls had classes and many activities together.
One result was some academic classes were as late as 8 pm. To solve
this administrative problem, the school created separate programs for
boys and girls. The children maintained some joint activities so the
students would still have some opposite sex socializing, but for most
of the time classes and activities became single sex. An unanticipated
result was that the children settled down faster than before, overall
behavior improved, and academic grades improved. I heard this from several
staff people and their experience seems to be very supportive of those
who argue for single sex programs.
The staff are proud of their
program. They of course talk about graduates that are doing well that
first came to the school with little prospects for success in life.
Copyright
© 1991, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without
prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author
attribution accompanies the copy.) |
