Tomorrow is our Last day in Woodland.

Tomorrow is our last day working with the Woodland Joint Unified School District. Overall my project in Woodland, Ca was relatively successful. I tutored a number of students and connected with people that I wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. I also learned more about the education system and have a more solid foundation of what I want to do with my life. I can see a need for the non-profit that I want to start. I have increased my respect for teachers but I have decided that it's not a good profession for me personally. It is amazing what teachers have to put up with. I'm happy I was allowed a brief into the education system, and I'm even happier that it was only two months long.

I look forward to building houses in Mecca, Ca and I'm so stoked that I was chosen to be the person who gets to work in the Community Center for half the day everyday. I was picked because I was the most vocal about wanting the position, but still. It will be cool to get to work hard in the morning building houses and play hard in the afternoon with kids that range from 5-18. I was fortunate enough to be able to work on a house with Habitat for Humanity this past weekend. We framed the side of a house and me and Syd the Kid (a really awesome girl on my team), cut 179 pieces of wood. I was sore this whole week from the experience but it felt good. The great thing about building is that it’s a lot easier to measure your progress. It’s much more difficult measuring your progress in the educational system.

We’re getting kicked out so I have to go but maybe I’ll finish this tomorrow night.

The beginning of the last week in Woodland!

All right, I admit it. I'm a slacker. I'm not very good at keeping up with blogging more than once a week. It's unfortunate for me. The whole point of keeping up with this thing is so that I could look back on it and reflect on my experiences. I guess, I just have to push for this once a week business and hope that at some point my motivation to share my experience will improve.

It's hard to put this experience into words, though. I could say to you that I worked with students today in English and I taught them how to correctly cite information in an essay, but it’s likely that tomorrow those students will have forgotten how to do it. It's so hard to measure success in this program, especially when working in education. Student's grades and motivation don't improve over night, so frustration builds as students continue to make similar mistakes over time. I have to write a reflection for each round. I have posted it here:

I was probably the most excited person on Blue 4 to tutor and mentor high school students in Woodland, Ca. At the end of the project, I’m not sure that I feel the same. I had overly optimistic expectations of what the project would be like. I had envisioned myself being the Mr. Holland’s Opus kind of tutor, making a life changing impact for my students during our short time in Woodland. Looking back, I wish I wouldn’t have created grandiose expectations. I had such great anticipation for working in education that I hadn’t accounted for the possibility of apathy amongst the students. After spending an entire month with people who had come to Sacramento in order to make a difference, it was difficult to start working with students whose greatest aspiration in life was to be a street pharmacist. In the end the overall project was worthwhile as I learned a few things about myself: I don’t want to be a teacher, I only like working with kids in fun and creative environments, and there is an inherent need to create the nonprofit I wish to start.

I arrived at Woodland and was bombarded with training. As overwhelming as it was trying to keep straight the standards for essays, the proper logging method and the rest of the rules of the learning center, I managed to quickly catch on to the way the center worked. It was difficult to balance giving away the answer and teaching the student how to write, or complete math problems; I spent much of my day frustrated and annoyed. But then I would have breakthroughs. Students would remember to cite things correctly or turn a negative exponent into a fraction. Those were the moments that I really loved tutoring. The “ah-ha” moments, these moments were inconsistent and infrequent but when they happened they could erase weeks of ill feelings towards an apathetic student. I am not Mr. Holland, but I did make an impact, however small it may be. I measured my impact by the small number of students who came by to say hi to me, who started to do more work with my mere presence, and how many seemed upset that I was leaving. It wasn’t a substantial number by any means, but it was nice to have a few students who wanted me around.

Maybe next weeks post will have more information? You can only hope.

New Project and more reflection

So, I’ve been writing letters lately. Lots of letters, letters to myself, letters to friends, letters to family, letters to people, letters galore. The unfortunate thing with writing letters is that I end up not writing blogs. I justify slacking off on this blog with letter writing, because it’s “still writing”. Anyway here is an update:

My team found out our next project, we’re going to Mecca, Ca to build houses with the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition: http://www.cvhc.org. I’m looking forward to the change of pace and scenery. Mecca is a census-designated place (CDP), which means it’s too small to have a government of any kind but it’s populated enough that it has to have a name for census purposes. My team has taken to Google mapping Mecca and scoping out the town on street level. There isn’t much to the lay out of Mecca. There is a post office, a school and Sports Center. I’m excited to spend two months in a town of that size. It will definitely be a new experience.

A lot of what happens in AmeriCorps NCCC is hard to explain. Everything happens really fast and situations change so frequently it’s hard to keep up. Often times I begin to tell someone a story only to realize that the previous week I had a completely different attitude about the subject. It is sometimes jarring to be in this kind of atmosphere. But it is rewarding overall. I know in the end I will be a very flexible person. It’s hard not to go through a program like this, and not come out a changed person. I am interested in seeing the end results, but the overall process is jarring and often emotionally draining. Because we live and work so closely with each other it is hard not to get annoyed, or be excited about hanging out with each other. The problem is that everyone is on different schedules. I could be cool with one of the members on my team, but they could be upset with me or vice versa. Then there is the whole outside factor. We are often excluded from our home lives, but when we are included it’s usually for big events. Unfortunately, this past weekend a lot of people got a lot of big news, and none of it was good. These kind of scenarios play on me emotionally. I am holding up, better now than earlier this week, but this is the kind of stuff that sucks about a program like this. It’s hard to have to work long hours 5-7 days a week when you are physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Fortunately, I have the fortitude to withstand these types of blows.

It’s Midnight and I have work tomorrow. Only 7 days left of school, and I have a habitat build on Saturday so that’s good news.

Take care,

Sara

First week back, sort of...

Break is over and my team has returned. We’re back at work, but not in Woodland. This week we worked at the H1N1 Clinic. I thought it would be more difficult for me because I don’t personally agree with vaccinating for every new disease. I didn’t have to try and explain to people why they should be vaccinated; instead I worked at the end of the line after they already made the decision. I’ve met a lot of really cool volunteers including this woman who conquered cancer. She is so fascinating, she’s been alive since World War II, and she talked with me about different points of California history. I was really happy to have met her. We only have two more days of the clinic, which is pretty exciting.

Next week we will be back at Woodland, and we only have 3 weeks left. I’m excited to find out what our next project will be. We will be moving out of Sacramento, and I’m hoping for a more exotic location, but who knows. I’m pretty sure we won’t be going to Alaska or Hawaii, but I am confident that we will at least be getting out of California, but for I all I know we could be in Woodland for another 2 months. There is nothing I can do to change what we do, and I can’t switch teams. So if I don’t like the next project I’ll just have to be flexible, keep a positive attitude regardless.

I am hoping to update more in the New Year as part of my healthy in 2010 campaign. Writing is a healthy outlet for me. So starting this week, I’m going to write three times a week. I can’t promise that I’ll post 3 times a week, but I’ll do my best especially while I have Internet access. I have PT at 5:30am tomorrow and it’s late so I should go to bed.

Sorry for the poor updates,

Sara

An AmeriChristmas

Campus is dead. Seriously, dead. Almost post-apocalyptic dead, but not quite. Yesterday, I slept for 14 hours and nobody noticed. There is only one person on my floor right now and he works most days. So, yeah, it's been lonely. Last week went by relatively fast though. I tried to keep busy. Here's the rundown.

Before everyone left there was a flood in the building. Some kids decided to play Frisbee in the hallway, and subsequently broke the sprinkler head. Half of the first floor was flooded, a steady stream of water poured for what felt like hours. The fire department came and shut off the water, but unfortunately a laptop was already washed away. Thanks to some fast acting Corps Members it was one of the few casualties. They are still trying to repair the hall way, and the people that live there have yet to return home. The majority of my weekend was spent hanging out with people before they left town. Monday, I went to Davis and got my first, and most likely last Tattoo. I don't have much more to say on the subject. It itches and the guy was a jerk. I would suggest to only go to Urban Body for piercings. The piercer was really friendly and according to my friend has an excellent touch. The tattoo guy was not impressed by what I wanted. At least it was quick.
Tuesday I worked at the Urban League, with the Sacramento Kings. We handed out 300 food boxes. It was really cool to get to see the people we helped. Although, it was a little awkward to load food boxes into Mercedes. I know that there were some boxes donated to organizations as well; I feel better thinking that the Mercedes belonged to people who were picking up the food boxes for others. I did get to make fun of Tyreke Evans and his watch cell phone. I feel like picking on professional basketball players in person is one of those things that few people get to do in their lifetime. So I can cross that off my list. All of the people affiliated with the Kings were really cool, even Tyreke. Wednesday and Thursday I wrapped presents for the kids at the St. John's Shelter. It was really cool project. I felt like an elf in Santa's Workshop, and took pride in wrapping each gift and hoping the the recipient would love it. I was fortunate to find out that the kids were really appreciative of their gifts. Each kid received at least 10 gifts to unwrap. What a cool thing that St. John's Shelter was able to do for it's clients.Christmas was spent at the Shelter again. We cooked dinner for the families, and hung out with Willie who was a team leader for West Coast campus class one. He was probably my favorite part about that day. As a retiree he spends his free time volunteering for the shelter and possibly other organizations. Apparently, AmeriCorps has that affect on people, it turns you into a life long volunteer. I look forward to that. I left before dinner was served, to be served by my Project Sponsor. Jay, one of the members of my team, and I went to Irma's house to have a Mexican style Christmas dinner. We ate Rice and Green chillies on chicken, and other food I can't pronounce, one of which was meat stuffed with meat. Also, Buñuelos my new favorite pastry. We stayed for awhile and chatted. Irma had a slew stories to share with us. She told us love stories about her husband and her parents . It was cute, touching and the perfect way to end the evening.Saturday, I had an early morning project with the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. We worked the mobile food bank and passed out food and toiletries to people that needed it. After which we went to the Goodwill to find ugly sweaters to wear at our feast. We had an AmeriChristmas dinner, complete with ham and turkey donated to us by Loaves and Fishes. It was really great to be able to have a Traditional meal with friends. Afterward everyone left to play Laser tag, I stayed back because I missed the van. All in all it was a great day.

Sunday, I slept for 14 hours.

That was my Christmas week. It was really great, and unlike any Christmas I've ever experienced. I'm looking forward to my friends to return from their respective homes.


These are the cool new shoes I got for Christmas from my brother. Speaking of whom. I was talking to Joe and he and I had this awesome conversation. He was telling me all about his new ... Hi Susan.


Sara

It's the first official day of Winter Break

I'm in the computer lounge of 947 with my friend Michel, waiting. We're waiting for the time to pass, the sun to come out and for general happiness to return again. Today I was supposed to be working at Loaves and Fishes a local, homeless shelter but the opportunity fell through. Now, I'm enjoying the break. I had been working 10-12 hour days so it's nice to wake up at 9 and not have to worry about having anything important to do. I spent most of my time this morning looking up potential projects that might take on me and my friends last minute but it's not looking good. I'm hoping that Loaves and Fishes will change their mind, and decide that they have work for me and my friends to do.
This past week at school had been pretty stressful, the students were in finals and so we had bunch of kids trying to finish their essays that they should have completed 3 months ago. On top of the that we had to finish our end of the year logs so it had been pretty busy all week. My team is starting to open up more and communicate their feelings, which is definitely important when you are in a live/work environment.
Christmas is fast approaching and I am scrambling to get gifts together. I kind of dropped the ball this year, as I haven't really had a way to get to the mall, had time to make anything or to get to the post office. I need to get some stamps quick though so I can send out my second annual Holiday Greeting Card which I will be happy to post here after all of my intended recipients receive them.
My friends have returned from their respective projects so it has been really great being able to hang out with them and catch up. Their experiences are vastly different, and it's interesting to note that even though we're in the same program no single person will have the same experience. We all react differently to our new projects, not many of us are sent to the same location and most of the projects we are working on vary. For example, I'm working at a high school, while Chase is working at a elementary school, Michel works clearing and creating trails in Washington, and Monica is clearing trails in San Diego.
Their stories are very different but it's great to hear about what they've been up to. Most of my friends have left for their respective homes for Christmas break, while I'm here with only a few friends who will be spending the holidays with me.
The only crazy thing that has happened as of late is that sprinklers broke on the first floor of my building, and the building was flooded. My friend Stu lost his laptop, but most of everyone's belongings was saved or salvaged. The hallway smells of wet towels. It was probably not the best way to start of Winter Break. But I'm sure that this break will be full of opportunities and experiences as soon as I stop trying to find a last minute ticket home.

Wish me luck,
Sara

Another Week of School

It’s Saturday afternoon, I’m exhausted and I’m in the computer lounge watching the Alabama vs. Florida game. It was intense in the first half but now Alabama has such a lead the mood is kind of lame. School is hard to talk about. I don’t know how the teachers come back day, after day to students who could care less. I had one student who told me that she doesn’t do any work ever. I asked her what’s the point of showing up. Her response was “I’m not old enough to drop.” It hurt so much to hear that. That the only reason she stays in school is because she’s not old enough to drop out.

It’s frustrating to work with kids that expect you to do all the work for them. I try to trick them into doing their work, but it’s difficult to do with essays, and after awhile you get so tempted to kick them out of the computer chair and just write it for them. I wouldn’t do it but it’s difficult. My team is affected by the lack of enthusiasm amongst the students. We dread having to work with certain kids because they don’t do anything. They just sit there, waiting it out, trying to get us to tell them what to type. This is Ameriku most accurately describes how I feel about some of these students.

Procrastination,

You’re here because you waited

Next time start sooner

In other news I learned that I’ve been writing senyus as opposed to haikus. Haikus can only be written in Japanese and are about nature. Senyus can be written in English and are usually in seventeen syllables or less, and don’t always have a five-seven-five format. I checked out a book from the library on haikus in attempt to improve my style.

I’m still in love with my team. I’m happy we held it together this week without our team leader. It was good to see that we’re self-sufficient. I didn’t think that I’d like them. I knew I’d like some of them, and that I’d be able to find common ground with all of them. However, I didn’t realize that I’d love them that I would want to spend time with them each individually and as a group. They are each in their own way so great, and so essential to the make up of our entire team. Well it’s time for crepes so I’m out!