Hi everyone, it's day five here with Eunice, Sarah, and Jessica. Today, we spent half the day at Muchin College Prep and spent the first lunch shift paneling with junior students. Similar to previous days, we continued working with teachers and made a bulletin board. The rest of the day, we traveled to the Urban Education Institute (UEI) at the University of Chicago, where we learned about the education system, issues, and disparities related to Chicago's system.
Today, Sarah was surprised to hear that a female freshman student had already been given 33 detentions, and that if she received any more than 12 more demerits (4 of which equals one detention), she would have to repeat the grade. Additionally, she was surprised with how frustrating it was for the student to remedy her situation.
Eunice was surprised to hear that the newsletter students received today in AM advisory had to be signed by their parents, and if it wasn't signed, students had to serve LaSalle. (We also learned that this name comes from an area in Chicago where lots of business companies are located, in which many of the employees there work overtime). She was also surprised when we learned that 77% of students in Chicago are interested in pursuing college, but only 44% of students actually make it there.
Jessica was surprised to learn at UEI some of the "mythbusters" they had in a pamphlet they showed us. One of the most shocking was the simple idea that it was false that students simply could get to their goal (attending college) by working hard. Furthermore, at the school, when she was working with Ms. Kimble, Jessica was a little surprised but mostly deeply inspired by how the teacher was very open with her students about how social issues regarding race inspired her to become a teacher through an exercise where students analyzed lyrics of a song poignant to them.
For both Sarah and Eunice, the most challenging aspect was that both they and the students had finally begun connecting, but this will be short-lived because they have to leave soon. A deeper bond of trust and care had been developed and a degree of attachment along with it. Jessica found this to be the most challenging aspect as well, but more specifically the concern for these students after they leave Muchin. Although the school is advertised as a "college prep" institution, the hand-holding and complete lack of independence for these students is something she worries will make college a very difficult adjustment for these students, which could result in them leaving college before graduating.
For all of us, we thought that the biggest difference between our communities and the one in Chicago is the expectations. We all related on how a 44% city-wide matriculation rate into college would have been unacceptable in the counties we grew up in, where the rate borders 100%.
We all also found the reflection we had yesterday night about critiquing service learning to be the most poignant. We've learned to be honest with ourselves about the true degree of impact we'll have on the population we're serving, especially on a trip like this when it's mostly focused about education on the social issue. We understand and acknowledge the fact that service learning often provides the volunteers with more than the community is receiving, and that is an unfortunate reality we have to face. But, that being said, it makes it all the more significant that we take the things we learn and spread the wealth of knowledge that we have gained by implementing what we've learned in the service we continue to do back at Maryland.
In terms of education, Sarah has learned that there's no silver bullet/panacea to fix urban education. Rather, the approach has to be multifaceted. Additionally, Eunice appreciated the focus of UEI's approach to resolve the education issues in Chicago, specifically their narrow focus on Chicago schools alone. She appreciated that their approach was very systematic and thought the approach was very effective. Jessica learned about the role of model minorities in the view on affirmative action many members of the model minority hold. She also learned a good way to explain the need for affirmative action through the race analogy shown during reflection.
Today, Sarah was surprised to hear that a female freshman student had already been given 33 detentions, and that if she received any more than 12 more demerits (4 of which equals one detention), she would have to repeat the grade. Additionally, she was surprised with how frustrating it was for the student to remedy her situation.
Eunice was surprised to hear that the newsletter students received today in AM advisory had to be signed by their parents, and if it wasn't signed, students had to serve LaSalle. (We also learned that this name comes from an area in Chicago where lots of business companies are located, in which many of the employees there work overtime). She was also surprised when we learned that 77% of students in Chicago are interested in pursuing college, but only 44% of students actually make it there.
Jessica was surprised to learn at UEI some of the "mythbusters" they had in a pamphlet they showed us. One of the most shocking was the simple idea that it was false that students simply could get to their goal (attending college) by working hard. Furthermore, at the school, when she was working with Ms. Kimble, Jessica was a little surprised but mostly deeply inspired by how the teacher was very open with her students about how social issues regarding race inspired her to become a teacher through an exercise where students analyzed lyrics of a song poignant to them.
For both Sarah and Eunice, the most challenging aspect was that both they and the students had finally begun connecting, but this will be short-lived because they have to leave soon. A deeper bond of trust and care had been developed and a degree of attachment along with it. Jessica found this to be the most challenging aspect as well, but more specifically the concern for these students after they leave Muchin. Although the school is advertised as a "college prep" institution, the hand-holding and complete lack of independence for these students is something she worries will make college a very difficult adjustment for these students, which could result in them leaving college before graduating.
For all of us, we thought that the biggest difference between our communities and the one in Chicago is the expectations. We all related on how a 44% city-wide matriculation rate into college would have been unacceptable in the counties we grew up in, where the rate borders 100%.
We all also found the reflection we had yesterday night about critiquing service learning to be the most poignant. We've learned to be honest with ourselves about the true degree of impact we'll have on the population we're serving, especially on a trip like this when it's mostly focused about education on the social issue. We understand and acknowledge the fact that service learning often provides the volunteers with more than the community is receiving, and that is an unfortunate reality we have to face. But, that being said, it makes it all the more significant that we take the things we learn and spread the wealth of knowledge that we have gained by implementing what we've learned in the service we continue to do back at Maryland.
In terms of education, Sarah has learned that there's no silver bullet/panacea to fix urban education. Rather, the approach has to be multifaceted. Additionally, Eunice appreciated the focus of UEI's approach to resolve the education issues in Chicago, specifically their narrow focus on Chicago schools alone. She appreciated that their approach was very systematic and thought the approach was very effective. Jessica learned about the role of model minorities in the view on affirmative action many members of the model minority hold. She also learned a good way to explain the need for affirmative action through the race analogy shown during reflection.
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