· Describe your visit to the site. What did you do? Using your five senses, discuss the most memorable aspects of the experience. Concentrate on just summarizing what happened, not explaining what you got out of it. I had a difficult time finding Centro Mater to begin with, at first when i arrived i was like what in the world do i know about teaching kids ?? My thoughts inside my head were about fear, can i do this..or iam i going to be allowed to do this ?..Bascially i knew these kids i was about to deal with where other people's children so i had to be very careful in doing so. Now the first time i stepped into the school i could see the little kids running around in the playground...and i was introuced to the main teacher, she bascially informed me i was going to be helping her out with the daily routine of the kids, very nice lady if i may add. So i stepped into the basketball court and i soon as i did the kids were running to me as if i was some type of toy, most of them embraced me, so i started playing basketball with them, to my surprise they listened to every thing i told them to do, as far as lining up in one single line to throw the ball into the hoop, the kids were fighting in order to get to me and participate, so it was very fun i felt like the children treated me as if they knew me for awhile. No longer did i feel afraid, after the first encounter my body,mind was more relaxed,calm, i was actually laughing a lot with them.
· How did you feel? What emotions were you having? Were you happy, excited, sad, scared, nervous, disappointed? Try explaining why you felt the way you felt? When i first arrived at Mater Academy, i just thanked GOD for letting me find it, then i saw all the little children running around the playground i started to laugh inside because i never thought i , would be volunteering or working with little kids, when a couple of years ago i myself was a kid in trouble. At first i didn't like the idea of working with children , the only reason was because dealing with little kids especially so young isn't easy, you have to be careful what you do, say, hear , even how you treat them, so i would say i had a mixture of feelings. Then as i registered with the supervisor i saw how the children were running around, jumping, clapping, just having fun ..i started to smile and get flashbacks of me when i was only 4 feet tall throwing the football around not worrying about life, everthing was awesome. Afterward's i met the kids, and my attitude changed from feeling scared to feeling welcomed, the kids embraced me as if i was a celebrity, i played one of my favorite games with them basketball, it was so much fun how i picked each of them up one at a time and helped them dunk the ball into the basket, swoosh!!! To see them smiling i knew GOD exists, so it definetly was a satisfying feeling, i felt like a kid again only taller than the other little kids and older..laughing out loud right now...can't wait to go back.
· Now consider what you learned from the visit. What personal connections did you make with your own life? Did you make any connections to the course? Did you make any connections to particular readings, activities, presentations, discussions? What do you know now that you didn’t know before you went? One of the things i learned while doing my service learning at Centro Mater was that kids are very special, and they abosorb things quickly sort of like a sponge with water. I remember one kid, we were dancing to one of the songs during their recess sessions ...i started to dance a little differently than what the teacher was teaching them, suddenly this kid started following me along with the other, sort of like follow the leader. I made several connections with the kids, for instance this one time i hugged one the kids and then in a blink of an eye they all ran to me and hugged me so much i fell to the ground, the kid giggled while they tickled me, it was so much fun, at times i thought about how much fun it would be when i have kids in the future and how much love i feel, before i really never thought about it like that. So in a personal way , i thought about the future, and the kids were so much fun..it was awesome.
. Reflections on the presentation of farmers being exploited in Immokalee.
In reflection to the presentation of the farm workers being exploited in Immokalee, i can say iam very familiar with the living condition and the nature of the problem. I used to work for a sales company named Towncraft, i was a door to door sales person, selling water filters to these low income families, i can tell you that saw the way these people in the small community would go to sleep very early sometimes as early as 7pm every night. The only reason they would do so is because every worker needed to be up by 4am to be on time to get work or get a ride to where there was work avaible. Living condition was very tight, you had number of groups of three families under one roof, sometimes even more, trailers and homes are overcrowed. In my own personal experience with seeing those situations, i wanted to forget i was seeing it, because i was hurt inside, saddened the way the abuse was going around and partly because i was part of the problem and not the helping cause, because i was selling water filiters to squeeze money from person's who didn't have much to begin with, but yet i only thought about myself and not the others. Some of the peoples i worked with or got a chance to meet over there were some of the hardest working persons i've ever met. I can recall one of the homes i encountered it was a family of five, the father was the only one working and the mother of three children stayed as a housekeeper to their small sized apt, their domain was so small it looked as if it was meant to house only one person. My mentor who was training me at that time didn't seemed bothered of the situation, he had been doing it so long i guess he got used to it, but that is one the major reasons i quit because the company was trying to make a profit out of families in these communites where the money they made working abusive jobs only was enough to pay their rent and groceries. I was given the opportunity to see all those living conditions, factories, fields and farms where these people worked at and let me tell you its not a pretty site. Reflecting within myself i also could not believe that not for one second did i felt any empathy towards these people, i acutallt felt i was higher then them, i was wrong, these people are equally deserving to have a good comfortable life and to pursue happiness, and prosper themselves like i have. Thanks to GOD, from attending the presentation it looks like there is a group of people who do care how these people are treated, they have the courage to stand up against violation of human rights, against whats wrong. I conclude with this its funny how we can drive to Burger King or Mcdonald's Fast food order a couple of hamburgers with fries and a couple of drinks , yet complain about the tomato the employee forgot to exclude from our precious burger, yet instead of saving it for someone else who really needs it we roll the window down of our car and throw it out, not realizing their persons out there who work very hard just to get one tomato...we take it for granted it, i include myself..maybe if we can put ourselves in these people's shoes for one day we will think twice of how we behave and not take in vain the good things we are blessed with everyday
Kids reading
Monday, October 22, 2007
Expectations
The Hidden Gem
The story " Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara at first i did not understand the meaning or moral of the story, but after reading it over dozen times i finally got the concept behind the story. Here you have a young group of city kids with bad attitudes and terrible manners, first of all they are growing up in a tough neighborhood, where poverty, drugs, violence are found in every doorstep and every corner of their neighborhood. Sylvia, is the main leader of the young children in the story, she is a rebel and often is outspoken thinking she is above authority.
Acknowledging her rebellious attitude, Sylvia showed good traits about herself, a young intelligent girl for her age because she speaks as if she belonged to a sorority at an Ivy League College, where you have groups of smart,prideful College students who take on a role of being leaders of their schools. In the beginning of the story the children seem to hate their condition of living in a poor community, but later on they recognize the reason for their condition. So when kids are poor they are smart, in a way that they know how to survive day to day but they also tend to rebel against their authorities and the rule set to them, such that they would beg for .25 cents, buy something and sell it for .35 cents to make a profit until they have enough to buy what they need. " And she know damn well what our homes look like cause she nosy around in them every chance she gets," Sylvia said.
" And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums which i dont feature", Sylvia said.
That was an expression of anger Sylvia quoted towards Miss Moore, because of the way she tried teaching her about society, furthermore about how to handle certain situations she faces in life, or lessons about issues Sylvia would confront.
Certainly that statement Sylvia made would prove how the young children are not interested in hearing about lectures or lesson's about life, rules, or of their poor condition. It may lead you to wonder how smart Sylvia has become despite poverty, stubborn self. It does tend to happen, children growing up in low income housing project develop a skill of survival to have what other kids their age in higher income families have. In the story not only do the children express their anger but also they come to an awkward situation, when Miss Moore takes them to an expensive toy store, knowing they didn't have the financial support ( money) to buy anything. Sylvia quotes " Who'd pay all that when you can buy a sailboat set for a quater at Pop's a tube of glue for a dime and a ball of string for eight cents ? " So at first the children complain about not having what other kids have, and how poor their houses are but then here they are at the toy store on the other side of town yelling that the prices are too high, too expensive for toys, where they can get it cheaper in their hood. Sylvia then shows us how street smart she can be with money, if she had it to spend: Sylvia states that for the price of one she can get three, four, and possibly even five toys for the price of one. In the same way, i can remember with my own experience volunteering on Sundays at a foster home with orphan children. I worked with a 12 yr old kid named Johnathan at the shelter, Johnathan was sheltered at the foster home because his father was in jail and his mother suffered from a drug addiction, leaving him homeless and abandoned. Shortly after meeting him the first day i observed several children playing inside the game room, hollering, throwing clay being just kids but then i noticed Jonathan isolated in his room sitting in front of his computer, so what did i say ? First i presented myself and let him know i was here to help him, he answered, " Help me with what ?" Although we had a rough start, the more i came and spend time with him, i understood him and i also observed how bright this kid was. Even though he didn't have a stable home, lived a poor life, Jonathan loved computers and the way he knew how to navigate through the system shocked me for a kid his age, he was better at it than me. Jonathan also mentioned very often his grandparents, how he loved them and couldn't wait to move in with them once the paperwork got approved. I said to myself, this kid knew what the process was to adopt a child , the legal standpoint, more than i did ! " Wow, so it is similar to Sylvia in the lesson, both of these kids had talent inside them, you can see how Sylvia and Johnathan share these things in common.
In other words they had all the potentail in the world but could not realize that because they were too busy worried about surving day to day, not caring about the rules or what people above them would try to teach. Both of these kids felt adults do not understand what they're going through because they weren't in the same position they were in. That leads me to ask the question " Can we blame these kids for their behavior ?"
The story " Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara at first i did not understand the meaning or moral of the story, but after reading it over dozen times i finally got the concept behind the story. Here you have a young group of city kids with bad attitudes and terrible manners, first of all they are growing up in a tough neighborhood, where poverty, drugs, violence are found in every doorstep and every corner of their neighborhood. Sylvia, is the main leader of the young children in the story, she is a rebel and often is outspoken thinking she is above authority.
Acknowledging her rebellious attitude, Sylvia showed good traits about herself, a young intelligent girl for her age because she speaks as if she belonged to a sorority at an Ivy League College, where you have groups of smart,prideful College students who take on a role of being leaders of their schools. In the beginning of the story the children seem to hate their condition of living in a poor community, but later on they recognize the reason for their condition. So when kids are poor they are smart, in a way that they know how to survive day to day but they also tend to rebel against their authorities and the rule set to them, such that they would beg for .25 cents, buy something and sell it for .35 cents to make a profit until they have enough to buy what they need. " And she know damn well what our homes look like cause she nosy around in them every chance she gets," Sylvia said.
" And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums which i dont feature", Sylvia said.
That was an expression of anger Sylvia quoted towards Miss Moore, because of the way she tried teaching her about society, furthermore about how to handle certain situations she faces in life, or lessons about issues Sylvia would confront.
Certainly that statement Sylvia made would prove how the young children are not interested in hearing about lectures or lesson's about life, rules, or of their poor condition. It may lead you to wonder how smart Sylvia has become despite poverty, stubborn self. It does tend to happen, children growing up in low income housing project develop a skill of survival to have what other kids their age in higher income families have. In the story not only do the children express their anger but also they come to an awkward situation, when Miss Moore takes them to an expensive toy store, knowing they didn't have the financial support ( money) to buy anything. Sylvia quotes " Who'd pay all that when you can buy a sailboat set for a quater at Pop's a tube of glue for a dime and a ball of string for eight cents ? " So at first the children complain about not having what other kids have, and how poor their houses are but then here they are at the toy store on the other side of town yelling that the prices are too high, too expensive for toys, where they can get it cheaper in their hood. Sylvia then shows us how street smart she can be with money, if she had it to spend: Sylvia states that for the price of one she can get three, four, and possibly even five toys for the price of one. In the same way, i can remember with my own experience volunteering on Sundays at a foster home with orphan children. I worked with a 12 yr old kid named Johnathan at the shelter, Johnathan was sheltered at the foster home because his father was in jail and his mother suffered from a drug addiction, leaving him homeless and abandoned. Shortly after meeting him the first day i observed several children playing inside the game room, hollering, throwing clay being just kids but then i noticed Jonathan isolated in his room sitting in front of his computer, so what did i say ? First i presented myself and let him know i was here to help him, he answered, " Help me with what ?" Although we had a rough start, the more i came and spend time with him, i understood him and i also observed how bright this kid was. Even though he didn't have a stable home, lived a poor life, Jonathan loved computers and the way he knew how to navigate through the system shocked me for a kid his age, he was better at it than me. Jonathan also mentioned very often his grandparents, how he loved them and couldn't wait to move in with them once the paperwork got approved. I said to myself, this kid knew what the process was to adopt a child , the legal standpoint, more than i did ! " Wow, so it is similar to Sylvia in the lesson, both of these kids had talent inside them, you can see how Sylvia and Johnathan share these things in common.
In other words they had all the potentail in the world but could not realize that because they were too busy worried about surving day to day, not caring about the rules or what people above them would try to teach. Both of these kids felt adults do not understand what they're going through because they weren't in the same position they were in. That leads me to ask the question " Can we blame these kids for their behavior ?"
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