Word of the Day = Reality

Today was a slap in the face to my views on a successful life. As an educator and a future teacher I was an advocate in believing that education can fix everything. I thought that if you want to go from bottom to top, working hard academically will open the gates to the golden city. But starting at the schools today was a reality check.....

As the nine (out of 12) of us walked up to Iaeger High School it felt like we were on the Real World or True Life, with all eyes on us. Students stared and some even took pictures. Even though all of us were college students, I felt the anxiety and nervousness of the first day of high school. As we walked up into the school it felt like we were walking into a tv screen into the All-American rural high school. School colors and pride filling the building. We were approached by Principal Gentry who welcomed us with open arms. As we took a tour of the two-story school we continued to endure the intensive stares. Teachers were friendly and accommodating. Afterwards we dispersed to our classes.

Cara M. and I first sat in with the AP & 10th grade English teacher's class. She is originally from northern West Virginia and a former college professor. She was very enthusiastic to tell us about the school systems and life in a rural country. She had introduced us to two guidance counselors who were very aware of the issues taking place in the school system. Apparently, grades are changed to ensure that the school do not have high failing rates. Meeting her students were less intimidating as expected. The students were very friendly and willing to engage in conversation. They were very interested in learning about college life, College Park, and life in DC. They thought my name was "pretty" and unique. They wondered if we thought they had accents, which to us, they did. To them apparently, we speak "real proper."

We then sat in on an English 9 class, which reminded me how much I hated English in high school. I learned that the school did not have the resources to give every student a book, which meant no one could have a book to take home. During reading time there weren't enough books of one kind to give out, so every student was reading a different book to do their assignment. This disturbed me a little, because knowing that when I was their age, I read really slow. Having only 20 minutes to read a book each class period with a book report due every 2 months would be overwhelming. It doesn't sound that hard as a college student, but imagine trying to read an entire book with other people moving back and forth in the the room around you. It must be frustrating.

Overall, what I gained from the students we talked to, they did not enjoy the curriculum they were learning. A lot of it is really boring to them. They were completely aware of their stereotype, they were aware of the lack of diversity, they were aware of what else is out there.

After lunch I was able to work in the elementary school, which was walking distance up the road. The principal there was also very friendly and welcoming. The school was very organized and disciplined.  I helped out in a 1st grade class room which was a shock. The kids were very smart and understood the material in class. Like every other 1st grader, the attention span at the end of the day was minimal. It was clear that the teacher I was working with was burnt out. Seeing teachers so exhausted and overwhelmed sometimes worries me about my future career, but if I could help out students like these, who really need it, I can find self-satisfaction. In reflection, we were wondering at what point in these childrens' lives is the drastic change from engaged in school to skipping school constantly. An issue in theses schools is attendance. Teenagers in high schools, skip school for work, play, or the lack of interest in education.

One thing that stuck out today was lack of knowledge in diversity. In the high school, the students seemed aware of other ethnicities, but the only ones they have encountered are one Latino student, a half Asian student, and half Black student. That was the extent diversity in the school. In the cafeteria, we observed a large group of young children at lunch. In our group, the Vietnamese girl (Lien), Korean girl (Jheeyae), El Salvadorian (Vanessa) and Filipino (me) were called Chinese by young boys standing in line. What I would like to see in the future in these schools is education on multiculturalism and/or human geography. The high school is taking small steps in educating students about feminism and the civil rights acts, so maybe multicultural learning will come soon. The school day was interesting and a real educational experience.

Later on, we ate left overs, while the Gentlemen's Club of the church occupied the kitchen. For our evening entertainment we embarked on the infamous bowling alley of Welch, while wearing our teal ASB t-shirts and Iaegar High pins. The hot spot was packed with elderly men and women. After a long and intense game we concluded that Mark is a beast...and Taylor sucks.

Fun Facts of the Day
1. If you loose Cara M., she is actually editing prize-winning papers.
2. Vanessa and Lien <3  Ocean Blue Eyes
3. Apparently, Lien and Jheeyae are setting up these kids for spelling failure.
4. Taylor saves is best bowling skills to the absolute last moment of the game.

ASB WV IS AWESOME...with a 'som' not a 'sum'

Love,
Jem, I forgot to dot the "i"