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.