What on EARTH is a PLC?!

1/26/11
After maneuvering through the chaos of construction and different buildings to the tiny parking lot in front of the brick PLC building, it would be an understatement to say I was hesitant to enter with such an unknown behind the double doors. After summoning the courage and watching time tick away, I finally mustered the courage to enter. I first entered among many older African American males who glared as I walked past them into the office. Thankfully, Mimi was right inside to greet and save me from my uncertainty. She gave me a brief tour while explaining the concept behind the school.

The PLC is an alternative school for students who still need to graduate high school but are either too far behind in credits to continue in mainstream schools or who are returning to school for a diploma after leaving. The reasons for entering this school range far and wide. From pregnancies to abuse to anxiety and personal reasons, student come from all over Athens to try their hand once again at a high school diploma. The PLC caters to each and every students specific needs. They run a child care facility right beside the school offering free daycare for moms and dads and have very flexible scheduling. They do everything in their power to get the students to school and get them graduated so they can enter the real world. That being said, each student also has drastically different plans after graduation. Some enter the work force, others Athens Tech, and others remain undecided until Mimi consults with them. Transportation is offered to and from school on the bus however most students take the Athens Transit which comes to a stop just beside AutoZone on Broad Street. Mimi explained that yes, they do have security, but it has never been necessary. The main problem the PLC faces is attendance on a regular basis. Also, the graduation test at the end of the year is a major source of stress to most and a cause of many drop outs. Age ranges vary just as much as the students' reasons for attending the PLC. Some have recently switched high schools and some have returned to the world of schooling after many years absent. The school just recently switched to a new computer program that makes EVERYTHING online for the students. From lectures to quizzes, it enables multiple students to be taught different lessons simultaneously because each is on a very different level of English. The teacher in the room tracks the student's daily progress and ensures they remain on task.

My first day turned out to just be a visit and a tour. Mimi introduced me to my future tutee informing her of what was to take place in the future. We can call her Emily for name's sake. Mimi informed me she has terrible anxiety and dropped from Cedar Shoals High because of her weight. She is very self-concious which causes her to second guess and contradict herself. Her main problem, she said, is not the actual reading but comprehension of what is being read. I greeted her and let her know I would be returning next Wednesday and completed my first brief day at the PLC, anxious to actually begin tutoring.