Only word that can describe my experience on the first day of service would have to be: Naivety. I went into it thinking it wouldn't be too bad. Not as bad as the fellow ASbers described it. But boy, was I proven wrong. The school literally looks like a prison, the only light available is from the glow of the yellow florescence. To foreshadow the physically and emotionally exhausting day we were about to have it had to rain. Creating this absolutely morose mood. We got assigned to Ms. Carter's, honors english. These are the best students, the creme de la creme, but they only have a 7th-9th grade reading level. Isn't that just on-grade level. They are graded on a ridiculously inflated scale. One assignment being worth 3300 points! So semi-decent on two of these assignments can hopefully get you the D you are looking for and bounce you to the next grade level, even though you haven't mastered the material yet. Now remember these are the honors kids. But they are learning about what a conjunction is. AND, BUT, OR etc. We learn that in elementary school. It is just ridiculous.
There were two things that really did upset me just a tad bit. The lack of respect between the teachers and the students as well as the unstructured day in the morning. The students and teachers act like they are friends, as if the teachers really know what it is like growing up in an urbanized public school system. They don't have that perfect balance between being a friend and a mentor with being a educator and an authority figure.
So this morning they have this thing called lockdown. Where they were just sitting there doing nothing. We were asked to play games with them the whole time. FOR 2 HOURS! We could of done something productive and fun, not just sitting around trying to figure out cartoon characters. It makes no sense. And when we asked if we could do something on Thursday, the teacher was just like" yeeaaa. Whatever, it is fine, they like to play games." As if they were too dumb to do something productive or they were too lazy or they just wouldn't want to, even before they were asked. The main thing I learned today was that these kids are having opportunities being taken way from them everyday even before they are given the chance to see what is available. Hopefully in the next week we can get something together so they can see some opportunities that are available for them.
There were two things that really did upset me just a tad bit. The lack of respect between the teachers and the students as well as the unstructured day in the morning. The students and teachers act like they are friends, as if the teachers really know what it is like growing up in an urbanized public school system. They don't have that perfect balance between being a friend and a mentor with being a educator and an authority figure.
So this morning they have this thing called lockdown. Where they were just sitting there doing nothing. We were asked to play games with them the whole time. FOR 2 HOURS! We could of done something productive and fun, not just sitting around trying to figure out cartoon characters. It makes no sense. And when we asked if we could do something on Thursday, the teacher was just like" yeeaaa. Whatever, it is fine, they like to play games." As if they were too dumb to do something productive or they were too lazy or they just wouldn't want to, even before they were asked. The main thing I learned today was that these kids are having opportunities being taken way from them everyday even before they are given the chance to see what is available. Hopefully in the next week we can get something together so they can see some opportunities that are available for them.
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