Wow. So the last 3 weeks have been interesting to say the least. There’s so much to talk about, but for times sake I’ll pick three things which can pretty much sum up my experiences at summer school: the good, the bad, and the ridiculously hilarious.
I’ll start with the bad to get it out of the way
Bad: A lot of these kids cannot read. Now, I knew coming into this that most of the kids that I worked with would not be able to perform at the level expected for their age group. But having actually come into contact with these students’ academic disadvantages has been as shocking as it is saddening. I guess I’ve always take it for granted that I can simply read a book and find out pretty much whatever I want to know about any given subject. I learned to read when I was 3 years old. Not because I was a baby genius, but because, if you start early, reading is NOT hard. Initially, it was VERY hard for me to adapt my lesson plans and readings so that the students could comprehend them. I had no idea how difficult it would be for students to get through, let alone understand, what I would consider simple language. It hit me hardest when my most successful reading came from an English as a Second Language website. As the bloggers would say, SMH.
Good: Despite having faced clear academic disadvantages throughout their lives, a lot of these kids ARE smart. I’ve been really impressed by how they are able to understand topics in non-traditional methods and by how they are able to make sense of their own lives and their own disadvantages. During one lesson, another teacher asked the students to explain what laws they would change if they had the power and why. I was infinitely impressed when one student started talking about foster care, and her thoughts on emancipation and the fact that she wished foster kids could stay with their families longer since they are already alone in the world. Obviously, the student was talking from personal experience, and I was a little bit sad to get such a public glimpse into her personal life. But my sadness was overshadowed by how impressed I was at her eloquence and her ability to situate herself within a larger context. One of my fears when coming hear was that students would be unaware of their own disadvantages, and it was the highlight of my day when I realized that this is not always the case.
Hilarious: I don’t think there has been one day at summer school that I have not laughed. These kids are funny, and when focused, their energy is amazing. One of my favorite moments happened when I was discussing the Roaring 20s with my students and I got to the section on Babe Ruth, and how famous he was. Immediately one student raised her hand and said “ My Sister’s name is Baby Ruth!!!”. Trying not to laugh too hard, I told her that her sister was a testament to how famous and amazing of a baseball player Babe Ruth was. Another funny moment happened during a discussion of Pearl Harbor. Following a brief description of the real life events and a synopsis of the motion picture, one student raised her hand and said, “ So what was Titanic about?” Needless to say, its never a boring day at summer school.
Yeah, I am continually amazed by the kids' reading comprehension abilities. I feel like I spent most of my childhood with a book in my hands, and its inconceivable to me that there are people that don't read and that didn't have access to a lot of books as a kid.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're hanging in there Kelly. I totally agree with you though in terms of student's academic shortcomings. The kids are definitely capable but I am shocked almost daily at how much prior knowledge I assume and when it comes to the message the prior knowledge is not there. It seems as though we'll just have to continue to break down our lessons to be as simple and easy to understand as possible and continue to fight for their attention!
ReplyDeleteSo because my class,math, is really structured, there is not as much room for creative answers such as the one you described about the foster care system. I made my class tell me about someone who means a lot to them once to introduce mathematical relationships, but that is as exciting as it gets. So I think you are really lucky to be able to hear such fascinating answers. I am not saying my students are idiots, its just that I don't get to see those little glimmers into their lives much in the classroom because generally the answer is something like x = -2.
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