National Book Festival
This was held at the huge convention center by my apartment. There were tons of authors. I tried to see David McCullough, but the line was gigantic and I didn't get in. Instead I saw David Baldacci, who was really interesting. I saw a children's author by chance. She was deaf and interesting to listen to. She didn't know sign language because she grew up in a time when they taught lip reading. Supposedly Buzz Aldrin was there, but I missed him. Finally, a friend and I went to a poetry slam. There were 8 highschoolers and they were incredible!! Slam poetry is great, but they were brilliant.
Busboys and Poets Poetry Slam
As a whole team, we went to a nice restaurant for a poetry slam. This one was no where near as good as the one at the Book Fest, but it was still entertaining.
H Street Festival
This was a big block party/street festival. It was 10 blocks of food, music, performances, business, samples, and crowds. I bought some mambo sauce - unique to DC and super delicious. It's like runny, sweet, and spicy ketchup. I also had Korean bbq tacos for lunch from a food truck. It was great! We were there for a few hours and, according to my new phone, we walked about 8 miles.
September LDC
This is City Year's monthly Learning and Development Conference. The entire corps reunites for 2 days. We began with a unity rally right in the middle of the Navy War Memorial. It was great because a lot of people just got into the PT group (an extracurricular like Service Reserves), so it was fun to see them lead. At the LDC we learned more teaching techniques, City Year incentives, exchanged ideas/experiences/frustrations with similar grade levels, and met with people with the same coordinator roles. One session was about how to call up businesses to in-kind food and other services to events. They had one corps member come up to the front and make a phone call on the spot to a cupcake place. The company was going to throw them out anyways, so the volunteer would request that they be donated for a Service Reserves Training the next day. It was Anthony from my team, and he successfully arranged to pick up about 40 cupcakes! It was awesome.
Back to School night
I worked with our Positive School Climate Coordinator (Hannah) to bring a City Year presence to this event. We had a table with handouts, some tables with our after school clubs, and set up a rotation schedule for the corps members. Not too many parents came. There was a brief lecture and there only looked like there were 10-15 parents there.
Service Reserves
Service Reserves had training one Saturday. We went to Ketcham elementary to learn and use power tools, how to measure wood, set up tarps, set up paint areas, hammer, and use electric drills. It was pretty fun. We also ate the cupcakes that Anthony had in-kinded.
Hiking at Billy Goat Trail
On my birthday, I went hiking with Danny and a couple of his friends. It was along the Potomac and about 30min away from the city. We walked through the forest and passed about 3-4 locks. It didn't look like they were in use.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Resources
Here are some relevant articles to my service:
First day of school inspiration
This is research done by non-CityYear affiliate showing our impact here.
We have started doing a weekly social justice topic. Last week was our first one: Problematic mascots. Taylor is in charge of giving us articles to read, then we discuss them at lunch on Friday. Problematic mascots is relevant to us because Anacostia's mascot is the "Indians" with a big Native American head. Here are the articles we read:
List of 9 inappropriate mascots
CNN Article on Red Skins
I enjoyed all of them, and they are all very different.
I just started watching "Empire," a tv show that my students watch and others have told me to watch. It's good so far!
First day of school inspiration
This is research done by non-CityYear affiliate showing our impact here.
We have started doing a weekly social justice topic. Last week was our first one: Problematic mascots. Taylor is in charge of giving us articles to read, then we discuss them at lunch on Friday. Problematic mascots is relevant to us because Anacostia's mascot is the "Indians" with a big Native American head. Here are the articles we read:
List of 9 inappropriate mascots
I enjoyed all of them, and they are all very different.
I just started watching "Empire," a tv show that my students watch and others have told me to watch. It's good so far!
Little Things
Some funny things:
- There was a lesson on perimeter and area. One of the tasks was to come up with an expression for a box like the one below if the numbers were just x's:
So I was guiding one student through it. It should have looked like x+x+x+x, but they came up with x+x+x+house. It was one of those moments where you have to giggle internally, and guide them in the right direction.- Another time, we were going over square numbers. I was reminding one student not to forget to square her number, so i said, "so then we put a square here..." and she drew a tiny square where a tiny 2 should go. So again, I chuckled internally, realized she didn't understand what a square number meant, and started over with explaining square numbers.
- A lot of my students have terrible eyesight. When I ask them to read something off the board or pay attention, they face forward and squint like crazy. I might look into optometrists around DC to see if we can in-kind some glasses or have a health day where kids could be checked for free. We'll see. Anyways, I lent one student my glasses and he said, "Oh yes. OH YES! There medicine in these things??" While he is usually more distracted, he was more engaged and started copying from the board immediately.
Things to work on:
- So waaaay back on our first day, the school had us handing out schedules. It was crazy because we had a huge stack of paper, and by the time 1st period was starting, there was still a thick stack. There are so many students who don't show up to school. When I enter grades, there are many names I don't recognize at all. Just last week, we were getting new students. Their first day was 2 weeks into school!!
- Students like to eat in class. The only thing I see them eating though is chips, candy, and sugary drinks. The healthiest thing I've seen is sunflower seeds, which end up all over the floor.
Nice things:
- One of my students is a little louder in class, but I've been helping him in the back, which helps him focus. I didn't think he particularly enjoyed it until he asked me, "Ms. M, can I be your City Year assistant?" I thought that was great. I asked him what he meant by that and maybe we could work something out. I think since then he's forgotten, but I hope that mentality persists!
- Another girl said, "Are we working back there with you again today?" At first I thought she was going to complain, but she said, "I work better back there with you."
A day in the life
Whew so it's been awhile! Time to catch up.
My students are great. They are funny, bright, easily distracted, and garrulous.
A usual day has been going like so:
6:20 wake up
7:00ish go find bus
8:00 First Circle
8:15 Power Greeting outside
8:45 1st period
10:00ish 2nd period
11:15 ASPIRE block
12:05 Lunch
1:00 planning period
2:08 Last period
3:15 Afterschool tutoring
4:30 Various City year things
6:00 Final Circle
7:00 get home
Soooo in more detail....
The bus ride takes around 30-45 minutes. I use this time to either read the newspaper or read a book. DC provides a free newspaper every weekday that has many article summaries from the Washington Post, as well as events happening around DC. Recently, the big news these days are the Pope's arrival (a City Year corps members is singing for him!!), the refugee crisis, and Trump. Bus fare is $1.75 - cheap!
Power Greeting- Every morning, the 9th grade corps members (5 of us) go outside and cheer the students coming to school on time. We have different City Year chants and dances. It's fun and energizing. Recently we've started doing yoga at the suggestion of a different school. That has been great.
1st period is my honors class. I started out the year with 4 kids. They are slowly working on transferring students into this class who are performing well in the other math classes. They are usually quiet.
2nd period is my most challenging period. There are some big personalities. When I'm able to isolate each student though, they seem interested in learning and respond well to tutoring. However in the large group setting, EVERYONE IS CONSTANTLY BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS. It is like teaching in a pinball machine with 15 balls. As a group they are crazy, but individually they are quite fun.
ASPIRE block is like an advisory period. It is 45min of an activity that an administrator creates then sends to every teacher. Some activities include a lecture on code switching, debate, watching "Lean on Me," watching "Fresh Prince," and standardized testing. Some teachers hate it and go through the motions, others really get into it and try to make the best of weird lesson plans.
During my planning period I plan for after school, organize different events, fill out CY surveys/docs, and collaborate with my teacher to lesson plan.
My 5th period is similar to 2nd in that they are also bouncing off the walls, but somehow they are more manageable. There a few more of them, but I think the bigger personalities in this class are able to focus a little better. In this period, a special Ed push-in teacher is present as well, so there are 3 of us to split the class up.
In After school, we started off tutoring the football and cheer team. It was a bit unfocused, so the cheerleaders were redirected to sports and we continue to tutor the football players. I have a few of them in my classes, so I like to tell them in class we'll be working on the homework in the After-School space. This space is good because we get to interact with upperclassmen that none of us have class with. It also makes the football games more fun!
After tutoring, there are various CY things we do each day. Sometimes we have a team meeting, other days it is prep time. Fridays are the best because we do "Life Works." This is a time for one corps member to give a 45min presentation on their life. It's great! Afterwards we get to grill them. I'm not til November.
Finally, we do our Final Circle and head out. I've started working out at the school because they have a free gym! And by then the students are gone. Sometimes we go to the CY office where we can print and use the office resources. We did this last Tuesday to print flyers for our new clubs and handouts for an event the next day.
In other news, we got our official white uniform tops! They gave us 2 oxfords, a polo, a red vest, a really nice red quarter zip, a bomber, a heavy winter coat, a cardigan, and a black button up. My favorites are the oxford and the red quarter zip.
We also recently got free memberships to Capitol BikeShare. So now I can also ride bikes around town! So much free stuff.
My students are great. They are funny, bright, easily distracted, and garrulous.
A usual day has been going like so:
6:20 wake up
7:00ish go find bus
8:00 First Circle
8:15 Power Greeting outside
8:45 1st period
10:00ish 2nd period
11:15 ASPIRE block
12:05 Lunch
1:00 planning period
2:08 Last period
3:15 Afterschool tutoring
4:30 Various City year things
6:00 Final Circle
7:00 get home
Soooo in more detail....
The bus ride takes around 30-45 minutes. I use this time to either read the newspaper or read a book. DC provides a free newspaper every weekday that has many article summaries from the Washington Post, as well as events happening around DC. Recently, the big news these days are the Pope's arrival (a City Year corps members is singing for him!!), the refugee crisis, and Trump. Bus fare is $1.75 - cheap!
Power Greeting- Every morning, the 9th grade corps members (5 of us) go outside and cheer the students coming to school on time. We have different City Year chants and dances. It's fun and energizing. Recently we've started doing yoga at the suggestion of a different school. That has been great.
1st period is my honors class. I started out the year with 4 kids. They are slowly working on transferring students into this class who are performing well in the other math classes. They are usually quiet.
2nd period is my most challenging period. There are some big personalities. When I'm able to isolate each student though, they seem interested in learning and respond well to tutoring. However in the large group setting, EVERYONE IS CONSTANTLY BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS. It is like teaching in a pinball machine with 15 balls. As a group they are crazy, but individually they are quite fun.
ASPIRE block is like an advisory period. It is 45min of an activity that an administrator creates then sends to every teacher. Some activities include a lecture on code switching, debate, watching "Lean on Me," watching "Fresh Prince," and standardized testing. Some teachers hate it and go through the motions, others really get into it and try to make the best of weird lesson plans.
During my planning period I plan for after school, organize different events, fill out CY surveys/docs, and collaborate with my teacher to lesson plan.
My 5th period is similar to 2nd in that they are also bouncing off the walls, but somehow they are more manageable. There a few more of them, but I think the bigger personalities in this class are able to focus a little better. In this period, a special Ed push-in teacher is present as well, so there are 3 of us to split the class up.
In After school, we started off tutoring the football and cheer team. It was a bit unfocused, so the cheerleaders were redirected to sports and we continue to tutor the football players. I have a few of them in my classes, so I like to tell them in class we'll be working on the homework in the After-School space. This space is good because we get to interact with upperclassmen that none of us have class with. It also makes the football games more fun!
After tutoring, there are various CY things we do each day. Sometimes we have a team meeting, other days it is prep time. Fridays are the best because we do "Life Works." This is a time for one corps member to give a 45min presentation on their life. It's great! Afterwards we get to grill them. I'm not til November.
Finally, we do our Final Circle and head out. I've started working out at the school because they have a free gym! And by then the students are gone. Sometimes we go to the CY office where we can print and use the office resources. We did this last Tuesday to print flyers for our new clubs and handouts for an event the next day.
We also recently got free memberships to Capitol BikeShare. So now I can also ride bikes around town! So much free stuff.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Nepal dinner
Tonight I had a really nice dinner with dad's friend Kumud, and his daughter, Maya. They are both from Nepal. Maya is starting at AU on Monday, so Kumud was in town dropping her off. He was a great resource for a career in water, as well as a source to find other Nepalis. We went to a nice Turkish restaurant at Dupont Circle. Both were very nice and Kumud was chatty. They were actually in Nepal this past summer, which is interesting because it's post-earthquake. It sounds like things are slowly going back to normal, but it's still a mess.
First week of School
This first week of school, we observed different teachers every day. I got lucky and had a great week. I was paired with 9th algebra, 10th geometry, and 10th chemistry teachers. A few of my peers were paired with 9th grade science, history and english. Unfortunately these teachers were not the greatest match for many of my teammates - some of whom it sounded like they shouldn't even be teaching.
The teachers I shadowed were all well-established and commanded respect from the students. Though most of them were very young, they were strict and direct. The main issue I noticed is that students were extremely talkative and just couldn't stop talking when instructions were given out. They enjoyed listening to music, eating in class, and messing around on their phones. Some students were really loud and rude, while others buckled down and took their work seriously. Sometimes, the louder students would engage the serious ones and get everyone off track. Depending on the personality and control of the teacher, this could get out of hand or be subdued.
When I observed, I usually spent 1st period absorbing the lesson and getting used to the teacher. Then the rest of the day I wandered around and helped out with questions and a little behavior. Behavior was hard because each teacher's rules were different for food/phones/cursing. It was hard to know when I should ignore the phones or tell them to put them away.
I was lucky because my teachers were receptive to City Year and allowing me to assist in the classroom. I usually had a chance to introduce myself (whereas some of my teammates were completely ignored or humiliated in other classrooms). Almost all of the people I shadowed received a CY in their classroom.
Picture break:
I was paired with Ms. Turner (9th grade algebra). She reminds me of my 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Todd. She was one of the older teachers, but she was very invested in her students. Ms. Turner has a science background and worked on the vaccine for anthrax. She decided to get into teaching because she noticed a lack of diversity in the spheres she was in. I'm excited because she was very inclusive and I think she'll be a great mentor. I also really like the 9th graders - they're not as rowdy as the 10th graders (at least this week).
The students have a dress code: freshmen wear navy blue pants and baby blue collared shirts, sophomores wear khakis and blue shirts, juniors are khakis and red, and seniors are khakis and white. This makes it easy to pick out students.
After school: City Year has been recruited to help out the football and cheer teams after school. We go to the cafeteria for 30-45min to help them with their homework. They haven't had too much work this week so it has been a little weird. Yesterday, the cheerleaders did a few of their routines for us- which were really good! I'm excited to go to our first home game. Still not sure if there's a marching band though...
Last week, I applied to work on the Service Reserves. This one of a few of City Year's extracurricular activities. The group organizes service events and leads small groups of volunteers (both corps members and external volunteers) in community service projects. It's a good chance to network outside of CY, as well as socialize with corps members that aren't on my school team (which is about 160 people). Anyways, I learned today I got in! So that's exciting.
Today we also learned what our coordinator positions are. Within each school team, there are various coordinator roles that implement programs. I will be the service coordinator and the 9th grade attendance coordinator. Other coordinator roles include Literacy Coordinator, Math Coordinator, Behavior coordinator, School Positivity Coordinator, and a few others I forgot. Under each of those roles is a 9th and 10th outreach. I got 9th attendance because I'll be working with the 9th graders and I requested attendance. These coordinator positions are another opportunity to exercise and practice our leadership skills.
The teachers I shadowed were all well-established and commanded respect from the students. Though most of them were very young, they were strict and direct. The main issue I noticed is that students were extremely talkative and just couldn't stop talking when instructions were given out. They enjoyed listening to music, eating in class, and messing around on their phones. Some students were really loud and rude, while others buckled down and took their work seriously. Sometimes, the louder students would engage the serious ones and get everyone off track. Depending on the personality and control of the teacher, this could get out of hand or be subdued.
When I observed, I usually spent 1st period absorbing the lesson and getting used to the teacher. Then the rest of the day I wandered around and helped out with questions and a little behavior. Behavior was hard because each teacher's rules were different for food/phones/cursing. It was hard to know when I should ignore the phones or tell them to put them away.
I was lucky because my teachers were receptive to City Year and allowing me to assist in the classroom. I usually had a chance to introduce myself (whereas some of my teammates were completely ignored or humiliated in other classrooms). Almost all of the people I shadowed received a CY in their classroom.
Picture break:
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| Squad's weekly photo |
I was paired with Ms. Turner (9th grade algebra). She reminds me of my 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Todd. She was one of the older teachers, but she was very invested in her students. Ms. Turner has a science background and worked on the vaccine for anthrax. She decided to get into teaching because she noticed a lack of diversity in the spheres she was in. I'm excited because she was very inclusive and I think she'll be a great mentor. I also really like the 9th graders - they're not as rowdy as the 10th graders (at least this week).
The students have a dress code: freshmen wear navy blue pants and baby blue collared shirts, sophomores wear khakis and blue shirts, juniors are khakis and red, and seniors are khakis and white. This makes it easy to pick out students.
After school: City Year has been recruited to help out the football and cheer teams after school. We go to the cafeteria for 30-45min to help them with their homework. They haven't had too much work this week so it has been a little weird. Yesterday, the cheerleaders did a few of their routines for us- which were really good! I'm excited to go to our first home game. Still not sure if there's a marching band though...
Last week, I applied to work on the Service Reserves. This one of a few of City Year's extracurricular activities. The group organizes service events and leads small groups of volunteers (both corps members and external volunteers) in community service projects. It's a good chance to network outside of CY, as well as socialize with corps members that aren't on my school team (which is about 160 people). Anyways, I learned today I got in! So that's exciting.
Today we also learned what our coordinator positions are. Within each school team, there are various coordinator roles that implement programs. I will be the service coordinator and the 9th grade attendance coordinator. Other coordinator roles include Literacy Coordinator, Math Coordinator, Behavior coordinator, School Positivity Coordinator, and a few others I forgot. Under each of those roles is a 9th and 10th outreach. I got 9th attendance because I'll be working with the 9th graders and I requested attendance. These coordinator positions are another opportunity to exercise and practice our leadership skills.
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| squad at red jacket ceremony at the capitol |
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Photos
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| Red Jacket Dedication Ceremony at the Capitol. The entire corps gathered in a meeting space at the Capitol to give a brief dedication. Each corps member, staff, and team leader gave a 10second schpeel about who/what they dedicated their jacket to. |
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| To beautify our CY room at school, we've been making wall hangings like this. |
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| Homemade CityYear Logo |
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| This is our Team Leader's favorite mural. Part of the team went there to take a picture for her birthday. |
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| Jeff Franco (Far right) is our executive director. On the 1st day of school, he traveled to all 16 schools CY serves. |
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| There was a back to school service day at Patterson ES. The three of us painted this Arthur mural. I think it says "welcome" in gaelic. |
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| One of many other murals found around the school that volunteers painted. |
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Uniforms
We earned our Uniforms today! This entailed some immense preparation this week, including memorizing the City Year pledge, the City Year Mission, the City Year Vision, and the Americorps pledge. In addition to reciting these as a team, we also had to perform 3 PT moves: Chain breakers, CY Stretch, and Foot Fires (easy, medium, hard). Our IMPACT manager took a video, so when she sends it out, I'll post it.
Tomorrow we dedicate our red jackets at the Red Jacket Ceremony at the Capitol.
In other news we all got nice, new backpacks, donated by Timbuk2. They are part of the uniform and have a CY logo patch sewed on.
Today was our team leader's (TL) birthday. We brought in candy, homemade cupcakes, homemade oreo balls, streamers, and energy. It was fun.
We also did the Meyers-Briggs Personality test. Fun fact - the psychologists who developed it were a mother/daughter team. Anyways, I'm an INFJ, which is supposedly rare. But there were 3 other people in the group who had the same type. Our TL said CY attracts certain personalities.
If you want to take the test, it's only about 12 min and there's some interesting things to learn about your personality type. You have to be honest when answering the questions though.
http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Speaking of quizzes, here is a thorough quiz you can take to see which presidential candidate best aligns with your values: https://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz
When I took it awhile ago, I aligned with Bernie more than Hillary, which got me to start looking at his campaign more closely.
Tomorrow we dedicate our red jackets at the Red Jacket Ceremony at the Capitol.
In other news we all got nice, new backpacks, donated by Timbuk2. They are part of the uniform and have a CY logo patch sewed on.
Today was our team leader's (TL) birthday. We brought in candy, homemade cupcakes, homemade oreo balls, streamers, and energy. It was fun.
We also did the Meyers-Briggs Personality test. Fun fact - the psychologists who developed it were a mother/daughter team. Anyways, I'm an INFJ, which is supposedly rare. But there were 3 other people in the group who had the same type. Our TL said CY attracts certain personalities.
If you want to take the test, it's only about 12 min and there's some interesting things to learn about your personality type. You have to be honest when answering the questions though.
http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Speaking of quizzes, here is a thorough quiz you can take to see which presidential candidate best aligns with your values: https://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz
When I took it awhile ago, I aligned with Bernie more than Hillary, which got me to start looking at his campaign more closely.
Anacostia!
This week we finally went to our school!! It's about a 45minute bus ride from home (but it's only $1.75!!). The principal is fairly new but he is awesome. He has goals, deadlines, and knows the best people to get the job done. He talked about his story of being a teen father and his success of rising to principal. I think his eagerness and drive is the reason that City Year was pulled into Anacostia for the first time. He showed us some bleak stats from a couple years ago with percentages in competency ELA, math, and attendance in the teens. Then he showed us last years' data, and those areas jumped to about 30-40%. The numbers are still bleak, but the improvement is awesome.
The other teachers are all really young. There are more white teachers than I expected. Many of the teachers have heard of or worked with City Year in the past.
Ripples: Ripples are effects seen in the community due to City Year or some good action. I have seen a ton of ripples recently - Probably because I've been in public a lot in uniform. Many people have questions about what I do and I've quickly polished up an elevator speech.
1) After dinner with our sponsors, someone came up to us and said he'd been waiting for us to finish dinner before approaching. He works in the SE schools with a teen pregnancy program. He'd heard of City Year and looked forward to working with us at Anacostia. We were excited to meet him and he took a selfie with us. Our sponsors also chatted with him. One of the waitresses also said thanks for serving.
2) I was standing at the bus stop with a bunch of other CY people (when the whole corps heads to one location, you're guaranteed to run into other redshirts and take over a bus). One man came up to us and said he was a City Year alum and told us good luck with next year.
3) I was walking to school and I was waiting for a red light. In uniform, we're not allowed to jaywalk because our behavior is closely scrutinized by kids - even kids we don't directly interact with. All kids with CY in their schools recognize the uniform and instantly look up to us, so we have to perpetually set a good example. Anyways I was waiting and a school bus driver pulled up, rolled down his window and eagerly waved before moving on.
4). Standing at the bus stop today after work and one young man walked past and said "hey City year! Glad to see you back in this area! Hope you're at my school this year." We asked him, "what school?!" and he replied with, "Anacostia." So we were excited and he came back and chatted and told us he was starting 9th grade there this year. This made me really excited to get going and meet more students.
These Ripples make me proud to be a part of City Year. The program is well-established and respected in the community. I am standing on the shoulders of giants. The people before me have done so much for me to immediately earn the respect of so many people. I'm excited to get going!
The other teachers are all really young. There are more white teachers than I expected. Many of the teachers have heard of or worked with City Year in the past.
Ripples: Ripples are effects seen in the community due to City Year or some good action. I have seen a ton of ripples recently - Probably because I've been in public a lot in uniform. Many people have questions about what I do and I've quickly polished up an elevator speech.
1) After dinner with our sponsors, someone came up to us and said he'd been waiting for us to finish dinner before approaching. He works in the SE schools with a teen pregnancy program. He'd heard of City Year and looked forward to working with us at Anacostia. We were excited to meet him and he took a selfie with us. Our sponsors also chatted with him. One of the waitresses also said thanks for serving.
2) I was standing at the bus stop with a bunch of other CY people (when the whole corps heads to one location, you're guaranteed to run into other redshirts and take over a bus). One man came up to us and said he was a City Year alum and told us good luck with next year.
3) I was walking to school and I was waiting for a red light. In uniform, we're not allowed to jaywalk because our behavior is closely scrutinized by kids - even kids we don't directly interact with. All kids with CY in their schools recognize the uniform and instantly look up to us, so we have to perpetually set a good example. Anyways I was waiting and a school bus driver pulled up, rolled down his window and eagerly waved before moving on.
4). Standing at the bus stop today after work and one young man walked past and said "hey City year! Glad to see you back in this area! Hope you're at my school this year." We asked him, "what school?!" and he replied with, "Anacostia." So we were excited and he came back and chatted and told us he was starting 9th grade there this year. This made me really excited to get going and meet more students.
These Ripples make me proud to be a part of City Year. The program is well-established and respected in the community. I am standing on the shoulders of giants. The people before me have done so much for me to immediately earn the respect of so many people. I'm excited to get going!
Sponsors
Each City Year school team gets a sponsor. One team is sponsored by Microsoft, another by Capital One, etc. Our team is sponsored by the Horning Family Fund. Our team is lucky because our sponsor is not a detached corporation. They like to be involved in our work and see what we're up to.
On Monday, they took us out to dinner at Bus Boys and Poets - a nice restaurant. It kind of reminded me of the Flying Star from back home, but slightly fancier. We met with the founders' daughters - Missy, her husband Mike, and another staff member, Dara. Mike and I discovered we both graduated from Carleton (a few decades apart). He majored in Urban Development and his adviser was Paul Wellston. Small world. I really enjoyed getting to meet them and they were just as enthusiastic. We have already started planning events for them to attend and other ways to reach out to them.
The team made a scrapbook about ourselves to give to them. It was interesting to see how each of my peers answered the list of questions. Here is what I included:
Libby McKenna, 22, Albuquerque, NM. Carleton College, Chemistry
I AM... a curious person that enjoys trying new things. In the past I have expressed this by learning the organ and trombone, studying French and Nepali, playing rugby and ice hockey, and expanding my vocabulary in social justice and science. As an adoptee from Nepal, I have been fascinated by this country's culture, people, and well-being from a young age. I plan on dedicating any future professional training to supporting the responsible development of Nepal.
I chose City Year to participate in a domestic cultural exchange. I look forward to bonding with my students, peers, and mentors, as well as exchanging experiences, opinions, and wisdom. I chose DC because it seemed like a young, diverse city that I could thrive in.
My favorite things: Dentist visits, henna tattoos, cinnamon-roll hugs, dancing, Picard and Janeway, buff momos, and scrums.
Favorite Founding Story (city year has 25 inspirational founding stories): Cathedral Building: There was once a traveler who journeyed all over the globe in search of wisdom and enlightenment. In the midst of one village, he came upon a great deal of noise, dust and commotion. He approached the nearest laborer and asked, "Excuse me, I'm not from this village. May I ask what's going on here?" The laborer replied curtly, "Can't you see? I'm busting rocks." The traveler approached a second laborer doing the same thing and asked the same question. The second laborer replied, "Can't you see? I'm earning a living to support my family." The traveler then approached a third laborer and posed the question a third time. With a broad smile and a gleam in his eye, the third laborer replied with great pride, "Can't you see? We're building a cathedral."
I love that the last builder knows that he is contributing to greatness through tiny steps, even though he might not see the finished product 100's of years later. It's a reminder that every contribution is important and to keep the finish line in sight.
Favorite PITW (Putting Idealism to Work): #66 - Do three "squishy" things a day. You know when you are truly leading when you do at least 3 things a day that make you a little bit uncomfortable.
I like to hang out in my comfort zone, so I have to consciously branch out and make myself uncomfortable. I like the growth that ensues.
Favorite CY Value: Ubuntu- I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours. Reminding myself that "my humanity is tied to yours" really resonates with me. We are all so similar, but we struggle to see these similarities when we are blinded by disagreements.
Quote: "I think they should have a Barbie with a buzz cut" -Ellen Degeneres [[my teammates had much deeper, interesting quotes. I'm just not a quote person.]]
LACY (Life after City Year): There are many options available. I have thought about going to grad school for either public health, civil engineering, or science education. I might also join the Peace Corps or continue to work for City Year.
Asset to the team: Creativity
Why I serve: To contribute to building a cathedral. I'm not making a HUGE difference, but I want to contribute to the changes that need to happen.
On Monday, they took us out to dinner at Bus Boys and Poets - a nice restaurant. It kind of reminded me of the Flying Star from back home, but slightly fancier. We met with the founders' daughters - Missy, her husband Mike, and another staff member, Dara. Mike and I discovered we both graduated from Carleton (a few decades apart). He majored in Urban Development and his adviser was Paul Wellston. Small world. I really enjoyed getting to meet them and they were just as enthusiastic. We have already started planning events for them to attend and other ways to reach out to them.
The team made a scrapbook about ourselves to give to them. It was interesting to see how each of my peers answered the list of questions. Here is what I included:
Libby McKenna, 22, Albuquerque, NM. Carleton College, Chemistry
I AM... a curious person that enjoys trying new things. In the past I have expressed this by learning the organ and trombone, studying French and Nepali, playing rugby and ice hockey, and expanding my vocabulary in social justice and science. As an adoptee from Nepal, I have been fascinated by this country's culture, people, and well-being from a young age. I plan on dedicating any future professional training to supporting the responsible development of Nepal.
I chose City Year to participate in a domestic cultural exchange. I look forward to bonding with my students, peers, and mentors, as well as exchanging experiences, opinions, and wisdom. I chose DC because it seemed like a young, diverse city that I could thrive in.
My favorite things: Dentist visits, henna tattoos, cinnamon-roll hugs, dancing, Picard and Janeway, buff momos, and scrums.
Favorite Founding Story (city year has 25 inspirational founding stories): Cathedral Building: There was once a traveler who journeyed all over the globe in search of wisdom and enlightenment. In the midst of one village, he came upon a great deal of noise, dust and commotion. He approached the nearest laborer and asked, "Excuse me, I'm not from this village. May I ask what's going on here?" The laborer replied curtly, "Can't you see? I'm busting rocks." The traveler approached a second laborer doing the same thing and asked the same question. The second laborer replied, "Can't you see? I'm earning a living to support my family." The traveler then approached a third laborer and posed the question a third time. With a broad smile and a gleam in his eye, the third laborer replied with great pride, "Can't you see? We're building a cathedral."
I love that the last builder knows that he is contributing to greatness through tiny steps, even though he might not see the finished product 100's of years later. It's a reminder that every contribution is important and to keep the finish line in sight.
Favorite PITW (Putting Idealism to Work): #66 - Do three "squishy" things a day. You know when you are truly leading when you do at least 3 things a day that make you a little bit uncomfortable.
I like to hang out in my comfort zone, so I have to consciously branch out and make myself uncomfortable. I like the growth that ensues.
Favorite CY Value: Ubuntu- I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours. Reminding myself that "my humanity is tied to yours" really resonates with me. We are all so similar, but we struggle to see these similarities when we are blinded by disagreements.
Quote: "I think they should have a Barbie with a buzz cut" -Ellen Degeneres [[my teammates had much deeper, interesting quotes. I'm just not a quote person.]]
LACY (Life after City Year): There are many options available. I have thought about going to grad school for either public health, civil engineering, or science education. I might also join the Peace Corps or continue to work for City Year.
Asset to the team: Creativity
Why I serve: To contribute to building a cathedral. I'm not making a HUGE difference, but I want to contribute to the changes that need to happen.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Week 3 Training + Sources
This week we are in Summer Leadership Academy. It's a summer school run by City Year for kids from Kindergarten to 9th grade. We are one of 2 sites that does this summer camp to train corps members. We got our first uniform piece - red shirts!
Today was a lot of games and pushing the students to think about what they are good at, what makes them special, and what they enjoy doing. Our "teacher" was one of the team leaders and my entire team was in the classroom with about ten 5th-9th graders. Mostly 5th/6th grade. There weren't many of them so there was a lot of 1-on-1 time. The teacher would do a game or two, teach about an activity, then we'd sit with the kids and encourage them to do the activity. We broke out into small groups twice. In the afternoon, it was my turn to lead my small group. I think it went pretty well. It was like riding a bike - except remembering how to tutor and present a small activity. We made flags that represented our personalities.
So far the camp hasn't been super well-organized which has been slightly annoying. Once the day got going though, it was fine. I think I was just anxious about how the kids would act and how the dynamic of so many leaders in one room would be coordinated. Otherwise, it has been fun. The kids were quiet at first but then they really started enjoying themselves. There were a few times when they said some weird stuff but none of us really knew what to say or how to approach the situation. But that's the point of this week - to not shy away from the hard conversations and figure out how to instigate them. We all struggled with that but I think now that we finally have kids to apply our training to, it will go better.
We were cooling down after an activity and the teacher said, "Now we're going to do a debate. does anyone know what a 'debate' is?" One student raised his his hand and said, "yeah! that's the fish!"
We had to clarify it was a "DEbate" not "da bait."
Here are some helpful sources if you want to read up on the education situation.
Today was a lot of games and pushing the students to think about what they are good at, what makes them special, and what they enjoy doing. Our "teacher" was one of the team leaders and my entire team was in the classroom with about ten 5th-9th graders. Mostly 5th/6th grade. There weren't many of them so there was a lot of 1-on-1 time. The teacher would do a game or two, teach about an activity, then we'd sit with the kids and encourage them to do the activity. We broke out into small groups twice. In the afternoon, it was my turn to lead my small group. I think it went pretty well. It was like riding a bike - except remembering how to tutor and present a small activity. We made flags that represented our personalities.
So far the camp hasn't been super well-organized which has been slightly annoying. Once the day got going though, it was fine. I think I was just anxious about how the kids would act and how the dynamic of so many leaders in one room would be coordinated. Otherwise, it has been fun. The kids were quiet at first but then they really started enjoying themselves. There were a few times when they said some weird stuff but none of us really knew what to say or how to approach the situation. But that's the point of this week - to not shy away from the hard conversations and figure out how to instigate them. We all struggled with that but I think now that we finally have kids to apply our training to, it will go better.
We were cooling down after an activity and the teacher said, "Now we're going to do a debate. does anyone know what a 'debate' is?" One student raised his his hand and said, "yeah! that's the fish!"
We had to clarify it was a "DEbate" not "da bait."
Here are some helpful sources if you want to read up on the education situation.
- Radio: This American Life. About 1 hr long.
- Washington Post Article about perceived economic status (We had an interactive training game about this and it was really eye-opening and relevant)
- Article about managing behavior
- City Year Website
Week 2 Training + City Year
Ok so what exactly is City Year? I thought I vaguely knew going into it, but now I REALLY KNOW. They really give us the vocabulary to build an elevator speech so that we're representing City Year properly.
Basically, we serve as mentors and tutors in high poverty communities. Schools in these areas don't have the resources to keep all their kids on track to graduate. Our job at City Year is to help bridge the opportunity gap. While there are great teachers at the schools we serve, it is hard for them to keep every single student in a class of 30 up to standards. If 2 kids are absent one day, then a different 5 are absent a different day, it's hard to keep everyone at the same level. I will be pulling kids out in small groups for extra tutoring in math and reading. As a "near peer," I will be able to connect with my students and give them more personal attention than their teacher can provide.
Some interesting facts:
My team is really fun. There are 9 of us - 3 guys and 6 people of color. Our team leaders are awesome and really know how to lead and guide us.
This week we learned about education. We learned about Tier 1 (classroom) support vs Tier 2 (small group) support. We learned how to write lesson plans, how to cater to different learning types, behavior management, understanding the behavior of our appropriate age groups, social media policy, and basics of teaching math and reading.
Basically, we serve as mentors and tutors in high poverty communities. Schools in these areas don't have the resources to keep all their kids on track to graduate. Our job at City Year is to help bridge the opportunity gap. While there are great teachers at the schools we serve, it is hard for them to keep every single student in a class of 30 up to standards. If 2 kids are absent one day, then a different 5 are absent a different day, it's hard to keep everyone at the same level. I will be pulling kids out in small groups for extra tutoring in math and reading. As a "near peer," I will be able to connect with my students and give them more personal attention than their teacher can provide.
Week 2 (8/3-8/7)
So Week 2 was exciting because we FINALLY found out what school we'd be working at. I was placed at Anacostia High School, in Ward 8 of DC. I am both extremely excited and nervous. I put middle school as my first choice, but it was a toss up between that and high school. I'm looking forward to the flexibility we'll have in high school, and being able to connect with the kids better (closer in age). I'm nervous because these kids are much older and more likely to be set in a "school's not cool" attitude. This is the first year City Year has partnered with this high school - so my team gets to set the standards. Luckily, the school seems very interested in getting CY involved.Some interesting facts:
- There are 667 students - 100% of whom are black
- 99% are on free and reduced lunch
- As of the 2012-13 school year, 82% of the students performed at basic or below basic math levels (according to a standardized test - DCCAS)
- As of the 2012-13 school year, the 4 yr graduation rate was 43% (the 5 year rate was 50%)
- As of the 2012-13 school year, the percentage of the students regarded as truant was 49%
- As of the 2012-13 school year, retention of effective and highly effective teachers was 89% (higher than the district average)
My team is really fun. There are 9 of us - 3 guys and 6 people of color. Our team leaders are awesome and really know how to lead and guide us.
This week we learned about education. We learned about Tier 1 (classroom) support vs Tier 2 (small group) support. We learned how to write lesson plans, how to cater to different learning types, behavior management, understanding the behavior of our appropriate age groups, social media policy, and basics of teaching math and reading.
Week 1 Training + Culture
These past few weeks I have been polished into a City Year Americorps member. I have learned a lot from lectures, discussions with peers, and activities. I will do my best to keep up this blog as a reflection for myself and for others who are interested in the mission/product of City Year.
This coming year, City Year has Leadership Development sessions twice a month. In these sessions, we will reconvene with the corps as a whole and break off into our founding teams. When we are back in these groups, we'll discuss situations that arise in our daily work and pick apart different philosophies of City Year called "Putting Idealism to Work" or PITWs. There are over 100 of these PITWs.
City Year has a lot of culture that I was not expecting. As mentioned above, the PITWs outline City Year's goals, ideals, and wisdom. It's interesting that City Year really works on incorporating these in our everyday work day. I feel like most companies have standards, but no one ever refers back to them. I think constantly studying these ideals (almost like a Bible study...) keeps corps members and City Year focused on the mission to empower DC youth.
More culture:
Unity Rallies: We go out to the Mall as a corps (about 160 of us), line up in neat rows and columns, and start doing cheers, stretches, and exercises. The point is to bring attention to City Year. Here is City Year in Orlando doing a unity Rally (it's a little long). I'd skip to 30seconds. My favorite stretche is at 3:53 (power lunges). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCd-OYtjY0Y
We have to memorize the pledge, and do all the goofy dances.
Circles: Before AND after everyday of training or a work day, we get in a circle with our team. We talk about the ideal (or quote) of the day, goals, announcements, and joys/appreciations. It's an opportunity to reflect with the team.
Silent Applause: Rather than snapping or nodding heads in agreement, corps members wiggle their hands (like jazz hands) when they agree with a statement or question. This has become a weird habit. I went out with some friends and we were wiggling our hands in public when we agreed with what someone was saying.
Stand and Declare: When you want to ask or answer a question, you have to pop out of your seat and say your name + "proudly serving at __school name__." This also signals your school team to shout a previously arranged cheer back at you. My team just yells "squaaaad." So far we easily have the most spirit and instant team bond. It's comforting.
Week 1 (5/27-5/31)
During this week, we were divided up into "founding teams." The names for these teams were chosen based on many of City Year's founding stories. Mine was called "Ubuntu," which is a South African proverb that means "I am because you are - my humanity is tied to yours." My group of 7 is entirely black except for me and our white group leader. We talked through issues of race, what to expect in the coming year, goals, and socioeconomic status. Everyone was really well spoken and highly educated in social justice - an area that I am less experienced in. We had some great conversations and I learned a ton.This coming year, City Year has Leadership Development sessions twice a month. In these sessions, we will reconvene with the corps as a whole and break off into our founding teams. When we are back in these groups, we'll discuss situations that arise in our daily work and pick apart different philosophies of City Year called "Putting Idealism to Work" or PITWs. There are over 100 of these PITWs.
City Year has a lot of culture that I was not expecting. As mentioned above, the PITWs outline City Year's goals, ideals, and wisdom. It's interesting that City Year really works on incorporating these in our everyday work day. I feel like most companies have standards, but no one ever refers back to them. I think constantly studying these ideals (almost like a Bible study...) keeps corps members and City Year focused on the mission to empower DC youth.
More culture:
Unity Rallies: We go out to the Mall as a corps (about 160 of us), line up in neat rows and columns, and start doing cheers, stretches, and exercises. The point is to bring attention to City Year. Here is City Year in Orlando doing a unity Rally (it's a little long). I'd skip to 30seconds. My favorite stretche is at 3:53 (power lunges). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCd-OYtjY0Y
We have to memorize the pledge, and do all the goofy dances.
Circles: Before AND after everyday of training or a work day, we get in a circle with our team. We talk about the ideal (or quote) of the day, goals, announcements, and joys/appreciations. It's an opportunity to reflect with the team.
Silent Applause: Rather than snapping or nodding heads in agreement, corps members wiggle their hands (like jazz hands) when they agree with a statement or question. This has become a weird habit. I went out with some friends and we were wiggling our hands in public when we agreed with what someone was saying.
Stand and Declare: When you want to ask or answer a question, you have to pop out of your seat and say your name + "proudly serving at __school name__." This also signals your school team to shout a previously arranged cheer back at you. My team just yells "squaaaad." So far we easily have the most spirit and instant team bond. It's comforting.
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