'No Such Thing As a Bad Child'
Troubled student program to expand
Rutland Herald - November 4, 2005
By JOHANNA SORRENTINO Southern Vermont Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — A local education program committed to giving troubled children a second chance is expanding.
Principals and special education teachers from Vermont and New Hampshire will gather today at the Holiday Inn Express in Springfield to get an inside look into the program.
Kids Must Read In America is a nonprofit organization offering alternative education to students kindergarten through grade 12 who have been expelled, come from abusive homes or have a medical disability.
Longtime teacher Don McGee started the program four years ago.
McGee had been a teacher and administrator for 20 years when he suffered a severe brain injury in 1989.
After a difficult recovery he wanted to teach again.
"No one would hire me," he said.
McGee substitute-taught for several years, and finally was offered a job tutoring a special education student.
"At first, I said, I don't want to teach a special ed kid. I want to teach bright kids. But I fell in love with the kids," he said.
McGee began tutoring special education students and students from troubled backgrounds in various cafes and restaurants in Springfield.
In 2001, McGee became the second person in history to receive 501(c)3 status without an official facility.
McGee is still tutoring around town using computer programs to guide students through the curriculum of their sending school.
Mandy Traineanu, KMRIA marketing manager, said the therapy McGee went through after his accident helps him relate to his students in a way that other educators cannot.
"He has been where these kids are, and that is an extra sensitivity he is bringing to the table," she said.
KMRIA takes students all the way to graduation and helps them find employment.
The Plato computer program starts a student on any level in any core subject.
The Ripple Effects computer program teaches life skills to children from troubled homes using realistic situations.
McGee is expanding his program to Windham County with tutor Ryan Marshall and to Sullivan and Cheshire counties in New Hampshire.
Invitations to Friday's open house were sent to 600 schools in those counties. The event will act as a launch for the expansion.
McGee said if he can show his program to 30 teachers he will be happy.
McGee said he is often the last stop for students who kicked out of programs such as Choices and Gateway.
In 2003, a Vermont Department of Education survey determined that one-tenth of the school's population drops out before graduating.
That is an uncomfortable number for McGee.
"I'm the last hope that these kids have with education. These kids have nowhere to go, and that bugs the heck out of me," he said.
The event runs from 3 to 7 p.m. and is open to parents and teachers who are interested in learning more about the program.
Contact Johanna Sorrentino at johanna.sorrentino@rutlandherald.com.
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