Explore Service Learning @ Mt. Pleasant Week 1

My first day at Mt. Pleasant high school, or Mount as all the students call it, was mainly a meet an greet, get to know each other kind of day. I could tell that some students were all a little shy at first, but none of them seems disappointed to be attending the after school program. We learned that there is double the amount of students in the program this year, because so many students loved the program so much last year they encouraged their friends to join. Unfortunately, there are not as many college students as there are Mount students, but I don’t think that will really be too much of an issue because we can partner up into groups. I was very impressed with the guidance counselor who runs the program. She was present the entire time and seems to know all the students well, and seems to have their best interest in mind. We learned that most of the students in the program are what they call “at-risk” students, or students who are at risk of failing their grade level and would be forced to repeat their grade level. We also learned that some of the students are repeat freshman, and the guidance counselor does not want them risking having to repeat the grade again. After introductions we took a tour of the school. I was surprised to see the relationship between the students and the faculty. As we walked around the students talked and joked with many of the administration, teachers, and coaches. I wasn’t expecting this because as we’ve been reading our class books it seems like there is a disconnect between the faculty and the students. But whether these relationships were positive or not, the students at Mt. Pleasant seemed to know who runs the school. Our activity for the day was to share a goal we each have for ourselves…where would you like to be in four years? Not knowing what to expect freshman at-risk students would respond to this question, I was pleasantly surprised to hear their answers. Almost every one of the students responded they wanted to attend college. Some had specific career ideas set, some had specific locations; other had less specific answers, but regardless, they all knew they wanted to graduate high school and go to college. I think that this proves what we have discussed multiple times in class; the desire and the hope are there. These young students know they should graduate high school and go to college, these students want to graduate high school and attend college, but we need to start providing them the possibility of getting there. The explore program focuses primarily on college readiness and preparation. We will teach the students the tools to searching schools, how to apply to school, take entrance exams, and all the nitty gritty details they need to start hearing about if they are going to one day apply for college. I think planting the seed young, giving the students the ability to see that college is a possibility for them will help them pursue it more forcefully. No student should miss out on attending college because they simply did not know the tools to applying. I hope that throughout out ten weeks at Mt. Pleasant that we really get the opportunity to work with these young students and help them understand they have the capability of reaching college.

Shea Observation and Week 1

The first impression that I made at Shea High School is that the school is lacking resources and has had to make accommodations based on the school’s location. When we first arrived at Shea I observed that all the sports fields were down and across the street from the main school area. This observation is certainly an indication that Shea students have had to make some accommodations to the environment in which their school is located. On the day of our observation we met with the guidance counselor and she gave us a few facts and some essential information about the students at Shea. Right from the start I could tell that she took great interest in her students and cared a great deal about their personal and academic success. The thing that I was shocked by was the fact that she shared with us that a lot of these students have not even given thought about college and if they would like to go to college or where they would like to go to college. When we were in the guidance office at Shea during the observation I noticed that there was a whiteboard with all the colleges that students had been admitted to and I was very impressed with the names of the schools that I saw on that white board. This observation really got me thinking about the achievement gap that seems to be taking place within Shea high school. Where is the solution to this achievement gap that we have read about in class and now I see first hand. Why is it that some students have the world at their fingertips while other students feel trapped and lost within the same walls at the same high school?

For this first meeting and greeting with students Tara (the site coordinator) had planned icebreakers for us to do and also wanted to know what students wanted to get out of the EXPLORE program this year. The students all seemed to like the icebreakers and we were all having a good time together. For the sake of this course, I noticed that all of the students that came to our first official EXPLORE day were minority students. There was a mix of boys and girls and I believe the ratio of boys to girls was fairly equal. The students seemed to be in stark contrast of the myth that minority students are not motivated and do not want to learn and succeed and be successful that we have read about in both of our texts for this course. The fact that these students are taking up a part of their afternoon to better their present and future education stands as a stark contrast to the themes of ‘laziness’ and the so-called ‘unmotivated minority student’ that seems to be highlighted frequently by the biased and down-right cruel teachers that are present in both texts we are reading for class.

Service Learning

I have not been able to go to my service learning placement yet (Chad Brown Boys & Girls Club). I did receive an email saying my paperwork was received and it just takes some time to sort through. I have been to a middle school in Central Falls for my practicum placement. The school I go to there is pretty nice. While the rest of the Central Falls district is rumored to be in shambles, the school I go to is old but very well kept. The students are well behaved, the teachers really care, and the school seems to be doing well. They do not have as many resources as a typical suburban school, but there are several computers (although old) in each classroom and several deskbooks for the classes to share. I will post when I have more information about my real site!

Service Learning Week One

I am very pleased with how the first week of Explore went at Shea. Arriving at the school as the students left made for an interesting impression of the school. The students were all talking and gathering with their friends outside the building. They did not seem to be in any rush to get home, and most if not all of the students seemed to walk home rather than getting picked up or taking a bus. I was not used to seeing this, as my high school had strict rules against students hanging out unsupervised on school grounds, so all students either got into their cars or buses or went directly to sports practices or clubs after school hours. The students at Shea were almost all either Hispanic or black, I don't remember seeing any white students outside the building. The interior of the building was obviously not modern, but it had a lot of character and there were no obvious signs that it was not well maintained. There was a sign near the door welcoming the PC students to the Explore program, and I thought it was a good sign that the school was supporting the program. The program was held in a classroom, and there were about 7 students in attendance this week. They were encouraged to bring friends and spread the word, so hopefully there will be even more next week. The students were a little shy, but were interested and engaged in the activities we had planned. We started with some ice breakers, which were helpful because some of the students were hesitant to even say their names at first. After everyone felt a little more comfortable, we got into groups and talked with the students about what they expected of the explore program. Two of the three girls I talked to had participated before, and were really enthusiastic about visiting schools and taking part in activities again. Another student expressed that he wanted to be "less afraid" of college, and others that they wanted to learn more about life after high school in general. One student expressed that he wanted time for homework help, which is not something that explore is intended to do but I think it is a good sign that he wants to be able to succeed academically, and I hope that he is able to get the help he needs in some way. Later in the session, we got into groups with students and talked about our ideal days and we all shared the highs and lows of our weeks. Many of the students did not share a low, which I found interesting. I think once they get more comfortable with the volunteers they will be more likely to open up about things that might be bothering them. We met with the principal on our way out and he was very enthusiastic about accommodating us with anything we might need and encouraged us to make connections with students at the school in order to expand the explore program. I am very excited to continue volunteering at Shea and getting to know the students better in the coming weeks.

EXPLORE! at Shea - Day One

9/27/11

I would definitely classify our first day at Shea as successful and full of potential for the rest of this semester. Although some of us did get lost on our way there, it ended up being a good way to observe the neighborhoods surrounding Shea and gave us a deeper understanding and a better context for Shea. At first glance, I could tell that Shea is a very historic building and upon entering it was clear that some of the internal fixtures could use some modernizing. Something I found very interesting was the words etched on to either side of the main entrance on the building itself. The school counselor, Amy Kane, pointed these words out to us on the very first day. One side of the entrance is deemed the “bad path” and words such as “FEAR” are etched. The other side, the “good path” has words such as “ACHIEVEMENT” and “AMBITION.” I thought this aspect of the building was especially unique and a very defining aspect of the building itself. As far as internal aesthetics, nothing about the school struck me as overly awful or decrepit, and their auditorium was actually very pretty and nice to see right when we walked in. When we arrived, we introduced ourselves to seven of the EXPLORE! students and began the program with some icebreakers. For example, we played “Move Your Butt,” which involved expressing facts about yourself, and “Ninja” which served as a good way of simply loosening up and feeling more comfortable around one another. We also listed the students’ expectations and hopes for the program, and this list gave us a good sense of what we should focus our lesson plans around. During this activity, one student in my group mentioned that she would like to visit more colleges, another stated that she was “definitely going to college,” and another girl said that she was “afraid” of college. These three wholly different approaches to college demonstrated to me that as volunteers we need to focus on portraying the reality of college to these students so that they don’t have to be wary about the process and the experience itself. Perhaps the most enlightening activity was sharing our idea of a “perfect day.” In groups, a few students and volunteers joined together and provided aspects that would create their perfect day. Some perfect days comprised of going to a Celtics game, others mentioned vacationing in Paris, and others simply mentioned waking up and getting ready for the day. These disparate ideas about students’ perfect day truly provided insight for the volunteers to better understand the students’ thought process and ideals. On our way out, we met with the Principal, Mr. Lord, who encouraged us to express any needs/concerns with him and invited us to go to lunch at Shea next Tuesday. It was very helpful to see that the Mr. Lord was so engaged in our program and truly wanted to see it flourish and succeed. Ultimately, our first day at Shea was definitely a good start to what is hopefully a successful EXPLORE! program. Although each student was a little reserved at first, it was very obvious that each of them was engaged and willing to learn from each of us. I am hopeful for the remainder of the semester and look forward to working with and creating a more personal bond with the students at Shea.

Service Learning Experience

Today was the first day of EXPLORE! for Mount Pleasant High School. After doing the program once before at St. Patrick's Academy, my first impression of the school was that it was much larger than St. Pat's. I was also surprised to see the baseball field located right next to the school. Walking through the hallways to our classroom, I immediately noticed all of the artwork and inspirational quotes on the wall, just as mentioned in the book we are reading in class. Some of the quotes read, "Unity", "I have a dream", "Equality", and many more along the same lines. The school environment and characteristics definitely fit the description of the urban schools we have been talking about. I was quite surprised to see the number of students who were there to participate in EXPLORE! There were about 16 students and we were told 4 were missing today and that some forgot to bring their permission slips but were interested. We first met with the guidance counselor of the school who had advocated the program and she briefly told us about the students at Mt. Pleasant. The students in our program were 9th and 10th graders, however, many of the 9th graders are repeating 9th grade for the second time. Most of the students receive free or reduced lunch because they are from low-income families. The students are majority African American and Hispanic. We began today's lesson by breaking up into groups and having the students give us a tour of the building. They were excited to show us the science floor because it was just redone with brand new science rooms and labs, lockers, and smart boards. The floor was so much brighter and clean than the rest of the school. It almost felt as if we were not in Mt. Pleasant any more. They hope to renovate the rest of the school one floor at a time. Once we all returned back to the room the activity for the day was to draw a picture of our goals for the next few years. As we went around and shared our pictures with the group, it seemed the common goal of the students was to attend college or go to the NBA. Some of the students were quite outgoing and confident in their goals while some were shy and seemed unsure of their futures. We briefly discussed what the students knew about the college application process and then ran out of time for the day, but I feel the first day went successfully. I hope for the students to become more comfortable with all the EXPLORE! leaders and their school peers as we go on. I believe the program will be very beneficial for the students if they open up and we provide them with good leadership and example. I am excited to continue service learning and see the growth of these students. I am concerned about the behavior of some of the students in the group, but based on our reflection after today's lesson we feel that by breaking up into smaller groups they will receive the individual attention that they need.

WAS MY K-12 SCHOOL AN URBAN SCHOOL?

I did not attend kindergarten-there was none when I was growing up in the sixties. I started class one at a government primary school then called council school in Kumba Town. That would be an equivalent to a public school in the USA. The school building was a standard government school building and I really do not remember anything about resource availability. There was no technology in the classroom-not that any school had one or that teachers had to use them then so it did not matter. There was a blackboard that stood on an aisle and the teacher used chalk-so did pupils in class one who had to write on smaller hand held black boards called 'free arm boards, aka 'slates'
I attended class three thorugh six at a Presbyterian primary school (P.S. Wum) owned and managed by the Presbyterian church in another town where my mother was transfered to work as a nurse in a government hospital. Also this town was the capital of another Division, Menchum Division, it was not as populated and diverse as my previous school. Most of the pupils in the school were the indigenes (from Wum region) and spoke their language in school. Almost all the non indigenous students' parents were civil servants who had been posted to work in different public offices. Most of the teachers were also from Menchum division and were trained. The school buildings were not as presentable as those of my previous government primary school. Major instructional resources included the blackboard on aisles and chalk. Textbooks were not provided to students who had to buy them. Like my K2 primary school, there was no library in the school.
My mother was transferred again to another city, Bamenda, which was and is still the capital of the North West Province. I attended a Presbyterian primary school, (P.S. Azire) class seven, located in a bigger city that was more cosmopolitan than Wum. The student population was more diverse. The school structure was typical of the Presbyterian schools and students had nothing against the buildings. However, looking back, I would say the structures of all my primary schools, especially the church schools, had much to be desired.
All my elementary aka primary schools were located in the township with a diverse population in terms of tribes except one, P.S. Wum that had mostly indigenes. English was a second language for every student as it was a common language for communication introduced by the colonial master, England. The primary language spoken by all the students was broken English aka pidgin English aka African ligua franca or 'bush English' Teachers had what they were required and needed to teach the students-blackboards and chalks-I do not know if the school provided them with the textbooks they used, but I believe they did.
Were my primary schools urban schools? Tough question. To be honest, I do not know based on my current knowledge on urban education.