As much as I wanted to stay in bed on that dark and rainy morning I knew that getting up would be worth it. As I got ready, being mindful of resisting the urge to throw on my old hoodie in favor of something a little more professional I asked myself questions. What would the students be like? Would they like me? Would I get along with the teacher? What exactly am I supposed to be doing? I left my house and made my way to Asa Messer Elementary School. The journey was very familiar, as it is close to my house and I have volunteered there before.
The short bus ride and walk there from my house involves avoiding stepping on litter, seeing streets and sidewalks that need work, buildings with graffiti on them, a church that has been abandoned for years, and low income apartment complexes and senior care facilities. I know that it isn’t the best area. The people here get by but they don’t have much and it isn’t very pretty but it’s home and I know that it is home to the kids that I am about to help learn. It wasn’t until I approached the giant tan building that I felt nervous. I walked to the door and after getting buzzed in I went into the office. After I signed in and found my name tag a secretary led me throughout the seemingly plain building, down a purple walled hallway that was the designated kindergarten section of the school and to Room 201. I could never have imagined what would lie behind that door.
My senses were immediately overwhelmed. I heard 26 young voices singing/screaming along to the song “Alphabet Rock.” and I immediately forgot that the real world outside was dull and gray because what I was in this classroom was anything but. There were colorful posters with various rules, letters, numbers, shapes, days of the week, and months on them. There were fairy lights and student artwork hanging from the ceilings. It was controlled chaos. I found the other volunteers and sat with them and watched the kids finish up their morning meeting on the rug.
As I looked at all of those young faces I felt very in my element. I was looking this classroom of students that completely reflected my own experiences in schools. These were kids that probably live in my neighborhood, as a matter of fact I thought about the likelihood that I had seen them before or had unknowingly helped out their families at the grocery store that I work at. I was comfortable being around these kids and I didn’t bat an eye when the teacher’s assistant referred to one of the kids as “Papito.” No one did because the majority of the students come from Spanish speaking families. I was also very familiar with the way that everyone communicated. The teachers were always stern but never harsh, although it might have seemed like it to those who aren’t familiar with the social norms of this area, and they always had a joke to tell.
After the morning meeting where they counted how many “friends” were in school today and determined how many were absent, watched a clip from Sesame Street to introduce their letter of the day (S) on the smart-board they went to their stations. One group of students were doing activities on ABC Mouse on IPads, another worked with the teacher to create crowns and practicing writing the letter S, and the teacher’s assistant was giving the students a little test on their sight words: “I” and “Am.”
By the time the station activities were done the kids were absolutely restless. No one could sit still but luckily that wasn’t an issue since gym time was next. I watched them giggle and jump and I tied many pairs of shoes and then it was time to go and immediately after I left and started walking down those familiar streets I couldn’t wait to come back because I knew that my next visit would be more hands on and that the kids would feel more comfortable around me. Then the real fun would begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment