New Bedford District Court Juvenile Program
Judge Bettina Borders
Probation Officer Stella Rebeiro

Our program was started by Lieutenant Joseph Cordeiro of the New Bedford Police Department. We have run 9 cycles of students since 2001 with the support of the New Bedford Public Schools, the New Bedford Police Department, the Massachusetts Trial Court, Changing Lives Through Literature, and private donations.

We usually run single-gender classes with 6-10 students. Most of our students are court involved, although we have run programs with halfway houses. We've found the perfect number of sessions to be 8-10 weekly sessions. We usually run a class for approximately 2 hours, with a break midway through.

We generally begin our first class by asking the students to interview one another and then introduce each other to the class. In addition, we ask students to write us letters telling us a little bit about themselves and what they expect from the program. In this way, students have a chance to speak and write during their first class, and we also can get a quick read on how the group might work.

Some of our favorite texts include:

For Girls:
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

For Boys:
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

For Either:
That Was Then, This is Now or The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

We usually go through one or two books during the course of a program, or 20-30 pages per class. During each class, we read aloud around the table and break up our readings with discussions and writing. Each class has a different rhythm and members have different reading abilities. We learned early on that dropping our expectations of how much we might accomplish was the best way of ensuring a great class.

We buy our students notebooks to write in. We keep these during the classes, but give them to the students once class is over. What we've found works best is to have the students write down a short paragraph or four or five responses to a question drawn from the text, or our class discussions, or events in our lives. We then go around the table and read and talk about our responses. All adults join in the writing and discussion.

Here are some questions we've used:

Name five situations in which you routinely lie.
Write about a relationship you've had that has changed.
Write about something you have lost.
Name five qualities you look for in a girl or a boy.
Name five qualities you think girls look for in boys or boys look for in girls.
Name five things that can help you get a job.
Name five ways we judge other people.
Name five reasons you might want to know how to read.

We often work toward a final goal in our classes. We've produced a class magazine during an especially lengthy summer session and routinely write essays or poetry to share at graduation. At our last graduation, two of our students sang their own raps a cappella. One sang from these notes he jotted down on a yellow pad:

Now this is my time 2 b telling u, wut u should do right
Keep learnin how 2 read + write
It ain't cool 2 b runnin streets
I rather b at u-mass getting ready 2 read
Suzan and Stella don't play no games
We get in sit down + write our names
On the yellow attendance sheet
Then pop open a coke + yell down pass the bowl of cookies
Now I no this program helped me
Helped me open up a book + read
1 thing I no is, right for sho is, I don't need a smoke no weed
All I need in my life is my fam + school
So I'm gonna keep it true
I wanna say it was fun
So sad that its done
So Stella + Suzan thank u

Here's his essay version from a letter we ask all students to write at the end of the program, reflecting on how CLTL was for them:

"This program is one of the best programs I've ever been to. It helped my skills in reading and writing because the things we talk about were really interesting topics. The book we read was the best story I ever read. It was very interesting and I loved it. This program is the type of program that will have kids read better and understand books better because unlike school you talk to us about it while reading it. We also right our experiences down about things the characters in the book went through and that helped me understand better. In conclusion, I liked this program and there should be more like it."

Thank you for this opportunity for coming to this program.

Emilio A.

* * *

Some Reflections:

"I think it works because we listen. There are no defined roles. It's comforting to the young people that we have fears, we make mistakes, we fall down, and we have to get up. It teaches them that adults can be trusted, that people do care. They're kind of amazed that we have difficulties too. They have this preconceived notion that we have everything figured out. They suddenly realize that we are all the same. They really like the class. When we give them the option to have the day off, they want to be there. I think we provide a model for them in a comfortable atmosphere. It doesn't feel like teaching, but it is."

--PO Stella Rebeiro
New Bedford Juvenile Court

"The Reading and Changing Lives program is one of the most exciting and rewarding programs which I am involved with. It is a wonderful experience to watch students from various backgrounds and difficult experiences bonding and discussing literature. One of the best learning experiences for me takes place during the discussions in the classroom and on our ride to and from the college. Clearly these students' creativity and talents are underutilized. Amazingly so. They have so much to say in poems, drawings, or during the class discussions. Although many might not admit to it, they become quite interested in the literature - in particular when they can relate their life experiences to the reading."

Our youth are intelligent and creative when given a medium to express their individuality. Their creative talents pleasantly surprise me. The program has reinforced my thoughts that our youth have a lot to say and are only searching for an audience willing to listen. They wish to be heard. The discussions seem to be therapeutic at times, hinting that a transformation is developing."

--Lt. Joseph Cordeiro
New Bedford Police Department

Some things our students would like you to know:

"This program is good for people who enjoy reading, and it is compatible with just about anyone. I think that if you're the type of person who likes to get to know people and who likes to read, you'll be able to have a lot of fun if you come here. I learned that you can have different relationships in and out of this program and that there are people just like me, who get mad and do stupid things, and yet they can be the best people to be around when you want to have fun. I also learned that there are people who care about me and I care about them and I've found ways to express my feelings whether they are good or bad."

--Victoria

"This program is awesome. I think it benefits us a lot. I think the books were fun. I want to thank you for this program. It was perfect. It doesn't need to change."

--Kathryn

"This program is good for helping us with our communication skills and understanding people's thoughts. It gives us a little bit of a chance to open up and throw our opinions in. It gives us the opportunity to learn new things and even read new books and articles. I enjoyed reading the book Go Ask Alice in this program. It was an interesting and informing book. It let all the program members learn how life could go if you went the wrong way."

--Matt

"I really liked the Changing Lives Through Literature program. It really made me look at my life in a new perspective. Coming here on Wednesdays was good. Listening to everybody talk and discuss their views was a great learning experience for me. Also listening to everyone else's perspective made me think and change some of my views on the way I look at life. Also sharing my views and perspectives and getting a lot out helped my self-esteem. I would really like to come to another session of the Changing Lives Through Literature Program."

--Steven