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Lions Quest Offers Skills Beyond the Three R’s
Eyes droopy as the first bell rings, the seventh-graders trudge into a fluorescent-lit classroom at U.L. Light Middle School. This is no ordinary class.
Teacher Charles Tripp, who taught math, science and social studies until this year, passes out newspaper stories on celebrities and regular folks who abused alcohol and harmed others or themselves, and the class perks up. The students discuss why kids drink and what they’ve seen.
The Ohio school of 500 students, located near Akron, is one of thousands worldwide that use Lions Quest to teach schoolchildren to act responsibly, to respect themselves and others, and to avoid drugs and alcohol. Run by the LCIF and implemented by local Lions clubs, Lions Quest gives children from kindergarten to seniors in high school life skills needed to grow up with self-control and concern for others.
It’s up to the teachers to not only impose order and impart academic skills but also to keep negative cultural forces at bay and to prop up fragile self-esteem amid an opinionated, often critical peer group. “I tell them the Lions Quest class is about getting through the day without smacking somebody. They can relate to that. They like to be real,” said Tripp.
The lack of discipline and guidance at home spelled trouble at U.L Light. Two years ago, the school reported 2,419 disciplinary infractions including 867 instances of disruptive behavior, 367 cases of fighting/violence, nine weapon possessions/uses and eight drug usages/possessions. The infractions decreased to 1,335 in 2005-2006 but that was still far too high for school administrators. The school began researching life skills programs and was bowled over by the research detailing the effectiveness of Lions Quest. In the fall of 2006, U.L. Light implemented the program and disciplinary problems plummeted. In May, as the school year wound down, disciplinary infractions totaled 712 with just four weapon possession/ uses and two drug usages/possessions.
Students and teachers alike credit Lions Quest with the turnaround. “I ask the kids if they think it helps and I’ve had several say, ‘Mr. Tripp, I could’ve got into a fight but I didn’t.” Says Taylor, a student, “It was pretty bad before. People were always yelling and screaming at each other. It’s basically friendly now.”
Nearly 150 U.L. Light students took the Lions Quest class, which met once a day for 45 minutes in the 2006-07 school year. (The vast majority of schools using Lions Quest do not schedule the class separately but instead incorporate it into another class.) Initially, students balked. “At first, everybody got upset,” said Taylor. “It was like, ‘This is just another boring class.’ But it was pretty interesting.” Adds Tripp, “They complain about math. They complain about this and this. They’re pretty cynical. So the fact they say something positive [about Lions Quest] says something.”
The attraction of Lions Quest to students was that while it offered the familiarity and comfort of a classroom with a teacher in charge, it delved into topics that many students had never confronted directly and even less had discussed openly and at length with an adult. For instance, there was the day the students talked about getting along with others different from them. An exercise forced them to chat with classmates whom, in teen-speak, “in a million years” they would not talk to.
Lions Quest includes service learning, and the U.L. Light students sponsored a dance to benefit two children in Africa, collected toys and other goods for schoolchildren affected by Hurricane Katrina and sold donuts to aid a shelter for battered women. Perhaps most memorably, they visited a senior citizens homes and socially awkward teen-age boys crouched next to the seniors to help them move their bingo chips and gently handed a bowling ball to them.
Tripp asks the class to consider what is our responsibility to others. Roger has a lot to say and finally concludes, “The best way to get your friends on the right track is to lead by example.”
Districts interested in learning more about Lions-Quest should call 630-571-5466, ext. 580 or 292 or e-mail jayne.westerlund@lionsclubs.org. |
