Abby - Epworth - Blog 1

At our first day at Epworth Child and Family services, we were all nervous and excited for the week to begin. We had assumed that we would be grading paperwork and doing small tasks at the various education programs that Epworth had, but at our orientation we learned that each member of our group would be assigned a classroom and given the responsibilities of a Teacher’s Assistant. I enjoy being around children, but have never taught, so I was nervous. But I was also optimistic because I knew I would be working hands-on with at-risk children, meaning I would have more opportunities to make a direct impact on someone’s life. My classroom assignment was at a secure residential building for teenagers who were transitioning from a variety of situations and are at risk of running away or hurting themselves or others. These youth attend school in the basement of their dormitory, independently reading and doing worksheets on subjects that interested them and learning social skills through interactions with volunteers and teachers. When I met my class they were in P.E. and playing basketball. As soon as I joined in, I felt like the new kid at school, trying to win over my peers. My goal was to be a role model and tutor but I kept my expectations low because I was the same age as many of the people I was there for.  Fortunately, they were accepting of me in the gym, but I soon learned that they were reluctant to ask for help in the classroom. Since today was their first day back from Winter Break, the students were a little restless and the class structure was very relaxed. I was shocked at how different this classroom was from my high school experience. Every student had an assigned spot, and genders were separated from each other. Since every student was at a different level academically, they worked independently for a few hours and then convened to play games such as puzzles, cards and scrabble that built on academic skills without pushing the limits of these students. I spent most of the day with a girl who was also experiencing her first day at the school, and we adjusted to this new setting by playing cards and making small talk. As I learned more of her story, I was surprised to know how easy she was to get along with, even though her life had taken a radically different path. I learned many students are ex gang members and have been to juvenile detention, yet they looked like normal high school students to me. The first day left me with a promising first impression. I realized many of these students have been left behind academically and socially and that they could use as much one on one time as possible, so I already felt confident about what I could accomplish. But I could tell that academics weren’t as of high value to these students as they are to me, which is going to be a large obstacle for me this week. When I discussed my day with the other members of the group we were all shocked at how different the curriculum and structure of the school day was in comparison to our experiences at school, and we were all pleasantly surprised with how sweet these kids were besides their behavioral outbursts. I was glad to hear that everyone felt like they were in the right place and enjoying their assignments.