Redondo Union High School class teaches essential life skills
Students in the SeaHawk Lunchbox program stand together for a photo on Feb.1 before delivering sandwiches. Photo . Standing (left to right) Michael Nguyen, Sean Lynch, Evynn Lourim, Maliyah Fisher, Connie Atkins, Raymond Gelsey, Jacob De le Torre
Jodi Rhodes’ class is, as she describes it, the happiest classroom at Redondo Union High School.
“There is always learning, laughing and plenty of smiles to go around,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes teaches the Essential Skills class, a program at RUHS for no-diploma bound students that centers on functional academics and focuses on the teaching of English and math in both the classroom and the community. Rhodes, a South Bay native and 19-year RUHS teacher, loves her job and loves teaching her students how to function at the school and within the community.
Her classroom activities came from a community based instructing program she piloted early on in her career as a teacher at San Pedro High School in 1987. Since coming to Redondo, her classroom at RUHS has been designed as a transitional program to integrate a real-world curriculum into the classroom so her students are better able to function responsibly after they leave school, learning real-world skills instead of sitting in class.
“It’s an amazing program,” said Rhodes, “It just made so much sense.”
As part of the program, she recently implemented her most recent brainchild, a part of her courses that gets her students out of the classroom and into the school by teaching them how to save money, work together, use real-world math, and navigate the large RUHS campus.
“It allows them to have increased independence and responsibility and self motivation,” said Rhodes. “They work as a team and are very helpful.”
The students are part of what they have named the RUHS SeaHawk Lunchbox. Through a partnership with Subway, Rhodes designed a sandwich order form for teachers around the school to order a Subway for lunch on Wednesday. Every week Rhodes’ students collect the orders from teachers, calculate the money from the order forms and deliver the sandwiches.
Last week, Raymond Gelsey had the honor of counting up the orders and calculating their profit. “It was easy,” he said, “I was excited I got it finished.” According to Gelsey, none of the math was too hard to do. Even though Gelsey did not find the math difficult, some of the students do. It’s a chance to practice math and other life skills.
“I love it so much,” said 16-year-old Evynn Lourim, “It’s good to have the opportunity to serve people food. It’s a blessing to have this [program], and I love meeting everybody.”
Lourim is, as Rhodes pointed out, the face of the program because of her big smile and outgoing personality.
Every Wednesday Rhodes picks up the sandwiches from a Subway in South Redondo and once she gets back, the students walk around the campus together in twos or threes, helping each other out while they find the teachers who ordered sandwiches. Each time they knock politely on the door and the teachers smile and thank them for the food.
“I look forward to delivering the sandwiches every Wednesday,” 14-year-old Maliyah Fisher said.
Jesus Banks, 16, likes getting around the school and counting the money they make for the program.
They don’t make a lot of profit for their work, about 50 cents a sandwich, but what they do with the money gives them more independence and helps fund other opportunities for them to learn.
Sometimes they leave campus and go to the store to learn how to count money and buy supplies. Recently, the class learned how to make pancakes, cook different types of eggs and fry turkey bacon. They also use the money to learn how to take the bus.
“When they go to the store they know where the money is coming from,” Rhodes said. “It works on so many different levels. Whatever level they are at we are able to address. Sometimes the kids can do well in the classroom and not in the community. We try to get out in the community and teach life skills.”
Most of the students in her class are able to get public education until they are 22, but Rhodes wants them to be able to function outside of the safe school or home environment before that time.
“Some of the things we do are to teach them how to help around the house and not rely so much on their parents,” classroom aide Christina Valenzuela said.
During their last classroom cooking experience, Gelsey learned how to flip bacon and had a lot of fun. Other students learned how to set the table and fold shirts.
“I love these kids,” said Rhodes. “They are just so motivated…and the more practical experience they get will make them as independent as possible, and that’s what it’s all about.”