David Catt, a University student who attended an Alternative Break with Teach for America this past winter, spoke about his experience with inner city students in Chicago.
I was fascinated by his story about the segregation in each parts of the city and how that impacts education. As I will be going to Chicago to work with students in schools with 826 Chicago in a week, I am extremely interested on the affect this has on their learning experience – at home and in school.
David explained the utter hopelessness he was met with, but also the bright futures that the students he worked with could have. He mentioned meeting the students where they are, not hoping that they would strive out of their comfort zone. I believe that this is what I need to focus on during my service trip next week. I believe that fueling the dreams of these students through the recognition of their work will be the way that I can make a difference. In addition, speaking with students on their own terms is integral.
David also explained that while language was not as much of an ordeal for his group members, understanding his own privilege and teaching style was of imminent importance.
I cannot remember the girl's name. I think she was an undergraduate student at KU and also taking her master degree here. She said she went to an alternative break with her group members in Florida. She did not know any Spanish and none of her group member could. They were in the farms to help the farmers and they only can communicate through their translator. She said even they did not speak the same language and they did not share the same culture, their group and the farmers still had fun and played jokes. When she went to there, she wanted to fit in the society with the farmers instead of changed them. They respected each other and wanted to be friends. I think the things she said during the class were really helpful. When the volunteers go to somewhere, people who live there might have the totally different cultures than the volunteers have. In my personal opinion, it is very important to show the respect to the cultures that the volunteers are not familiar with. After I listened her speech, I felt I learned a lot and changed some of my attitudes to something that I used to have. I think this speech really helped me and I am ready for the alternative break.
I have to agree with Natalie. I am also going to 826 Chicago next week. The segregation between different parts of Chicago the David described was so interesting, and relevant considering the trip I'm going on.
One thing I will keep in mind next week while I'm working with 826 Chicago will be to remember that I am not better than those I am helping; they will probably teach me more than I will be able to teach them. At the same time though, it is important to recognize the cultural differences going into it and understand the children and their positions.
Like David (and Natalie) said, it is really important to go to them, not force them to come to you. It will be important in forming relationships with the children to try and meet them on their level in every way possible, and make ourselves seem less alien-like to them.
I am looking forward to learning about 826 Chicago and the culture of Chicago, the children, and the school systems.
David Catt volunteered at Teach for America in Chicago. He experienced the impact of wealth differences on lower education. I remember he talked about the students that he was teaching were from the poor side of the city. The environment has a huge impact on those children. David says: at night, when you hear there is a gun shot outside, you won’t care about finish your homework, you will hind in a safe place first. It is very true, only if they fulfill the safety need, they would fill the education needs. What he did at there was amazing. He brought the hope to those kids. There are some students want to be basketball players, David encouraged them to presume their dreams. David talked about what he have done while was there; basically he got to know his students, made friends with them, and encourage them. I link his volunteering work to the topic we talked in the second class: we are here for help not change. David helped those kids by becoming their friends and encouraging them to find their dream. He did not just forbid the wrong behaviors (for example, not finish homework) based on his own judgment. I think when I go on the alternative break, I should do the same. I’m there for help, not change.
One of the speakers’ prompts dealt with the importance of being respectful and understanding to those whom we as volunteers will help.
The girl, unfortunately I cannot remember her name, advised us to remember that we are going to volunteer for ourselves. Volunteers volunteer in order to better themselves and grow as a person. They are not going to magically “fix” a person’s life that may not need fixing. They are going simply to help out and have a new experience that allows them to gain a better understanding of the world.
Liam, a PhD student at KU, also offered advice for our alternative breaks. He said that it is very important to be respectful of others’ views and opinions. A question was brought up asking how to work with someone’s opinion that may be very against your own. It may be one that you even find highly offensive. Liam’s advice was to look at the situation with respect and understanding. Question whether or not you even need to have a conversation with the person about this subject. If the answer is yes, calmly and clearly state why you find it offensive. He stressed the importance of remaining respectful and understanding through the whole exchange.
I found the three speakers to be very interesting and what they said seemed to resonate with what we have learned over the course of these meetings. One of the speakers, the woman who used to work for the Peace Corps, talked about how we are going to volunteer in order to learn and improve ourselves, and that we will not be able to “fix” anyone who we are volunteering with. This reminded me of the article “To Hell with Good Intentions” and how it is true that maybe in the long run we will not change anyone’s minds or fix any real problem, but we will make ourselves better and more informed people. The woman also talked about respect and how we should not force our opinions on those we are helping. I hope that I will be able to help the students understand a different perspective and that in return they will teach me about their lives. I also liked what David had to say about the dangerous area that most of the students at the school he volunteered lived in. This made me realize that there should be more programs to help students stay safe outside of school so that they can succeed in school. Hopefully I will be able to help at least one student stay in school and learn to like learning and want to go to university.
The speakers talked a lot about how to approach not only the breaks but also how to interact with the people and differing opinions you will come across during the break. The question of dealing with apposing opinions came into the discussion later on. At first they were saying that you should let it be. If someone is dead set on what they believe then your words will have little to no effect on their opinion. Essentially it would be wiser to pick your battles. In the end actions speak louder than words. So just by living out what you wish those with differing opinions to see or change can have more of an effect. However, if you feel the need to confront the issue it is best to do so in the most respectful way. One of the speakers used the example of someone using the phrase “that is so gay”. He said that in that situation he would simply ask the person what they were trying to say. By asking them to think about what they meant then it would be easier to point out how it actually came across and how that might offend people. Ultimately, it is best to lead by example and approach everyone with respect no matter how different their opinion is from yours. I am a student caller for KU Endowment and in that role I have the opportunity to interact with every type of person from varying demographics. This experience has showed me that it is a losing battle to fight against a mind that is made up. It is best to take a minute and listen to what they have to say. By listening to them hopefully they would have the same respect for you and you have a chance to be heard. It is all about respect. You have to respect their right to have their own opinion in order for them to allow you to express you opinion as well.
Liam Lair discussed that he does a lot of work in the community surrounding LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) issues, specifically he talked about some of the work that he does at a shelter that takes in women who have suffered from domestic violence, and the shelter takes in any person who also identifies themselves as a female, which I thought was something really great about that women’s shelter.
From Liam I really was reminded about the potential for us as volunteers to offend the people we are trying to “help” or for people we might interact with us to offend us. Such as Liam says that when people say “that’s so gay” that offends him. Rather than going off of emotions and potentially making a situation worse, Liam would calmly explain to that person why that comment may have offended him. I think that this is good to keep in mind when we go out on our trips. We as outsiders have no right to judge the lifestyle of those we are working with, we have to remember our place and what is and is not appropriate.
We also need to remember that we are there to help, in anyway and the best way we can. Pushing certain ideas and values on others is not necessarily what is going to help them the most, it is important to listen and think before you act or speak.
One of the things that I remember was the female speaker who used to be with the Peace Corps. One of the things that really struck me, because we have touched on this subject multiple times, first with reading the article "To Hell with Good Intentions", during our classes is that we cannot fix everyone. We are there to learn more about the world and become better-informed people by undergoing new experiences. People are only helped as much as they want to be helped, and we have to respect that decision. The best thing that we can do is talk to each other and respect how each person lives. Another good example of this was when one of the panel speakers went an Alternative Break to a place where almost none of the group members spoke Spanish, which was a language barrier that they hadn't really thought about. What she did was try to fit into the society of people that she was with, instead of going in with the misguided idea (again "To Hell with Good Intentions") that she needed to change the people that she was with. She respected their culture and tried to learn more about their culture, because she learned more from them than they would have learned from her.
I really enjoyed listening to the three panel speakers. I thought it was great that all three came from different backgrounds and provided unique perspectives. Liam (I can’t remember his last name) was familiar to me because I read about his story in the UDK a few weeks ago. I know David Catt from high school and he is such an awesome person and I loved hearing about his alternative break experiences with Teach for America. The woman on the panel was especially interesting to me. The fact that she participated in KU Alternative Breaks and then went on to join the Peace Corps blows my mind. I think it is incredible how she was so impacted by her trips at KU that she wanted to continue serving others. The topic that stuck out to me the most was that she kept emphasizing the fact that not only do we go on our trips to serve, help, and teach others, but we are also going to be learning a lot for ourselves. She reiterated that going on a service trip is a learning experience for everyone and it is important to keep an open mind and be open to every new opportunity. David also touched on this issue. Being involved with Teach for America showed him that he was teaching students in a different environment but they were also teaching him. All three panelists said that we are constantly learning, no matter what we are doing or how we are serving others. It was also said that once we are done learning, we will be done living. I thought this was very true and I can’t wait to learn all I can on my trip here in just a few days!
During the panel last week I think the speakers touched on some important points about how we should interact with the people at our sites.
Liam spoke about how to handle a situation with a person whose views differ from your own. I agree with what he said regarding choosing your battles. It is important to take a step back and try to understand why a person might feel a certain way about a topic. If, for example, they simply misunderstand something about the topic or know very little about it you might find it beneficial to talk with them about it and provide them with a new viewpoint. But some arguments will fall on deaf ears and it’s best to respectfully agree to disagree.
The woman who spoke about her experiences with Alternative Breaks also had a valuable lesson to share. Our breaks are an opportunity to help communities across the country but they are also a chance for us to learn and grow. She said that we will probably get more out of it than the sites we are helping. I would like to think that we could all make a great difference in just one week but she’s probably right. Nevertheless, I think that we will all come back better from it and more educated about the various social issues we will encounter and that’s pretty great too. We can use what we learned in our everyday lives in our own communities.
I thought that all of the speakers had important things to say. I think that the girl (I can't remember her name)had some very interesting points due to her background not only with alternative breaks but with the peace corpe. I think it is important to realize that we, as breakers, are going to learn just as much as the people who we are helping. She also discussed that it is important to try and leave a lasting impression. Due to the fact that we are not going to be on our break for a very long time, it will not be easy to leave an impact after we are gone. Ways to do this will vary with each trip, but I think just being a positive influence in a person's life is one of the best ways to do this. It doesn't always take much to leave an impact on just one person. I liked when David was talking about his experiences with his trip to a Chicago school, and how much fun it was to see these kids and to have your eyes open to just how blessed you personally are, and more importantly how much work still needs to be done. I think that David's experience would be very eye-opening to see that not all kids have the resources and opportunity like we sometimes take for granted. Liam also brought a good point of view to the table. He pointed out the importance of being aware that their are other kinds of people out there and no way of living is better than the other. I agree with Liam that our society needs to work, as a whole, at improving the language that we use, because it can often be offensive. Self awareness is an important trait and I think that we can all afford to work on this at times. Cody Neuburger
I thought all of the speakers last class were very interesting to listen to. They all had different stories. What made it so interesting is that they all came from different backgrounds and had different life experiences. The one that stood out to me the most was David Catt, who attended a KU Alternative Break, Teach for America in Chicago. That is the trip I really wanted to go on because I have heard so many amazing things about that program. Also, I am studying education to become a teacher in the inner city. I am not positive which grade I would like to teach, but I am leaning towards the younger kids, like Kindergarten. David made so many good points in his short time he had. I love the point he made that he came out of Teach for America with an understanding of his own privilege and teaching styles which is extremely important to me. It also made me really happy to hear that the kids looked up to him and at the end of the week said they wanted to go to college here at the University of Kansas, however in the beginning of the week they told him they were not going to go to college. I think David made an impact on those underprivileged kid’s lives, even in the short amount of time he was there. One day, I hope to work with Teach for America.
All of the speakers brought up some great points that are essential to being successful when volunteering. However, they all addressed the common theme that the people we are serving when we volunteer often have opinions and backgrounds that differ greatly from our own. As volunteers we may be surprised by certain aspects of the lives that the people we serve live. The best thing to do is to avoid hasty judgment and to remember that we are there to help out, not to share our opinions. It is also important to take into consideration that the people we are volunteering to help may see nothing wrong with the way that they live. As volunteers, we must learn to embrace all ways of life even if they are far different from our own. We must be sensitive to opposing opinions and be careful not to give help where it is not wanted. As volunteers, we must learn to listen to the opinions of others and to embrace different views as well. Although we may not always see eye to eye with the people we serve, we must accept their views as valid opinions that matter and be careful not to act as though we are better off. Volunteering without hurting the pride of others can be a tricky business and must be done tactfully.
David Catt, a University student who attended an Alternative Break with Teach for America this past winter, spoke about his experience with inner city students in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by his story about the segregation in each parts of the city and how that impacts education. As I will be going to Chicago to work with students in schools with 826 Chicago in a week, I am extremely interested on the affect this has on their learning experience – at home and in school.
David explained the utter hopelessness he was met with, but also the bright futures that the students he worked with could have. He mentioned meeting the students where they are, not hoping that they would strive out of their comfort zone. I believe that this is what I need to focus on during my service trip next week. I believe that fueling the dreams of these students through the recognition of their work will be the way that I can make a difference. In addition, speaking with students on their own terms is integral.
David also explained that while language was not as much of an ordeal for his group members, understanding his own privilege and teaching style was of imminent importance.
-Natalie Parker
I cannot remember the girl's name. I think she was an undergraduate student at KU and also taking her master degree here. She said she went to an alternative break with her group members in Florida. She did not know any Spanish and none of her group member could. They were in the farms to help the farmers and they only can communicate through their translator. She said even they did not speak the same language and they did not share the same culture, their group and the farmers still had fun and played jokes. When she went to there, she wanted to fit in the society with the farmers instead of changed them. They respected each other and wanted to be friends. I think the things she said during the class were really helpful. When the volunteers go to somewhere, people who live there might have the totally different cultures than the volunteers have. In my personal opinion, it is very important to show the respect to the cultures that the volunteers are not familiar with. After I listened her speech, I felt I learned a lot and changed some of my attitudes to something that I used to have. I think this speech really helped me and I am ready for the alternative break.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Natalie. I am also going to 826 Chicago next week. The segregation between different parts of Chicago the David described was so interesting, and relevant considering the trip I'm going on.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I will keep in mind next week while I'm working with 826 Chicago will be to remember that I am not better than those I am helping; they will probably teach me more than I will be able to teach them. At the same time though, it is important to recognize the cultural differences going into it and understand the children and their positions.
Like David (and Natalie) said, it is really important to go to them, not force them to come to you. It will be important in forming relationships with the children to try and meet them on their level in every way possible, and make ourselves seem less alien-like to them.
I am looking forward to learning about 826 Chicago and the culture of Chicago, the children, and the school systems.
David Catt volunteered at Teach for America in Chicago. He experienced the impact of wealth differences on lower education. I remember he talked about the students that he was teaching were from the poor side of the city. The environment has a huge impact on those children. David says: at night, when you hear there is a gun shot outside, you won’t care about finish your homework, you will hind in a safe place first. It is very true, only if they fulfill the safety need, they would fill the education needs.
ReplyDeleteWhat he did at there was amazing. He brought the hope to those kids. There are some students want to be basketball players, David encouraged them to presume their dreams. David talked about what he have done while was there; basically he got to know his students, made friends with them, and encourage them. I link his volunteering work to the topic we talked in the second class: we are here for help not change. David helped those kids by becoming their friends and encouraging them to find their dream. He did not just forbid the wrong behaviors (for example, not finish homework) based on his own judgment. I think when I go on the alternative break, I should do the same. I’m there for help, not change.
One of the speakers’ prompts dealt with the importance of being respectful and understanding to those whom we as volunteers will help.
ReplyDeleteThe girl, unfortunately I cannot remember her name, advised us to remember that we are going to volunteer for ourselves. Volunteers volunteer in order to better themselves and grow as a person. They are not going to magically “fix” a person’s life that may not need fixing. They are going simply to help out and have a new experience that allows them to gain a better understanding of the world.
Liam, a PhD student at KU, also offered advice for our alternative breaks. He said that it is very important to be respectful of others’ views and opinions. A question was brought up asking how to work with someone’s opinion that may be very against your own. It may be one that you even find highly offensive. Liam’s advice was to look at the situation with respect and understanding. Question whether or not you even need to have a conversation with the person about this subject. If the answer is yes, calmly and clearly state why you find it offensive. He stressed the importance of remaining respectful and understanding through the whole exchange.
I found the three speakers to be very interesting and what they said seemed to resonate with what we have learned over the course of these meetings. One of the speakers, the woman who used to work for the Peace Corps, talked about how we are going to volunteer in order to learn and improve ourselves, and that we will not be able to “fix” anyone who we are volunteering with. This reminded me of the article “To Hell with Good Intentions” and how it is true that maybe in the long run we will not change anyone’s minds or fix any real problem, but we will make ourselves better and more informed people. The woman also talked about respect and how we should not force our opinions on those we are helping. I hope that I will be able to help the students understand a different perspective and that in return they will teach me about their lives. I also liked what David had to say about the dangerous area that most of the students at the school he volunteered lived in. This made me realize that there should be more programs to help students stay safe outside of school so that they can succeed in school. Hopefully I will be able to help at least one student stay in school and learn to like learning and want to go to university.
ReplyDeleteThe speakers talked a lot about how to approach not only the breaks but also how to interact with the people and differing opinions you will come across during the break.
ReplyDeleteThe question of dealing with apposing opinions came into the discussion later on. At first they were saying that you should let it be. If someone is dead set on what they believe then your words will have little to no effect on their opinion. Essentially it would be wiser to pick your battles.
In the end actions speak louder than words. So just by living out what you wish those with differing opinions to see or change can have more of an effect. However, if you feel the need to confront the issue it is best to do so in the most respectful way. One of the speakers used the example of someone using the phrase “that is so gay”. He said that in that situation he would simply ask the person what they were trying to say. By asking them to think about what they meant then it would be easier to point out how it actually came across and how that might offend people. Ultimately, it is best to lead by example and approach everyone with respect no matter how different their opinion is from yours. I am a student caller for KU Endowment and in that role I have the opportunity to interact with every type of person from varying demographics. This experience has showed me that it is a losing battle to fight against a mind that is made up. It is best to take a minute and listen to what they have to say. By listening to them hopefully they would have the same respect for you and you have a chance to be heard. It is all about respect. You have to respect their right to have their own opinion in order for them to allow you to express you opinion as well.
Liam Lair discussed that he does a lot of work in the community surrounding LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) issues, specifically he talked about some of the work that he does at a shelter that takes in women who have suffered from domestic violence, and the shelter takes in any person who also identifies themselves as a female, which I thought was something really great about that women’s shelter.
ReplyDeleteFrom Liam I really was reminded about the potential for us as volunteers to offend the people we are trying to “help” or for people we might interact with us to offend us. Such as Liam says that when people say “that’s so gay” that offends him. Rather than going off of emotions and potentially making a situation worse, Liam would calmly explain to that person why that comment may have offended him. I think that this is good to keep in mind when we go out on our trips. We as outsiders have no right to judge the lifestyle of those we are working with, we have to remember our place and what is and is not appropriate.
We also need to remember that we are there to help, in anyway and the best way we can. Pushing certain ideas and values on others is not necessarily what is going to help them the most, it is important to listen and think before you act or speak.
One of the things that I remember was the female speaker who used to be with the Peace Corps. One of the things that really struck me, because we have touched on this subject multiple times, first with reading the article "To Hell with Good Intentions", during our classes is that we cannot fix everyone. We are there to learn more about the world and become better-informed people by undergoing new experiences. People are only helped as much as they want to be helped, and we have to respect that decision. The best thing that we can do is talk to each other and respect how each person lives. Another good example of this was when one of the panel speakers went an Alternative Break to a place where almost none of the group members spoke Spanish, which was a language barrier that they hadn't really thought about. What she did was try to fit into the society of people that she was with, instead of going in with the misguided idea (again "To Hell with Good Intentions") that she needed to change the people that she was with. She respected their culture and tried to learn more about their culture, because she learned more from them than they would have learned from her.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed listening to the three panel speakers. I thought it was great that all three came from different backgrounds and provided unique perspectives. Liam (I can’t remember his last name) was familiar to me because I read about his story in the UDK a few weeks ago. I know David Catt from high school and he is such an awesome person and I loved hearing about his alternative break experiences with Teach for America. The woman on the panel was especially interesting to me. The fact that she participated in KU Alternative Breaks and then went on to join the Peace Corps blows my mind. I think it is incredible how she was so impacted by her trips at KU that she wanted to continue serving others.
ReplyDeleteThe topic that stuck out to me the most was that she kept emphasizing the fact that not only do we go on our trips to serve, help, and teach others, but we are also going to be learning a lot for ourselves. She reiterated that going on a service trip is a learning experience for everyone and it is important to keep an open mind and be open to every new opportunity. David also touched on this issue. Being involved with Teach for America showed him that he was teaching students in a different environment but they were also teaching him. All three panelists said that we are constantly learning, no matter what we are doing or how we are serving others. It was also said that once we are done learning, we will be done living. I thought this was very true and I can’t wait to learn all I can on my trip here in just a few days!
During the panel last week I think the speakers touched on some important points about how we should interact with the people at our sites.
ReplyDeleteLiam spoke about how to handle a situation with a person whose views differ from your own. I agree with what he said regarding choosing your battles. It is important to take a step back and try to understand why a person might feel a certain way about a topic. If, for example, they simply misunderstand something about the topic or know very little about it you might find it beneficial to talk with them about it and provide them with a new viewpoint. But some arguments will fall on deaf ears and it’s best to respectfully agree to disagree.
The woman who spoke about her experiences with Alternative Breaks also had a valuable lesson to share. Our breaks are an opportunity to help communities across the country but they are also a chance for us to learn and grow. She said that we will probably get more out of it than the sites we are helping. I would like to think that we could all make a great difference in just one week but she’s probably right. Nevertheless, I think that we will all come back better from it and more educated about the various social issues we will encounter and that’s pretty great too. We can use what we learned in our everyday lives in our own communities.
I thought that all of the speakers had important things to say. I think that the girl (I can't remember her name)had some very interesting points due to her background not only with alternative breaks but with the peace corpe. I think it is important to realize that we, as breakers, are going to learn just as much as the people who we are helping. She also discussed that it is important to try and leave a lasting impression. Due to the fact that we are not going to be on our break for a very long time, it will not be easy to leave an impact after we are gone. Ways to do this will vary with each trip, but I think just being a positive influence in a person's life is one of the best ways to do this. It doesn't always take much to leave an impact on just one person. I liked when David was talking about his experiences with his trip to a Chicago school, and how much fun it was to see these kids and to have your eyes open to just how blessed you personally are, and more importantly how much work still needs to be done. I think that David's experience would be very eye-opening to see that not all kids have the resources and opportunity like we sometimes take for granted. Liam also brought a good point of view to the table. He pointed out the importance of being aware that their are other kinds of people out there and no way of living is better than the other. I agree with Liam that our society needs to work, as a whole, at improving the language that we use, because it can often be offensive. Self awareness is an important trait and I think that we can all afford to work on this at times.
ReplyDeleteCody Neuburger
I thought all of the speakers last class were very interesting to listen to. They all had different stories. What made it so interesting is that they all came from different backgrounds and had different life experiences. The one that stood out to me the most was David Catt, who attended a KU Alternative Break, Teach for America in Chicago. That is the trip I really wanted to go on because I have heard so many amazing things about that program. Also, I am studying education to become a teacher in the inner city. I am not positive which grade I would like to teach, but I am leaning towards the younger kids, like Kindergarten. David made so many good points in his short time he had. I love the point he made that he came out of Teach for America with an understanding of his own privilege and teaching styles which is extremely important to me. It also made me really happy to hear that the kids looked up to him and at the end of the week said they wanted to go to college here at the University of Kansas, however in the beginning of the week they told him they were not going to go to college. I think David made an impact on those underprivileged kid’s lives, even in the short amount of time he was there. One day, I hope to work with Teach for America.
ReplyDeleteAll of the speakers brought up some great points that are essential to being successful when volunteering. However, they all addressed the common theme that the people we are serving when we volunteer often have opinions and backgrounds that differ greatly from our own. As volunteers we may be surprised by certain aspects of the lives that the people we serve live. The best thing to do is to avoid hasty judgment and to remember that we are there to help out, not to share our opinions. It is also important to take into consideration that the people we are volunteering to help may see nothing wrong with the way that they live. As volunteers, we must learn to embrace all ways of life even if they are far different from our own. We must be sensitive to opposing opinions and be careful not to give help where it is not wanted. As volunteers, we must learn to listen to the opinions of others and to embrace different views as well. Although we may not always see eye to eye with the people we serve, we must accept their views as valid opinions that matter and be careful not to act as though we are better off. Volunteering without hurting the pride of others can be a tricky business and must be done tactfully.
ReplyDelete