Abby - Epworth - Blog 2

With more knowledge about what to expect today I had more confidence in the classroom and interacted much more with the student’s work. I especially connected with one girl who was a few years younger than me with a bold personality and dreams of becoming a lawyer. We spent a few hours going through workbooks about geography and zoology and I could tell she really appreciated someone teaching and talking to her since she was the youngest in the class and often left out. The other students were settling back into their school routine so I had more opportunities to tutor them, which was when I began to realize how far behind everyone was in their academic career; it seemed that everyone was on a third grade level. The older students were interested in joining the job corps, which is a program for adults to obtain a GED and employment experience, or the military, but will likely return to public high school in a few months. After tutoring, I spent some time grading papers and learning about the class rules, which seemed to be behaviorally, rather than academically, based. As a person who likes to keep busy, the relaxed pace of the class upset me initially but I discussed the subject with the teacher and learned how this was beneficial for students. Since most are behind and struggle with learning, the independent work creates less stress, which prevents arguments and other disruptive behaviors. I also learned many students don’t attend school for months or years before coming to a residential program at Epworth, so this classroom is meant to transition the students for a few months before they move to a less restricted dorm and attend a public or alternative high school. Today I experienced the goals of attending this class at Epworth and I learned that my role should be to encourage appropriate behaviors and set an example for these students about how to transition to a public school. I took time to consider Epworth with other nonprofits I have volunteered with in the past, and they stand out to me because of their organization of several services under one mission. I have always thought of nonprofits to be important because they serve the function of bridging needs to resources, and Epworth definitely fits that definition.