This week was a very exciting one, though it demanded a lot of my time after normal work hours. Those of us who were helping to plan NESA (New England Service Academy) spent the week making last minute preparations for the big event. It was our attempt to recreate Cyzygy, an annual event that united every City Year site in the nation for a few days. The last Cyzygy was held a few years ago and we wanted to host a regional version. The original plan was to have CY Boston and CY Rhode Island join us for a day of service and reflection. While corps members from Boston were unable to attend, the corps members from CY Rhode Island were very excited.
The first third of the day focused on service. CYRI met us at Hampton Beach State Park to do a beach cleanup in connection with the Blue Ocean Society. Corps members were split up into groups, comprising people from both sites. After the cleanup and lunch, both sites went to our office space at Timberland for some reflection time and dinner. Corps members had the opportunity to contemplate the future of national service and our City Year. When we were done eating, we headed to a local park for the first of what will become an annual NESA Basketball Tournament and NESA Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. It was a jammed packed day and most people were tired by the end of it.
I did not have the opportunity to participate in most of the activities during the day, especially the first two-thirds of the day. My job was to organize and prepare lunch and dinner, so while others were cleaning the beach or learning about each other during reflection time, I was doing work behind the scenes. I was joined by Jawad and Sarah, corps member from CYNH who were responsible for logistics and the event itself, respectively. It was a little disappointing to miss out on the actual event, but we had fun and it was satisfying to see the faces of people enjoying themselves and the chance to meet other City Year corps members.
At the end of the night, Jawad said, "This is a good sign of things to come." He was referring to the fact that the two of us will be senior corps members next year. A lot of exciting things are developing at CYNH and we get to help support them. But more relevant to NESA, Jawad's statement reflects that what we did on Friday is the first of many events that unify the corps and staff of CYNH, CY Boston and CY Rhode Island. Even with only a few months of planning and last minute actions, we were able to host a successful event. We started it small so it can grow into something more powerful each year. I'm lucky to have been a part of something so exciting at its inception, and even luckier to see it first-hand next year.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Hot Tempers and Preparation
This week began with a lot of heat -- both literally outside and figuratively from those around me. With summer and the end of our year of service approaching, things are becoming a little tense. Most people are trying to amp up their work to ensure a successful year while others seem to be more interested in the freedom that summer promises. It was a difficult beginning of the week for me because I was feeling the frustration from everyone.
In Language Arts, students spent the week writing a persuasive essay. They had to pick a topic and a position that could be defended. A few students decided to write about gay marriage. I knew that this was a touchy subject simply because it is very controversial. My concern solidified because I know that these students may not fully understand the topic but are at an age when they will defend their feelings and opinions very strongly. Thankfully, the discussion was relatively civil – especially compared to the rants that many adults engage in.
I was very proud of the students for standing up for themselves, especially those who preached tolerance. Regardless of your feelings on gay marriage, I think it's important to respect our fundamental humanity – especially when having a disagreement. Some students attempted to rope the teacher into the conversation and while she did share her feelings, she did so while saying, "I don't really know much about it so I don't think it's fair for me to make a decision on it." I jumped in and reminded the students that above all else, respect was the primary tool for having these conversations. Though some may write these thirteen year olds off as culturally unaware and ignorant, I was very proud to see them becoming interested in the world's affairs.
Still, there was a lot of indolence around me, especially with my fellow corps members. When I'm around high levels of disinterest, I become easily frustrated. "I know there's work to be done, so why aren't you doing it?" I think to myself. Luckily, Thursday brought a big evening of preparation for NESA – New England Service Academy. This event was born out of NELA, a conference of corps members from CY Boston and CY Rhode Island. Only a few of us from CYNH were able to attend NELA and we thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get our three sites in their entirety together for a few days of service?"
Well, one of our corps members, Sarah, took the initiative and began planning an event that would unite us. We're calling it NESA and it's happening next Friday. The event may seem like a relatively small affair – one day of service with the Rhode Island corps – but it's a very big deal requiring a lot of planning and preparation. It is entirely corps-driven and we've been doing a majority of the work. On Thursday evening, we had to stay later to do some preparation for the event and an information session on Friday. Though I'm doing more work, I'm happier. It has given me something to focus my energy on and I'm incredibly excited! It was exactly what the second half of my week needed.
Friday was a day of looking to the future, both in the short term and the long term. In the morning, we had Make It Better conversations, designed to improve various aspects of our service. We were able to give feedback on PT, Cross Product Teams, IJ, Friday trainings and other elements of City Year culture. There were a lot of good conversations and it energized me. I get to be a part of the implementation of the improvements that will come from these feedback sessions. That afternoon, I was able to be part of rollouts for both NESA and a new thing that the Resource Development team is introducing. As the FY11 Resource Development Project Leader, I will be leading a lot of rollouts and will take a much larger role in leading corps members. Friday gave me the chance to begin working on those skills. Overall, my service on Thursday and Friday reminded me why I serve – I get the chance to work incredibly hard to make this world a better place and I'm proud of the work I do.
In Language Arts, students spent the week writing a persuasive essay. They had to pick a topic and a position that could be defended. A few students decided to write about gay marriage. I knew that this was a touchy subject simply because it is very controversial. My concern solidified because I know that these students may not fully understand the topic but are at an age when they will defend their feelings and opinions very strongly. Thankfully, the discussion was relatively civil – especially compared to the rants that many adults engage in.
I was very proud of the students for standing up for themselves, especially those who preached tolerance. Regardless of your feelings on gay marriage, I think it's important to respect our fundamental humanity – especially when having a disagreement. Some students attempted to rope the teacher into the conversation and while she did share her feelings, she did so while saying, "I don't really know much about it so I don't think it's fair for me to make a decision on it." I jumped in and reminded the students that above all else, respect was the primary tool for having these conversations. Though some may write these thirteen year olds off as culturally unaware and ignorant, I was very proud to see them becoming interested in the world's affairs.
Still, there was a lot of indolence around me, especially with my fellow corps members. When I'm around high levels of disinterest, I become easily frustrated. "I know there's work to be done, so why aren't you doing it?" I think to myself. Luckily, Thursday brought a big evening of preparation for NESA – New England Service Academy. This event was born out of NELA, a conference of corps members from CY Boston and CY Rhode Island. Only a few of us from CYNH were able to attend NELA and we thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get our three sites in their entirety together for a few days of service?"
Well, one of our corps members, Sarah, took the initiative and began planning an event that would unite us. We're calling it NESA and it's happening next Friday. The event may seem like a relatively small affair – one day of service with the Rhode Island corps – but it's a very big deal requiring a lot of planning and preparation. It is entirely corps-driven and we've been doing a majority of the work. On Thursday evening, we had to stay later to do some preparation for the event and an information session on Friday. Though I'm doing more work, I'm happier. It has given me something to focus my energy on and I'm incredibly excited! It was exactly what the second half of my week needed.
Friday was a day of looking to the future, both in the short term and the long term. In the morning, we had Make It Better conversations, designed to improve various aspects of our service. We were able to give feedback on PT, Cross Product Teams, IJ, Friday trainings and other elements of City Year culture. There were a lot of good conversations and it energized me. I get to be a part of the implementation of the improvements that will come from these feedback sessions. That afternoon, I was able to be part of rollouts for both NESA and a new thing that the Resource Development team is introducing. As the FY11 Resource Development Project Leader, I will be leading a lot of rollouts and will take a much larger role in leading corps members. Friday gave me the chance to begin working on those skills. Overall, my service on Thursday and Friday reminded me why I serve – I get the chance to work incredibly hard to make this world a better place and I'm proud of the work I do.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Struggles, Victories and Coming Full Circle
Things are winding down at City Year New Hampshire. We only have a few weeks left in the schools and I am doing my best to help my students get ready for high school. I am concerned about a few of them. "Audrey" and "Alyssa" were both resistant to doing work this week. On Monday, they were assigned a math worksheet. When they were unable to get a problem correct immediately, they shut down, saying "I'm not doing this." I tried to push them to work but they weren't having any of it. It was very frustrating; I don't want them to shut down like this when presented with a challenge. But their lives are in their hands; I can't do everything for them. I have to hope that some of what I model and teach gets through to them and they are better off now than they would've been without me.
But there have also been some victories. "Shirley" and "Whitney" have made incredible progress since the beginning of the year. In math class, Shirley figured out how to find the area of an irregular figure with minimal guidance from me. When I told her how smart she is and great she is doing, I caught her smiling. I'm really hoping that Diane and I can continue to instill better self-esteem in Shirley before the end of the year so she can start high school with a desire to succeed.
Whitney has also made an incredible jump. She consistently seeks to respond in most classes, though more could be done to encourage more responses. I'm very proud of her; she's a popular, nice student who is discovering that learning is something worthwhile. And that's a great victory.
"Sophia" has been waving me over at least once a day in classes for a little bit of help. She seemed to be in an unhappy place on Tuesday. When I realized that she was being resistant to doing the work in social studies, I turned it into a joke. I told her, "I know this isn't the most enjoyable but I am going to make it the most exciting thing you'll do all day!" This is very different from how I approached Sophia earlier in the year; back then, I employed a much more forceful style. But when I saw Sophia smile, I knew that I had made the right decision. Completing her work for its own sake is pointless. I'd rather Sophia realize that she can't just give up because she's unhappy – she has to find a little bit of joy to push her through.
These moments happened in the early part of Tuesday. By the afternoon, I was dreading going to English class. The students had been assigned a project over a month ago and it was due Tuesday. Diane had been reminding every eighth grader she saw to complete it for the past week or two but I was still concerned that a lot of students wouldn't have it ready. And, unfortunately, most of the students in my class didn't. But I was incredibly proud when "Whitney," Audrey and Sophia got up to hand theirs in. I started fist pumping in the air and cheering; Whitney pointed back at me and said, "Look at Paul!" I want these students to know how proud I am of them when they do their work. In fact, "Hal," a student I regularly see during the day, came up and said, "I have most of mine done! I just have one thing left!" I don't want the students to do their work to please anyone, especially me. I just want them to feel like somebody cares about their academic success.
The end of the week brought a return to Camp Lincoln, the site of our first day of service back in September. It was designed to be a day for corps members and our Timberland mentors to work together on a few projects around the camp. It was really neat, the full circle aspect of the day. It was where we were first introduced to PT; on Friday, I got to help lead PT with other first year corps members. I spent the morning working in the amphitheatre, where I had worked back on that first day of service. When we debriefed that afternoon, I talked about how proud I am of how far we've come as a site over the year. On Friday, it hit me that this is all ending soon. In a few weeks, I'll never see this group of people in the same place again. It's a little sad but I won't get bogged down in melancholic gloom. I have to do my best to make the next five weeks the most powerful I can.
But there have also been some victories. "Shirley" and "Whitney" have made incredible progress since the beginning of the year. In math class, Shirley figured out how to find the area of an irregular figure with minimal guidance from me. When I told her how smart she is and great she is doing, I caught her smiling. I'm really hoping that Diane and I can continue to instill better self-esteem in Shirley before the end of the year so she can start high school with a desire to succeed.
Whitney has also made an incredible jump. She consistently seeks to respond in most classes, though more could be done to encourage more responses. I'm very proud of her; she's a popular, nice student who is discovering that learning is something worthwhile. And that's a great victory.
"Sophia" has been waving me over at least once a day in classes for a little bit of help. She seemed to be in an unhappy place on Tuesday. When I realized that she was being resistant to doing the work in social studies, I turned it into a joke. I told her, "I know this isn't the most enjoyable but I am going to make it the most exciting thing you'll do all day!" This is very different from how I approached Sophia earlier in the year; back then, I employed a much more forceful style. But when I saw Sophia smile, I knew that I had made the right decision. Completing her work for its own sake is pointless. I'd rather Sophia realize that she can't just give up because she's unhappy – she has to find a little bit of joy to push her through.
These moments happened in the early part of Tuesday. By the afternoon, I was dreading going to English class. The students had been assigned a project over a month ago and it was due Tuesday. Diane had been reminding every eighth grader she saw to complete it for the past week or two but I was still concerned that a lot of students wouldn't have it ready. And, unfortunately, most of the students in my class didn't. But I was incredibly proud when "Whitney," Audrey and Sophia got up to hand theirs in. I started fist pumping in the air and cheering; Whitney pointed back at me and said, "Look at Paul!" I want these students to know how proud I am of them when they do their work. In fact, "Hal," a student I regularly see during the day, came up and said, "I have most of mine done! I just have one thing left!" I don't want the students to do their work to please anyone, especially me. I just want them to feel like somebody cares about their academic success.
The end of the week brought a return to Camp Lincoln, the site of our first day of service back in September. It was designed to be a day for corps members and our Timberland mentors to work together on a few projects around the camp. It was really neat, the full circle aspect of the day. It was where we were first introduced to PT; on Friday, I got to help lead PT with other first year corps members. I spent the morning working in the amphitheatre, where I had worked back on that first day of service. When we debriefed that afternoon, I talked about how proud I am of how far we've come as a site over the year. On Friday, it hit me that this is all ending soon. In a few weeks, I'll never see this group of people in the same place again. It's a little sad but I won't get bogged down in melancholic gloom. I have to do my best to make the next five weeks the most powerful I can.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Overcoming Frustration and Uncertainty
Waking up Monday morning, I knew I had to get moving and grooving to have a great day of service. I wasn't fully rested but I wouldn't use that as an excuse. In first period math, I struggled through a poor explanation of finding the area of a circle. The students were getting flustered and overwhelmed at first but some caught on and exclaimed, "This is easy!" Unfortunately, "Audrey" did not feel this way and she shut down. This response continued into second period FACS class when the students had to create a mosaic with some challenging qualifications. Audrey and other students repeatedly claimed the assignment was "stupid" and "dumb" and wondered why they had to do it. While I was trying to guide them through figuring out how to complete the work, Audrey said, "I'm not doing this." I lost my cool for a second and raised my voice. Thankfully I caught myself and calmed down before I started screaming at the students. The one positive that emerged from the moment was it woke me up and I was ready to be respectful and on for the rest of the day.
Our team meeting was a little overwhelming. We are in the final stage of teacher and student evaluations, which means a lot of paperwork for teachers. I don't mind handing them out but it is a lot of paper to manage. But all of the time and energy that we and the teachers spend on this work translates into improved service for more students who are at-risk for dropping out. Like PITW #124 says, "Everyone needs to do things that are not in the job description" – especially if they contribute to the greater good of our service.
Tuesday had a weird start to the day. Our team leader didn't come in until noon and two of our team members met us at school. We were all confused about whether to do PT like we usually do on Tuesdays or just go to first period. I was flustered over the confusion as well as the deviation from our normal schedule. But in second period I realized that I need to remember moccasins. Other people aren't trying to overwhelm or upset me – they just have things they want to accomplish.
In science class, students had a lab in which they had to dissect a chicken wing. They were investigating the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints and comparing them to those of humans. It was a challenging lab because the first step was to remove the skin from the wing. I walked around trying to help but I felt like a dunce – I didn't think I was helping out whatsoever. Still, it was a great day – I am seeing a lot of progress in some of the students and I'm excited.
Thursday was a half day at Seabrook, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to meet with Allie about the Resource Development project leader position. That's where I'll be serving next year and Allie wants to get me prepared for it. She went over all of the things she does during the week and the major projects of the year. It was very overwhelming; there's just so much to it and it's all so different from the world I'm in this year. But I felt this way on orientation way back in August. It's overwhelming, but only because there's so much that is new to me. Once I start working, I'll be fine. I was further comforted when I had lunch with most of the RD team.
In the afternoon, the Seabrook team met Taylor, our team buddy, for our Gift Seat feedback session. This session was different from the other feedback sessions we've done. With this, we took turns giving feedback to one person. It could have gone horribly because of some recent strife but everyone was respectful and honest. I got some great feedback about forcing positivity on others. Some people said that I should work on guiding others to it instead of trying to make people feel happy. When I've been in rough straits, I've respected others most when they've allowed me to address my feelings on my own terms. I need to do that for others. Sometimes people just need to be unhappy and come to the joy on their own time.
On Friday, we had a session on the National Service movement and how to promote it through letters to the editor and letters to congressmen. We also had the chance to learn about the local government in Seabrook. It's good to develop greater understanding of our civic leaders and capabilities, but there was one thing that really stood out about the session. It was presented by Joe, this year's Program and Training project leader, and Tony, the Program and Training project leader for next year. It's very exciting that the FY11 senior corps members are getting the chance to take on opportunities to learn through experience. I'm amazed by how far we've all come from the beginning of the year. There has been an incredible amount of growth and development for everyone; I've been fortunate to be a part of that.
Our team meeting was a little overwhelming. We are in the final stage of teacher and student evaluations, which means a lot of paperwork for teachers. I don't mind handing them out but it is a lot of paper to manage. But all of the time and energy that we and the teachers spend on this work translates into improved service for more students who are at-risk for dropping out. Like PITW #124 says, "Everyone needs to do things that are not in the job description" – especially if they contribute to the greater good of our service.
Tuesday had a weird start to the day. Our team leader didn't come in until noon and two of our team members met us at school. We were all confused about whether to do PT like we usually do on Tuesdays or just go to first period. I was flustered over the confusion as well as the deviation from our normal schedule. But in second period I realized that I need to remember moccasins. Other people aren't trying to overwhelm or upset me – they just have things they want to accomplish.
In science class, students had a lab in which they had to dissect a chicken wing. They were investigating the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints and comparing them to those of humans. It was a challenging lab because the first step was to remove the skin from the wing. I walked around trying to help but I felt like a dunce – I didn't think I was helping out whatsoever. Still, it was a great day – I am seeing a lot of progress in some of the students and I'm excited.
Thursday was a half day at Seabrook, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to meet with Allie about the Resource Development project leader position. That's where I'll be serving next year and Allie wants to get me prepared for it. She went over all of the things she does during the week and the major projects of the year. It was very overwhelming; there's just so much to it and it's all so different from the world I'm in this year. But I felt this way on orientation way back in August. It's overwhelming, but only because there's so much that is new to me. Once I start working, I'll be fine. I was further comforted when I had lunch with most of the RD team.
In the afternoon, the Seabrook team met Taylor, our team buddy, for our Gift Seat feedback session. This session was different from the other feedback sessions we've done. With this, we took turns giving feedback to one person. It could have gone horribly because of some recent strife but everyone was respectful and honest. I got some great feedback about forcing positivity on others. Some people said that I should work on guiding others to it instead of trying to make people feel happy. When I've been in rough straits, I've respected others most when they've allowed me to address my feelings on my own terms. I need to do that for others. Sometimes people just need to be unhappy and come to the joy on their own time.
On Friday, we had a session on the National Service movement and how to promote it through letters to the editor and letters to congressmen. We also had the chance to learn about the local government in Seabrook. It's good to develop greater understanding of our civic leaders and capabilities, but there was one thing that really stood out about the session. It was presented by Joe, this year's Program and Training project leader, and Tony, the Program and Training project leader for next year. It's very exciting that the FY11 senior corps members are getting the chance to take on opportunities to learn through experience. I'm amazed by how far we've all come from the beginning of the year. There has been an incredible amount of growth and development for everyone; I've been fortunate to be a part of that.
Friday, May 7, 2010
A Brief Week
The weather in New Hampshire at the beginning of the week reflected the general mood of the students at Seabrook Middle School: heavy, slow and sleepy. Summer is making its approach and it's being heralded by terrible humidity. Still, I am feeling really good about May and the next few months in general so I was happy to be back with the students. Unfortunately, throughout the day I didn't feel like I was making a big impact on my students. I felt adrift, like I was detached from my service in most classes. I think part of this was caused by the structure of some of the classes. In FACS, students were simply typing up handwritten work. The students in English class listened to the first few pages of Flowers for Algernon on CD. There wasn't an easy way for me to interact with them, other than nudging them to wake up.
My daily victory came in social studies. The teacher assigned students a project that they'll be working on for the next few days. They have to come up with a topic, formulate a question and use articles to answer it in a three to five minute speech. One student was struggling to come up with a topic. He found an interesting article about Blackwater and their involvement in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians. He considered doing his speech using that article but thought it would only last ten seconds. I thought of the Right Question Project and used the title of the article as a prompt. His first question was, "Why did they do it?" I prodded him – "What other questions could you ask?" He came up with, "Who is Blackwater?" He knew they were a military company, which led him to ask, "Why is a military company in Iraq?" They may seem like simple questions, but getting the answers to them will help him flesh out his speech. I talked with the teacher after class about using it with the entire class. He agreed that it's a neat concept and will think about a good future topic to use it with. Victories!
It was a short week for me – I went out of town Thursday and Friday so I was only at school for three days. The feelings of uselessness returned on Tuesday and Wednesday – I didn't think I was really helping. With only a few weeks left in school, my ability to help improve students' grades is limited. These thoughts and feelings have caused me to shift my approach to in-school service. In a few months, my students will become high school freshman, a role that many are concerned about. I plan on spending the next five weeks continuing to model positive behavior and supporting my students as they look forward to next year. I want them to head off into the wild blue yonder confident that they will be able to be successful. They need to know it will be difficult, but they can do it. If I can support them in the shift, I've done a great job.
P.S. This is just a reminder that City Year is in the running to win $250,000 from Pepsi as part of their Pepsi Refresh project. If you would like to support City Year, all it takes is a few clicks and 26 seconds. Remember, every 26 seconds a student drops out of school. Let's take that time to end that crisis. Vote for City Year here.
My daily victory came in social studies. The teacher assigned students a project that they'll be working on for the next few days. They have to come up with a topic, formulate a question and use articles to answer it in a three to five minute speech. One student was struggling to come up with a topic. He found an interesting article about Blackwater and their involvement in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians. He considered doing his speech using that article but thought it would only last ten seconds. I thought of the Right Question Project and used the title of the article as a prompt. His first question was, "Why did they do it?" I prodded him – "What other questions could you ask?" He came up with, "Who is Blackwater?" He knew they were a military company, which led him to ask, "Why is a military company in Iraq?" They may seem like simple questions, but getting the answers to them will help him flesh out his speech. I talked with the teacher after class about using it with the entire class. He agreed that it's a neat concept and will think about a good future topic to use it with. Victories!
It was a short week for me – I went out of town Thursday and Friday so I was only at school for three days. The feelings of uselessness returned on Tuesday and Wednesday – I didn't think I was really helping. With only a few weeks left in school, my ability to help improve students' grades is limited. These thoughts and feelings have caused me to shift my approach to in-school service. In a few months, my students will become high school freshman, a role that many are concerned about. I plan on spending the next five weeks continuing to model positive behavior and supporting my students as they look forward to next year. I want them to head off into the wild blue yonder confident that they will be able to be successful. They need to know it will be difficult, but they can do it. If I can support them in the shift, I've done a great job.
P.S. This is just a reminder that City Year is in the running to win $250,000 from Pepsi as part of their Pepsi Refresh project. If you would like to support City Year, all it takes is a few clicks and 26 seconds. Remember, every 26 seconds a student drops out of school. Let's take that time to end that crisis. Vote for City Year here.
Friday, April 30, 2010
A Week of Varied Service (Heroes Led)
This was another week of minimal contact with students, for the most part. The kids at Seabrook Middle School had their spring break this week but that didn't mean that we had the week to lie around. We had some things to take care of as part of GYSD wrap-up as well as some workshops and other projects. On Monday, we went to school to collect the tools we left there on Friday. We took them to Timberland's off-site storage – the first time I'd ever been there – and helped the Civic Engagement team with putting the tools away. The CE team is responsible for organizing corps-wide service projects and leading workshops for groups outside of City Year. My roommate is on the team and they have a fundamentally different day than I do. Still, it's no less important and it was neat to see them in their environment.
In the afternoon, the Seabrook team, as well as some corps members from the Hillside and Nashua teams, sat in on a workshop presented by the Right Question Project. The people from this group have been working for twenty years on changing the way education and mentoring is done. Instead of asking students questions to facilitate learning, we learned how to create a prompt to get students to ask questions about a topic. It sounds simple but requires an incredible amount of mental dexterity. It pushed us to our limits. However, I know that the students I work with are capable of using this process. It may take a few attempts but eventually I hope they will start critically thinking about the world around them.
Tuesday was a strange day. It had the same setup of a typical Friday but, obviously, it was in the beginning of the week. It made for a slightly confusing mindset but overall it was a successful day. We talked briefly about Saturday's Heroes Led service project. It will be similar to GYSD but with the actual Young Heroes leading the service projects – as the name implies. It will be interesting to see those students in action, since I've never attended a Heroes Saturday.
The final session of the day was the Seabrook team's Community Meeting. The theme of our Community Meeting was Renewal and the general flow of the pieces reflected the flow of a year of service. It started off light, with Ripples and Joys then flowed into an excellent Mocassins piece led by Amber. I had the chance to share my Life's Work. I talked about some elements of my childhood and the most pivotal eighteen months of my life, the ones that helped transform me into the person I am today. I tend to talk about myself a lot and I didn't want my piece to reflect an egotistical blowhard. I was pleased to hear from several people that it was very well done and actually helped them in their current situations. Diane talked briefly about all of the good that City Year has done in the Seabrook community and how members of that town have really stepped up to take care of themselves. It's reassuring to know that there are others there who support the City Year mission of transforming children and communities for the better.
We had a late start on Wednesday, so I got to sleep in much later than I usually do. The morning was spent preparing for our Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser at Seabrook Middle School. Bear organized it mostly to have something fun for students to do during their spring break. Unfortunately, we didn't have a huge turnout, but we did have enough to do a three round version of a Round Robin style tournament. Some members from the Young Heroes team and the Nashua WSWC team showed up to support us – many thanks to them! Overall, we raised $24 that we'll be donating to the Seabrook Middle School Student Leadership Club. It was a great way to spend our Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Seabrook team had our second team day. We headed up to Portland for a picnic in a park. Unfortunately, it was very windy so most people ate their lunch in the van. After eating, we headed back into New Hampshire to go candlepin bowling at an alley in Portsmouth. Chris treated us to ice cream at a really neat ice cream parlor in the city before we headed home. It was really neat to get out and enjoy the day.
That evening, I led a brief meeting about our end of the year fundraiser that Allie, the Resource Development Project Leader, has been helping us organize. She was out of town for the week and wanted me to step up and take care of it. It's the kind of stuff I'll have to do a lot of next year and I'm glad that I get the chance to practice now.
Friday was a day like two weeks before – a day of prep for a big service project. The Young Heroes had their Heroes Led Service Day on Saturday and the rest of the site helped out. The neat thing about the day was that the actual Young Heroes were in charge of various pieces of each project. But before we got to Saturday, the City Year corps members had to prepare the various sites for service. I spent most of the afternoon attempting to chalk out a map of the United States on a blacktop at an elementary school in Nashua with a few other corps members. We were utilizing a grid to do it pieces, but it was incredibly difficult. The chalk wasn't very visible with the sun beating down on the blacktop and I didn't want the map to look crummy. I was standing, just starring at the northeast, unable to do anything but stare. Thankfully, we all were able to work together to finish it. I was proud of the work we did but not too pleased with the sunburn I got.
I usually don't serve on Saturdays with the Young Heroes program, but this Saturday was different. The whole site went out to Nashua for the Heroes Led service projects and it was amazing! One of the Young Heroes, "Daniel," remembered me from his visit to Timberland way back in September. A few Young Heroes had come out for a panel discussion with us new corps members about what it's been like to be a Young Hero. I was really surprised that he remembered me. It was humbling; I was reminded of our ability to have an influence on others without even realizing it – both as City Year corps members and human beings.
The actual service project was great. Daniel, another Junior Team Leader, Ryan (a corps member from Young Heroes) and I went to the park that our group would be cleaning to prepare the site for their work. While waiting, Daniel and the other Team Leader hung out on the playground. A little girl from the neighborhood came over and started playing with them. I sat back and took notice of the greatness of the moment. Here were two young high schoolers interacting with a child and thinking nothing of it. If they had had red jackets on, they would look like any other City Year corps members. The moment got even better when the rest of our group arrived. After watching us clean up garbage from the park for about twenty minutes, the little girl picked up some gloves from our bucket, put them on and started helping out the Young Heroes with their service. It was beautiful. The two moments together exemplified what we want our service to do: recruit young people to our mission, transform communities and mindsets for the better and inspire other young people to take on the mission for themselves. What I saw on Saturday was not just the future of City Year in a microcosm, but the future of our country and our world: a place where human beings do good for each other simply because they can.
P.S. City Year is in the running to win $250,000 from Pepsi as part of their Pepsi Refresh project. If you want to help us get that money, you can vote here. Remember PITW #107: We Are All Fundraisers.
In the afternoon, the Seabrook team, as well as some corps members from the Hillside and Nashua teams, sat in on a workshop presented by the Right Question Project. The people from this group have been working for twenty years on changing the way education and mentoring is done. Instead of asking students questions to facilitate learning, we learned how to create a prompt to get students to ask questions about a topic. It sounds simple but requires an incredible amount of mental dexterity. It pushed us to our limits. However, I know that the students I work with are capable of using this process. It may take a few attempts but eventually I hope they will start critically thinking about the world around them.
Tuesday was a strange day. It had the same setup of a typical Friday but, obviously, it was in the beginning of the week. It made for a slightly confusing mindset but overall it was a successful day. We talked briefly about Saturday's Heroes Led service project. It will be similar to GYSD but with the actual Young Heroes leading the service projects – as the name implies. It will be interesting to see those students in action, since I've never attended a Heroes Saturday.
The final session of the day was the Seabrook team's Community Meeting. The theme of our Community Meeting was Renewal and the general flow of the pieces reflected the flow of a year of service. It started off light, with Ripples and Joys then flowed into an excellent Mocassins piece led by Amber. I had the chance to share my Life's Work. I talked about some elements of my childhood and the most pivotal eighteen months of my life, the ones that helped transform me into the person I am today. I tend to talk about myself a lot and I didn't want my piece to reflect an egotistical blowhard. I was pleased to hear from several people that it was very well done and actually helped them in their current situations. Diane talked briefly about all of the good that City Year has done in the Seabrook community and how members of that town have really stepped up to take care of themselves. It's reassuring to know that there are others there who support the City Year mission of transforming children and communities for the better.
We had a late start on Wednesday, so I got to sleep in much later than I usually do. The morning was spent preparing for our Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser at Seabrook Middle School. Bear organized it mostly to have something fun for students to do during their spring break. Unfortunately, we didn't have a huge turnout, but we did have enough to do a three round version of a Round Robin style tournament. Some members from the Young Heroes team and the Nashua WSWC team showed up to support us – many thanks to them! Overall, we raised $24 that we'll be donating to the Seabrook Middle School Student Leadership Club. It was a great way to spend our Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Seabrook team had our second team day. We headed up to Portland for a picnic in a park. Unfortunately, it was very windy so most people ate their lunch in the van. After eating, we headed back into New Hampshire to go candlepin bowling at an alley in Portsmouth. Chris treated us to ice cream at a really neat ice cream parlor in the city before we headed home. It was really neat to get out and enjoy the day.
That evening, I led a brief meeting about our end of the year fundraiser that Allie, the Resource Development Project Leader, has been helping us organize. She was out of town for the week and wanted me to step up and take care of it. It's the kind of stuff I'll have to do a lot of next year and I'm glad that I get the chance to practice now.
Friday was a day like two weeks before – a day of prep for a big service project. The Young Heroes had their Heroes Led Service Day on Saturday and the rest of the site helped out. The neat thing about the day was that the actual Young Heroes were in charge of various pieces of each project. But before we got to Saturday, the City Year corps members had to prepare the various sites for service. I spent most of the afternoon attempting to chalk out a map of the United States on a blacktop at an elementary school in Nashua with a few other corps members. We were utilizing a grid to do it pieces, but it was incredibly difficult. The chalk wasn't very visible with the sun beating down on the blacktop and I didn't want the map to look crummy. I was standing, just starring at the northeast, unable to do anything but stare. Thankfully, we all were able to work together to finish it. I was proud of the work we did but not too pleased with the sunburn I got.
I usually don't serve on Saturdays with the Young Heroes program, but this Saturday was different. The whole site went out to Nashua for the Heroes Led service projects and it was amazing! One of the Young Heroes, "Daniel," remembered me from his visit to Timberland way back in September. A few Young Heroes had come out for a panel discussion with us new corps members about what it's been like to be a Young Hero. I was really surprised that he remembered me. It was humbling; I was reminded of our ability to have an influence on others without even realizing it – both as City Year corps members and human beings.
The actual service project was great. Daniel, another Junior Team Leader, Ryan (a corps member from Young Heroes) and I went to the park that our group would be cleaning to prepare the site for their work. While waiting, Daniel and the other Team Leader hung out on the playground. A little girl from the neighborhood came over and started playing with them. I sat back and took notice of the greatness of the moment. Here were two young high schoolers interacting with a child and thinking nothing of it. If they had had red jackets on, they would look like any other City Year corps members. The moment got even better when the rest of our group arrived. After watching us clean up garbage from the park for about twenty minutes, the little girl picked up some gloves from our bucket, put them on and started helping out the Young Heroes with their service. It was beautiful. The two moments together exemplified what we want our service to do: recruit young people to our mission, transform communities and mindsets for the better and inspire other young people to take on the mission for themselves. What I saw on Saturday was not just the future of City Year in a microcosm, but the future of our country and our world: a place where human beings do good for each other simply because they can.
P.S. City Year is in the running to win $250,000 from Pepsi as part of their Pepsi Refresh project. If you want to help us get that money, you can vote here. Remember PITW #107: We Are All Fundraisers.
Friday, April 23, 2010
So Much Service!
Monday was a day of hustle and bustle, a unique opportunity to get to know the sixth graders. The entire Seabrook team, Allie (our Resource Development Project Leader) and some members of the Young Heroes team went to Exchange City. It is a program with sites around the country that lets middle school students experience what it's like to work for a business, pay bills and spend their money wisely. The sixth grade class at Seabrook Middle School had been preparing for this day for a month. Each student had a different role: some were postal workers, others were in charge of distributing goods and one student was the town mayor. I thought it was an exciting way to learn about the real world and its stresses and joys.
I helped out in the bank, working with the bank president, the accountant and the tellers. They were an excellent group of kids, working hard throughout the day to make sure the deposits from businesses and people were handled correctly. Things definitely got chaotic when the Exchange City citizens were given their paychecks. The bank office was flooded with students trying to deposit their paychecks. Through it all, the bank tellers remained relatively civil. I think it's good that these students are exposed to the stress of real life, as long as they are reminded that their schooling will help prepare them to deal with the madness of the adult world.
After our time at Exchange City came to an end, we decided to go get lunch. While walking the streets of Dover, I heard a country riff emanating from a man's pick-up truck. I gave a fist pump in appreciation but what I got in return was, "What the f*** are you looking at?" Chris, my team leader, was walking with me; he stopped and stared at the guy. It was a very disarming experience. My mind was rattled for the next hour, simply because I felt accosted. It's always strange to hear such negativity directed at me or other corps members when we're in our City Year uniforms. I feel like everyone loves us, but reality sets in. Some people don't know us, don't respect us or are just having bad days. I shouldn't take it personally. I need to convert that anger into positive energy for those around me – especially those who are sending out that negativity into the cosmos.
Tuesday was the only day this week that we were in class and I made it count. Even though we usually miss first period on Tuesdays because we're doing PT, I was able to make it to math only a few minutes late. The students had been given a worksheet on two-step equations the day before, but were moving back into proportions. I was able to teach one student how to do those equations really quickly, solidifying my belief that these students are capable of anything if you give them the proper motivation and attention.
In social studies, the students watched a video on child soldiers in Sierra Leone and their adjustment back to a more peaceful society. It was gripping and emotional for me and I know that many students were saddened by it. But the most encouraging moment from one of my students came from "Sally." She had been taking notes during the movie for the assigned reflection paper. As the movie drew to a close, the narrator told the viewers to check out the UN's website on ways to help. Sally furtively scribbled down the address. I don't care if she forgets to check it out later. Just knowing that in that instant she was interested in learning how she can help people she'll never meet – man, that's our whole job, making people realize that we're all dependent on each other.
Tuesday held another victory. I still needed to secure movie passes for our dodgeball tournament prizes. Chris and I ventured down to Vision Max Cinema in neighboring Salisbury to drop off the in-kind letter to the manager. I was pleasantly surprised when he said, "Oh, yeah. How many do you need?" and went to his office to get five passes for us. This was a moment of joy for me because I'll be doing this type of stuff all of next year. I knew I was capable of it – I just needed to get my first victory.
The Seabrook team spent Wednesday morning at Hampton Beach. But we weren't there for the beautiful views – we were there to help out the Blue Ocean Society with a beach clean up. Timberland, one of our national sponsors, organized multiple Earth Day projects for Wednesday, Thursday and a day next week. My team was with a few other City Year teams, some people from Timberland and roughly 200 middle school students. This particular service project involved a lot of standing around and waiting for the students; they were responsible for collecting most of the trash. We didn't lie around all day, though. My teammate Bear, my good friend Dylan and I teamed up and combed the beach for trash. We only collected about four pounds of trash, but that hour on the beach was great. I don't often get the chance to slow down and talk to my fellow corps members during the day. Wednesday gave me the opportunity, so it was a success.
Next up: Earth Day, Big Ol' Day of Prep, GYSD Eve – otherwise known as Thursday. We spent almost the entire day finishing up last minute preparations for GYSD at Seabrook Middle School. Some people stenciled the front mural at the school, others went to South Main Street park to work. I was all over the place. We had to pick up mulch in Hampton Falls, then come back to school to unload a big truck trailer with athletic dirt. There was a lot going on but nothing too extreme. Lunchtime was a nice break. We went to the Seabrook Rec Center for lunch with a special guest – Taylor, our team buddy! He bought us all ice cream which we ate under the shade of the trees on the trail. It was relaxing but then it was back to work. The afternoon went very quickly but we got everything done by 5:30 – a thrilling victory.
Friday was the final day of a mega-crazy week. It could have been incredibly stressful, but for me it was amazing. The morning started with some preparation, a presentation to the school and the whole shebang started. I was stationed at the front of the school working with the art teacher and a bunch of eighth graders hand-picked for the project. Because we had picked certain students, we ran into trouble when we realized a few were absent. But the art teacher was very flexible; we took a few students from other groups and got to work.
The mural was designed to complement the two past City Year teams had already painted on the other sides of the front planter. The mural painted last year featured various outstanding places found along Route 1and the other was a celebration of the beach. The mural we painted this year focused on the state of New Hampshire as a whole and featured the state insignia, such as the state mascot (The Old Man of the Mountain) and the state bug (ladybug). The absolute best part of this week was watching a group of students work intently on this mural, using small paintbrushes to fill in the small pieces. Our whole goal with this day is to give students a chance to serve, to create a transformation in their communities. If they have ownership of something, they'll have pride in it and will want to protect it. I'm glad that my eighth graders got to leave behind something when they graduate.
In the afternoon, after the students were done with the projects, my mom showed up to check our service. She got the chance to meet my best friends and fellow corps members, help out a little bit with cleanup and even participate in an authentic Seabrook debrief. Welcoming people from outside of City Year into our circles and service is the best way to show others how powerful a group of young idealists can be. It was a great day!
I helped out in the bank, working with the bank president, the accountant and the tellers. They were an excellent group of kids, working hard throughout the day to make sure the deposits from businesses and people were handled correctly. Things definitely got chaotic when the Exchange City citizens were given their paychecks. The bank office was flooded with students trying to deposit their paychecks. Through it all, the bank tellers remained relatively civil. I think it's good that these students are exposed to the stress of real life, as long as they are reminded that their schooling will help prepare them to deal with the madness of the adult world.
After our time at Exchange City came to an end, we decided to go get lunch. While walking the streets of Dover, I heard a country riff emanating from a man's pick-up truck. I gave a fist pump in appreciation but what I got in return was, "What the f*** are you looking at?" Chris, my team leader, was walking with me; he stopped and stared at the guy. It was a very disarming experience. My mind was rattled for the next hour, simply because I felt accosted. It's always strange to hear such negativity directed at me or other corps members when we're in our City Year uniforms. I feel like everyone loves us, but reality sets in. Some people don't know us, don't respect us or are just having bad days. I shouldn't take it personally. I need to convert that anger into positive energy for those around me – especially those who are sending out that negativity into the cosmos.
Tuesday was the only day this week that we were in class and I made it count. Even though we usually miss first period on Tuesdays because we're doing PT, I was able to make it to math only a few minutes late. The students had been given a worksheet on two-step equations the day before, but were moving back into proportions. I was able to teach one student how to do those equations really quickly, solidifying my belief that these students are capable of anything if you give them the proper motivation and attention.
In social studies, the students watched a video on child soldiers in Sierra Leone and their adjustment back to a more peaceful society. It was gripping and emotional for me and I know that many students were saddened by it. But the most encouraging moment from one of my students came from "Sally." She had been taking notes during the movie for the assigned reflection paper. As the movie drew to a close, the narrator told the viewers to check out the UN's website on ways to help. Sally furtively scribbled down the address. I don't care if she forgets to check it out later. Just knowing that in that instant she was interested in learning how she can help people she'll never meet – man, that's our whole job, making people realize that we're all dependent on each other.
Tuesday held another victory. I still needed to secure movie passes for our dodgeball tournament prizes. Chris and I ventured down to Vision Max Cinema in neighboring Salisbury to drop off the in-kind letter to the manager. I was pleasantly surprised when he said, "Oh, yeah. How many do you need?" and went to his office to get five passes for us. This was a moment of joy for me because I'll be doing this type of stuff all of next year. I knew I was capable of it – I just needed to get my first victory.
The Seabrook team spent Wednesday morning at Hampton Beach. But we weren't there for the beautiful views – we were there to help out the Blue Ocean Society with a beach clean up. Timberland, one of our national sponsors, organized multiple Earth Day projects for Wednesday, Thursday and a day next week. My team was with a few other City Year teams, some people from Timberland and roughly 200 middle school students. This particular service project involved a lot of standing around and waiting for the students; they were responsible for collecting most of the trash. We didn't lie around all day, though. My teammate Bear, my good friend Dylan and I teamed up and combed the beach for trash. We only collected about four pounds of trash, but that hour on the beach was great. I don't often get the chance to slow down and talk to my fellow corps members during the day. Wednesday gave me the opportunity, so it was a success.
Next up: Earth Day, Big Ol' Day of Prep, GYSD Eve – otherwise known as Thursday. We spent almost the entire day finishing up last minute preparations for GYSD at Seabrook Middle School. Some people stenciled the front mural at the school, others went to South Main Street park to work. I was all over the place. We had to pick up mulch in Hampton Falls, then come back to school to unload a big truck trailer with athletic dirt. There was a lot going on but nothing too extreme. Lunchtime was a nice break. We went to the Seabrook Rec Center for lunch with a special guest – Taylor, our team buddy! He bought us all ice cream which we ate under the shade of the trees on the trail. It was relaxing but then it was back to work. The afternoon went very quickly but we got everything done by 5:30 – a thrilling victory.
Friday was the final day of a mega-crazy week. It could have been incredibly stressful, but for me it was amazing. The morning started with some preparation, a presentation to the school and the whole shebang started. I was stationed at the front of the school working with the art teacher and a bunch of eighth graders hand-picked for the project. Because we had picked certain students, we ran into trouble when we realized a few were absent. But the art teacher was very flexible; we took a few students from other groups and got to work.
The mural was designed to complement the two past City Year teams had already painted on the other sides of the front planter. The mural painted last year featured various outstanding places found along Route 1and the other was a celebration of the beach. The mural we painted this year focused on the state of New Hampshire as a whole and featured the state insignia, such as the state mascot (The Old Man of the Mountain) and the state bug (ladybug). The absolute best part of this week was watching a group of students work intently on this mural, using small paintbrushes to fill in the small pieces. Our whole goal with this day is to give students a chance to serve, to create a transformation in their communities. If they have ownership of something, they'll have pride in it and will want to protect it. I'm glad that my eighth graders got to leave behind something when they graduate.
In the afternoon, after the students were done with the projects, my mom showed up to check our service. She got the chance to meet my best friends and fellow corps members, help out a little bit with cleanup and even participate in an authentic Seabrook debrief. Welcoming people from outside of City Year into our circles and service is the best way to show others how powerful a group of young idealists can be. It was a great day!
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