Garfield High School

My son is bright, yet he fell behind when he started a new school. We moved and he had to start high school in a different area. He moved from the traditional schedule to the year round. So, he started his new school in the middle of the school semester. He started his new high school year behind from the start. They placed him in a cram course that allowed him to catch up. When he caught up, they threw him in regular classes and he became frustrated. From then on he had some difficulties adjusting to his new school. I called the counselor and also spoke to the Asst. Principal for help. I never had the chance to meet with the principal, because he was always at a meeting. They gave me the run around. My son asked me for help, and I tried to get the help from the school. No one would listen. This was at San Ysidro High School. It was a brand new school at the time, yet the staff was terrible. I tried to transfer him to a different school, but could not. So, my family decided to move out of Southbay. His new school was San Diego High School. But, this school was now in session. I figured he would fall behind again and go the same path as he did at San Ysidro. So, I found San Diego Charter School of San Diego. Our plan was to have him catch up in credits and attend San Diego High School for the next year. Anyways, It was an independent study program, but you also attend 4 hours a day in a classroom in Horton Plaza. My son was catching up. He was doing well, until his teacher misplaced his homework file. The teacher asked him to do 3 classes over again. My son became frustrated again. I became frustrated. My son regressed from then on. He lost interest in school and stopped trying. He had no motivation and asked if he could drop out. He wanted to wait until he turned 18 and go for his GED. I made an appointment to meet with the counselor and she never called back. I called his teacher and found out that he quit on the spot. I found out that my son had no teacher for a while and the help were the teacher assistants. SO, I went on my school search again. I met a really great counselor at San Diego High School. He told me that my son could start second semester, but would be behind. He then mentioned Garfield High School. I looked it up on the internet. But, I found this young mans profile, instead. It was a brief bio of his life. He was a very smart kid, but got lost in the school system. He wrote that he found Garfield High School’s Oracle Program. He stated that his life changed after that and now he is working on his Masters Degree in Psychology. This was inspiring. I decided to search for this school. I called Garfield High School. They told me about Oracle. My son had to pass a placement test. He passed and was accepted to the program. He started his senior year, but only had the same amount of credits as a sophmore. He started the school a little depressed. To make a long story short, his teacher is excellent. She will not give up on the kids here. My son is now only a semester behind in graduating. He is motivated and his self esteem is higher than before. He is looking into college now, rather than the GED. He has had some rough times and struggled, but his teacher never stopped pushing him. She saw his potential and she continues to keep her faith in him. I am so grateful that she came into his life and that this Oracle program exists. Everyone there is nice and the receptionist is great too. I cannot say anything negative about this school. It is the best thing that happened to my son. It helped me too! Mrs. Brisky is her name! The greatest teacher that my son has ever had!!! She listened to me and she listened to my son. She never ignored us and made sure that he would get back on track!!! If you have a child in high school that is struggling, please look into this school. This is a great place for a high school teen that needs the extra push and would enjoy a non-​traditional school. You work at your own pace, but at the same time have a deadline. There is independence, you can work at home, but you can also go on campus for more structure. So, far I am extremely pleased and I will definately update his graduation status this summer.
****updated. He completed all of his credits and graduated! He went to college and is Majoring in Interactive Media Design and Animation