1. Upon arriving to the high school, I was very surprised to see that the kids actually wanted our help. They were ecstatic when Brooke and I walked into their classroom. We started off in a Biology class and just walked around the room and observed. The kids asked me a few questions about the lab they were doing but nothing that I couldn't handle. There wasn't too much interaction between the kids and I, so the language barrier wasn't really apparent. After Biology we went to a Math class and tutored two girls in the library. Once again, language wasn't really an issue, I think the girls had been in America for awhile at this point. As we got to talking a little bit, the girls seemed to have a lot of questions about college. I answered all the questions they had, and asked if they had considered college in the future. One girl had said that she really wanted to go to college to become a nurse, but that she doubted she would be able to because of her home situation. I knew that would be a really touchy subject, so I didn't ask too many questions. She shared with me that she lives at home with her mom, grandmother, and two other siblings. I assumed one of the issues she referred to was money. After awhile, the conversation made me really sad, because this smart girl with a desire to go to college would probably never be able to, and there are people here in America that are in college, but are only going because that's the "normal" thing to do.
2. As this young girl shared with me that she likely wasn't going to be able to go to college because of her home situation, I attributed the issue of money related to college to her. If I had to pick an attribution error to go along with this situation, I would choose the ultimate attribution error. I didn't use stereotypes or judge her, I would choose this simply due to my lack of experience with people of this culture. I assumed that money was an issue for her because that's the main reason that kids in America don't go to college. In reality, she is from another culture, and money is probably the least of her worries in this regard.
3. After this experience, I have learned to really pay attention to the fact that I am from a different culture than the kids that attend this high school. The reasons that my friends and I have for not doing something are most likely going to be completely different than the reasons that these kids have for not doing something. In the future, I just have to be very aware of this fact and think carefully about the situation at hand before initiating conversation or responding to a question.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Blog One: In the Beginning
1. What are your hopes for the service-learning project?
I really want this to be a positive experience for everyone involved. I would like to make some sort of impact on the kids' lives and let them know that they are not alone on this journey. I will never be able to fully understand their situations, but I would like to be able to show them that there are many people that care about them and their success in this country. I am also hoping to come out of this experience with a better understanding of myself. I am looking forward to seeing how I will interact these kids, and see the impact that I know they will leave on my life as well.
2. What are your assumptions about your service-learning site?
I'm assuming that the people that work at this high school genuinely care about bettering the lives of the children that attend. Obviously the majority of the kids are from another country, so I'm assuming that the teachers are patient and understanding of the fact that not all kids will grasp the concepts they are learning right away. I also assume that there is a lot of "study hall" time so the kids can do their homework and get all the help they may need.
3. What do you already know/or assume about the work they do?
Since this is a high school, obviously the people that work here teach. In addition to that though, I assume that they care about the students as individuals and not just how they do on their homework. I believe that the teachers at this high school are a big part in helping the students adjust to life and the situations that they are in.
4. What do you know/or assume about the population they serve?
I'm assuming that all the kids that attend this school are in high school. I know that the majority of the kids come from a different country. I assume that most of these kids come from less fortunate lifestyles, and that school might not be a top priority for some of them.
5. What connections/interests/passions do you have for this site or the population it serves?
It's great that there is a school like Rock Island made specifically for students that are still adjusting to life in America. I like the fact that the teachers in this school really seem to have a passion for the kids that they are teaching, and really care about their education and well being. I haven't really been exposed to this before, so I can't say that I have a passion or connection with it, but I am very excited to see what I can bring to the kids and what impact they will have on me as well, because I know that we come from two very different lifestyles.
I really want this to be a positive experience for everyone involved. I would like to make some sort of impact on the kids' lives and let them know that they are not alone on this journey. I will never be able to fully understand their situations, but I would like to be able to show them that there are many people that care about them and their success in this country. I am also hoping to come out of this experience with a better understanding of myself. I am looking forward to seeing how I will interact these kids, and see the impact that I know they will leave on my life as well.
2. What are your assumptions about your service-learning site?
I'm assuming that the people that work at this high school genuinely care about bettering the lives of the children that attend. Obviously the majority of the kids are from another country, so I'm assuming that the teachers are patient and understanding of the fact that not all kids will grasp the concepts they are learning right away. I also assume that there is a lot of "study hall" time so the kids can do their homework and get all the help they may need.
3. What do you already know/or assume about the work they do?
Since this is a high school, obviously the people that work here teach. In addition to that though, I assume that they care about the students as individuals and not just how they do on their homework. I believe that the teachers at this high school are a big part in helping the students adjust to life and the situations that they are in.
4. What do you know/or assume about the population they serve?
I'm assuming that all the kids that attend this school are in high school. I know that the majority of the kids come from a different country. I assume that most of these kids come from less fortunate lifestyles, and that school might not be a top priority for some of them.
5. What connections/interests/passions do you have for this site or the population it serves?
It's great that there is a school like Rock Island made specifically for students that are still adjusting to life in America. I like the fact that the teachers in this school really seem to have a passion for the kids that they are teaching, and really care about their education and well being. I haven't really been exposed to this before, so I can't say that I have a passion or connection with it, but I am very excited to see what I can bring to the kids and what impact they will have on me as well, because I know that we come from two very different lifestyles.
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