SHELBY — Some people may write off Julie Pfeifer’s students as troubled and rebellious.
She sees them as young men with the power and potential to do whatever they choose.
“You have the ability to do anything that you put your mind to,” she tells them. “You just have to decide that you’re going to do it.”
For nine years, Pfeifer has worked as a teacher and invention specialist at Abraxas Ohio, a treatment facility for adolescent boys with a history of substance abuse or sexual offenses.
The work isn’t always easy, but Pfeifer is passionate.
She’s seen students make leaps and bounds in the classroom. She’s written the curriculum for a Life Skills class and secured grant funding to start numerous after-school clubs.
Abraxas Ohio offers year-round schooling for youth in its residential treatment program. Many of Pfeifer’s students have co-occurring conditions such as mental-health disorders, family dysfunction or a history of trauma or abuse.
Abraxas clients typically stay for a period of three to six months. Some Abraxas clients are there on emergency placement and may be there only a matter of days.
The goal of teachers like Pfeifer is to ensure their education continues while they’re in treatment. It can be challenging in an environment where students filter in and out of treatment throughout the year.
“You have to teach at all different levels,” said Pfeifer, who currently teaches Alegbra I and II, Geometry and Life Skills.
“A lot of the kids haven’t been going to school and don’t know a lot of their basic facts. So you have to kind of backtrack and incorporate that as well.”
‘There’s nothing you can’t do if you try’
Pfeifer said some of her students, for one reason or another, have fallen through the cracks at their previous school and are years behind as a result. One of the most rewarding parts of the job is watching them catch up.
“Because they’re here such a short time, you wouldn’t think that you would see a lot of growth,” Pfeifer said. “But because of the small classes and the way we can work one-on-one with kids, the growth is sometimes huge.”
She recalled a former student in her integrated reading class who came in at 14 with a kindergarten reading level.
“When he left about four months later, he was reading in a fifth grade reading level,” she said. “He called back in every once in a while. He actually ended up graduating from high school; he was actually successful from when he left here.”
Pfeifer said the key to earning her students’ respect is treating them with respect. For her, getting students to reach their full potential is about balancing empathy and high expectations.
She tells her students she can’t fully understand what they’ve been through, but also reminds them their past doesn’t define their potential.
“You also have to come to a realization that there’s only so long you can blame what’s happened in the past on what you’re doing now,” she said.
“There comes a point in your life where you have to take responsibility for what you’re doing.”
It’s a lesson that applies in life and in the classroom.
“I always tell the kids that there’s nothing you can’t do if you try,” she said. “I’ve never had anyone fail my class that tried.
“It might not be an A, but you will pass the class and you will learn.”
Students earn CPR, ServSafe certifications in Life Skills class
Pfeifer has secured numerous grants to kickstart new initiatives at Abraxas. She wrote a $5,000 grant to create a school library. She’s received funds to jumpstart auto body, 3D printing and book clubs.
She plans to partner with another teacher this summer to offer auto repair and construction clubs.
Pfeifer also wrote the curriculm for her Life Skills course.
Students learn about cooking, sewing, resume building, how to file taxes, job skills and retirement planning. They also complete the occasional art project.
“We collected chip bags that have the foil lining inside, cut them apart and ironed them together with a sheet of plastic and made blankets for the homeless,” Pfeifer said.
Life Skills students also earn CPR and ServSafe certifications, which can give them a leg up in the food service industry.
“A lot of companies will bump them up to assistant manager or they’ll add a couple dollars to their starting wage, because they don’ thave to wait for them to get that,” Pfeifer said.
Pfeifer was recently recognized for her efforts with School Speciality’s Crystal Apple Award.
The nationwide honor garnered 600 nominations; School Speciality selected Pfeifer as one of 10 finalists. She and two other winners were ultimately decided through a public voting system, with thousands of votes cast.
“It was a real honor to win. It was just an honor to be nominated, because that’s not something that I’ve ever really expected or or thought of,” she said.
“The hardest part of the of the award was actually pushing it out and asking people to vote for me, because that’s way out of my comfort zone.”
