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Helping Samoan Students Beat Odds

Written by New York Times
Friday, 16 May 2008
Betty Patu For years, Samoan students were viewed as troublemakers at Rainier Beach High School in one of this city's impoverished and high-crime areas. Most days, some hung around outside the school, skipping class and smoking pot. Inside the school, others often recruited classmates into gangs. Many dropped out. Many more were expelled. Their future was grim until Betty Patu came along. A high school teacher who was born in Samoa, Mrs. Patu knew that the school system had given up on these students when, she said, a fellow teacher advised her to "forget about them," adding, "They're better left outside." But Mrs. Patu refused to forget. On her own time in the last four years, she nurtured the South Pacific Drop-Out Prevention Program. A vast majority of her students are Samoan, but tutors also work with a small number of Fijian, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Tongan students. A Dozen Graduates Last month a dozen of the program's first participants earned high school diplomas. And this summer about a half-dozen of those graduates are attending Mrs. Patu's summer Gang Prevention Program, where volunteers will keep them off the streets and busy filling out applications for colleges and jobs. For these Samoans to graduate has meant beating hefty odds. They must struggle with language barriers and discrimination like many immigrants, and they must try to reconcile stark differences between their remote island upbringings and urban America, said Robert Franco, an expert on Samoan culture at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu. Samoan culture emphasizes the importance of family and community, rather than the individual, Mr. Franco said. Children defer to the judgment of the patriarchal head of the family. It is no wonder, he said, that these students feel lost in American schools, where a premium is placed on individual thought and studying is often a solitary pursuit. The strain of adjusting to American ways often splits families, as many members return home. A study by the Seattle schools found that about half the Samoan students here come from single-parent homes. They make up less than 2 percent of the system's 44,668 students. "Samoans have their feet rooted in two societies," Mr. Franco said. In Seattle, the result for school-age Samoans has been devastating. South Pacific islanders have long had the highest expulsion and suspension rates of any ethnic or racial group in Seattle, said Beverly Shanahan, a spokeswoman for the schools. But their dropout rate, the second-highest in the system after that of American Indians, has been plummeting. By the end of the 1990-91 school year, the high school dropout rate among Samoans had fallen to 8.6 percent from 19.4 percent in 1987-88 and 26.3 percent in 1982-83, Ms. Shanahan said. The rate fell more quickly when Mrs. Patu started her program in 1988, using a Federal grant of $38,000. Some Hard Pushing Junior Mose a 20-year-old, had been expelled from school several times. By his junior year, he was serving a jail term for assault and was a Bloods gang member who proudly displayed the "Crips Killer" tattoo across his knuckles. He ignored Mrs. Patu's pleas to come back to school until his best friend was killed in a drive-by shooting, he said. "Mrs. Patu yelled at me quite a bit" to come back to school, said Mr. Mose, who graduated last month. She even knocked on his family's door on days when he stayed in bed. At the heart of the program's success is a simple concept: personal accountability to Mrs. Patu. All students must show up for class on time, ask for help if they are failing a class and stay out of trouble. Each morning, Mrs. Patu stands like a drill sergeant, demanding an explanation when students are late. And, her students say, she has no qualms about hopping into her car to search the city for students playing hooky. A year ago, she barged into a meeting of the Crips gang and forced some of her students back to class. When it is warranted, she attends court hearings to plead with judges to give her students a second chance. Recruiting a Gang Leader Siolo Tofaeono, a 19-year-old former gang leader, says he recruited more than 100 students into gang life until six friends were injured with a spray of shotgun pellets. Mrs. Patu learned of the incident, approached Mr. Tofaeono and persuaded him to return to school. Then she persuaded him to return to the streets -- this time, to recruit gang members back to the classroom. "She made me realize my life had been going nowhere," he said. That diploma is being earned in a sparsely furnished classroom at the high school. There are plenty of Samoan role models here, including Mrs. Patu's sister, a tutor, and her daughters, one of whom is a successful fashion model. Her husband, Paul Patu, who plans multicultural programs for the Seattle schools, also visits, with the couple's grandchildren in tow. Teachers also visit the classroom, getting pointers from Mrs. Patu about how to get Samoan students to respond better to their lessons. To overcome the language problems, using study groups and slides and photographs are often recommended, as is individual tutoring, said Daniel Jurdy, a biology teacher at Rainier. "It's amazing some of these kids are graduating," Mr. Jurdy said. "All it took was getting them to know we care." Comments (4) Subscribe to this comment's feed ... written by Maria LeiSam-Elisaia, May 17, 2008 Incredicle person is this Mrs Patu. We need more people like her in this world!! Elementary School Principal written by Sane Mataitusi, May 17, 2008 I commend Mrs. Patu, students, and community members for helping our Samoan students succeed in the mainstream culture. It is a tough task but one that must be done if we wish for our Samoan students to be successful in the education system in the US, New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii. I would love to pay a visit to the Samoan community in Seattle, WA to celebrate their success. Keep up the good work Mrs. Patu. I'm proud of your accomplishments as an educator. Soifua ma ia manuia! True Samoan and a woman of God written by Samasoni Nafatali, May 17, 2008 Faafetai tautua Mrs Patu! Faafetai le saili malo. Your work touches the heart and strengthens the bones and marrow of those who read of your hearty contribution to the life of our young people being caught up in the chaos of worldy life. Keep on the good work and may the good Lord continue to bless your work and the work of those who equally risk their lives in educating and rehabilitating young people of all cultures for a bright future of societies. ... written by Nancy Peterson, June 26, 2008 My family is in the process of adopting a precious baby of Samoan decent. .we want him to grow up aware and proud of his heritage so we are looking for a link to the local Samoan community. I am reading and learning everything I can about Samoan life here in the US.Mrs. Patu's wonderful article and involvement with the Samoan youth in Seattle is amazing and inspiring. All of our young people need such an advocate. Thank you! Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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