Part Two: Another Illustrative Case to Consider in Observng the Principles of the New Salem Educational Initiative in Motion

Interaction with Ezekiel Jefferson, Melinda Parks, and Family on 19 August 2013

Note:  Data privacy pseudonyms are used for all people and schools cited in this five-part series of articles.

Part Two: Background of Ezekiel Jefferson’s Participation in the New Salem Educational Initiative

During Grades 2 through 4. Ezekiel Jefferson first enrolled in the New Salem Educational Initiative during his Grade 2 year in school (the 2009-2010 academic year). Ezekiel quickly became one of my most enthusiastic students, waiting with a big smile on his face at the door of his home when I would arrive to pick him up late on Wednesday afternoon each week for his two-hour academic session.
Ezekiel showed himself to be precocious in learning most of his multiplication tables at an early age, and reading with great fluency and comprehension at grade level and above.

Ezekiel would occasionally have behavioral incidents at school in the course of his Grade 2 and Grade 3 academic years, but these were generally resolved to the satisfaction of school officials, Ezekiel’s family, and the other student or students involved. Also, teachers would sometimes indicate dissatisfaction with Ezekiel’s degree of diligence in turning in homework assignments, and this sort of dissatisfaction would occasionally lead teachers to underestimate Ezekiel’s actual ability in math and reading.

Rolanda and Rebecca would record such incidents and expressions of teacher concern, we would work through them, and as we moved forward everyone at school and home could see that
Ezekiel’s progress in his sessions with me indeed showed academic precociousness, with display of ability that placed him at grade level for all tasks and above grade level for some.

Ezekiel’s behavioral struggles became more serious in Grade 4 (academic year 2011-2012), his third year of enrollment in the New Salem Educational initiative. In the course of that period, Ezekiel’s biological father tried to become a factor in his life, after many years of neglecting any role connected to fatherhood. But the effort was egocentric on this man’s part, tending to come in the form of alcohol-fueled telephone calls that left Ezekiel confused and edgy.

Luckily, Ezekiel’s Grade 4 teacher, Linda Hubbard, is masterful at her craft, both pedagogically and emotionally. She had a strong sense of how to guide Ezekiel toward productive learning experiences and out of his discordant moods. She and I communicated frequently. She was always aware that I would be working with Ezekiel on Wednesdays, she appreciated the progress in math and reading that Ezekiel achieved under my direction, and she gave him assignments knowing that his work with me would maximize his mathematical understanding and reading comprehension.

Ezekiel was not so fortunate in Grade 5, and his life challenges became more serious. His teacher, Marsha Keller, evidenced a personal sweetness but none of the pedagogical flare or elevated empathic qualities of Linda Hubbard. She and I got along well enough personally, but this was not a case of two master teachers coalescing around the varied needs of a child the way that Linda Hubbard and I had done. From a practical standpoint, Ezekiel’s weekly acquisition of new math and reading skills occurred only in his academic sessions with me.

The turbulent period that was Ezekiel’s Grade 5 academic year (2012-2013) is given essential rendering in Part Three.