Approximately 3,200 students are enrolled in the Brownsville Independent School District s elementary summer school program. Teachers know it s a challenge to draw students back to school during vacation, so they strive to make classes entertaining for the kids. Unlike middle and high school programs, summer school goes on at almost every campus and is as much a confidence-builder as a vehicle to reach the next grade level. Mary Jo Monfils, a BISD area administator overseeing summer school, said that priority is given to students who failed to move on to the next grade level and must master certain skills. No grades are given.
Teachers are only concerned that each student masters a set of skills.
But they said the atmosphere is more relaxed and allows for more hands-on projects. Somewhere in the exercise there were lessons about reading, writing, math and social studies. They ve already made their own birdwatching booklets to record what they see, Garcia said. With an enthusiasm one wouldn t expect to find in school, the children eargerly anticipate the day s activities. Some students arrive an hour early each morning to tinker with the computers.