An After-School Club That Reaches All Students—Even Former Bullies

John Boggs

"I was always disrupting in classrooms … yelling at teachers. I look back at that and it's embarrassing," said Brandon (a pseudonym), now a senior on his way to graduation. In the past year, he's been an integral part of Bloom Trail High School's after-school coffee club. The club is open to any student at Bloom Trail in Chicago Heights, Illinois, from the new first-year student who is unsure of herself to the high school senior on his way to college. The format is simple. Brandon and his cofacilitators come up with discussion questions for club attendees. There are no grades, no assignments, and, most important, adults serve a peripheral role, as supporters, only when requested. This is an opportunity for students to just talk and make connections. "I learned that a lot of people can relate [to me]," said Brandon. "When they tell their story, you can learn from theirs and they can learn from yours and then it all comes together and makes everybody happier."

Lemons to Lemonade

The first coffee club took place shortly after President Trump took office. Bloom Trail's principal, Deb Graham, created the club to give students an outlet to express themselves during these uncertain times. "This is a student-run activity," she explained. After school on a Thursday, interested students and faculty piled into the senior commons and watched an episode of Black-ish, "Lemons," in which the characters grapple with questions of identity and purpose in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. After the screening, over coffee and pastries, Brandon and four other students asked questions about the episode and issues surrounding race in general.

At first, students were hesitant to participate. They shifted in their seats awkwardly during that uncomfortable silence that causes most adults to want to interject, but then slowly they started to respond to the questions. What happened next was an authentic discussion in which students from different age levels and backgrounds shared their thoughts about the Black-ish episode and living in the time of Trump. "It's pretty powerful to hear what students come up with on their own," added Graham.

Local police officers came to the next coffee club to engage students in discussion. Sometimes this was uncomfortable, such as when one student shared about the time her family moved into a new house only to have police accuse them of breaking into the home. But as the student shared this difficult experience, the police and her fellow classmates were a receptive and empathetic audience to her pain. Graham always makes sure enough faculty members are present at each coffee club to listen if a student needs to talk. But the adults are in the background; the discussion is a chance for students to speak and be heard.

A Fresh Start

For Brandon, this is a chance to be a part of a school community that was not always a comfortable place for him. "I was very disrespectful to everybody, no matter who it was. I was bringing my anger from home to school and making my flaws theirs to make me feel … superior," he said. When Brandon was a first-year student at Bloom Trail, he bullied other kids because things at home were difficult. Brandon's behavior was so bad during his first year that he was transferred to the alternative school.

As a senior selected to lead coffee club, Brandon has changed. "I see how disappointed my mom was and I didn't like that. I wanted to change and be a better person," he said. He's proud of the work he's done in the coffee club, saying, "I like that I was actually chosen to do something, 'cause I was always the bad one." He wants to plan a coffee club that focuses on preparing for the world after high school, saving money, setting goals, and "how to stay focused and keep your mind on one thing." He said he would like to be a counselor after college.

Although Brandon still has struggles, everyone at Bloom Trail who knew him when he was a first-year student cannot believe the change. When asked what he would say to the students he bullied during his first year, Brandon shook his head and looked to the ground. "First thing I'd say is sorry; nothing makes me better than them," he said. "They were probably better people for putting up with it." Brandon spoke with an introspection that comes from practice. This is what happens when all students, even former bullies, are given opportunities to be leaders. In a world where so many things are uncertain, one thing's for sure: never underestimate the power of a good cup of coffee and a conversation.

John Boggs is an academic intervention coordinator for Bloom Township, District 206, in Illinois.

ASCD Express, Vol. 12, No. 19. Copyright 2017 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.