Today was my last day at El Centro. The entire week was a hectic one as we began closing procedures such as creating report cards and award certificates, and I actually learned a lesson regarding certificates. On Monday I prepared about 25 certificates for the volunteers that helped out throughout the summer. I used the same, approved format that I had been using for the Student of the Week certificates. On Wednesday I arrived to the office and found that the same certificates had been re-printed. My initial thought was "Oh no, someone must have re-printed having not seen the ones I made. What a waste of paper" (Sustainability issues have really stuck with me since my time at Dickinson). My supervisor, however, informed me that it was not a misunderstanding, but that the Executive Director had requested that they be done again because there was a slight problem: his name appeared BELOW my supervisor's name, and that was not consistent with their ranks. Apparently it's standard that the individual with the highest rank appear first on a document, even if it is only by a few centimeters. If I'm being honest, I was vexed by the fact that 25 sheets of paper were thrown away because of such a seemingly minor detail. However, I have to accept that these details are important in the business world and that the only thing I can do in the future is double check that things have been done correctly.
To officially close the program today, we awarded each student with a certificate, and hosted a talent show. It was so much fun to watch the students perform their original acts with such joy and effort. Before leaving, I approached the students that I worked with this summer and applauded their efforts. I also urged them to continue reading over the summer and to keep up the work to avoid being held back.
My experience this summer has definitely been one of a kind. I learned so much more from the students and from my daily tasks that I would have imagined. We have a long way to go in terms of our education system, and I am sure that programs like these are slowly but surely fomenting that revolution.

This week was eventful at El Centro because we had our Open House. This event is meant to showcase student's works and inform parents and community members about what the summer school program is all about. I spent the first half of the week sending out reminders, calling parents, and posting big signs outside of our school. When I was calling parents to remind them, I was surprised by the amount of parents who either said that they could not attend, or who simply did not answer the phone. I was initially frustrated by this because all the of students, especially the younger ones, put a lot of effort into their work, and I think it's sad that their parents don't do their end by going to these types of events. I also think there was some resentment on my end because my parents hardly ever attended my Open Houses as a kid. I also realized, however, that most parents couldn't attend because they had work hours that interfered with the event; this realization may sound very obvious, but I think it helped me understand that childhood issue I still had buried deep inside. In the end Open House ran smoothly, although with a small crowd. The Youth Advocacy Director, as well as the Executive Director, take this time to thank to different organizations that support the summer school program throughout its duration. For example, we had representatives from the Fire Department attend, as they graciously open their offices for our students to attend on a field trip. The students participate by decorating their class area so that guests can walk around and look at their work after the program.
This week we also began sending out invitations for El Centro's Annual Fundraiser Gala, which will be held in late October. We prepared approximately two thousand invitations! I'm excited to learn more about the preparations of an event like this one.

Trip to the library

These lucky students were selected to help out the musician on stage.

I have continued working with my group of 1st and 2nd graders. My feelings about their improvement fluctuate everyday. Robert*, the student who is at risk of retention, has made some progress, as he is now able to recognize some words that we studied a couple of weeks ago. However, other days Robert is hardly able to focus, and struggles with basic phonics. I'm conflicted with this situation because I wonder if Robert has a learning disability that has gone unnoticed, or if he simply needs more consistent one-on-one help like the one he is getting with me. The idea of Robert being held back for either of these reasons frustrates and saddens me, because neither of them are his fault. Can Robert's case be a result of the lack of funds and assistance in our public school system? I'm not sure, but I am going to continue to work with Robert and his peers in the hopes that this short time will make a difference.

About two weeks ago, Ryan*, and child with special needs, was enrolled in the program. He was the only child with special needs participating in the program, and the staff members were all ill-prepared to work with him. I say this because as a whole we didn't know how to facilitate interaction between Ryan and the rest of the children. This was unfortunate not only because it isolated Ryan, but because it highlighted society's general inability to work with children with special needs. After only one stressful day that Ryan had, my supervisor decided that we had to remove him from the program because he was displaying aggressive behavior. I understand that the safety of our teachers and participants is important, but I believe that if we, as a society, had more knowledge about the challenges that others live with, we would have been able to help Ryan more, and allowed him to have the same summer experience that other children have.

Today I accompanied the 1st and 2nd grade class to a small field trip to our local library. There, they saw a live performer who sang Blues music. It was great to see how excited they were, and I think that events like these at the library are important because it associates it with fun times.

After a pair of hectic opening days, summer school is finally well on its way. I mentioned earlier that I had selected to work with the oldest group of students, whom range from 7th to 10th grade. I was unable to start last week (when the program started) because my supervisor asked that I help inside the office while things fell into place. I was more than happy to help, but when I arrived this past Tuesday eager to begin working with the students, my supervisor informed me that I could no longer work with them because she already had too many volunteers in that classroom. The volunteers she was referring to had just arrived that day, and I honestly did not think it was fair that I wasn't able to secure my position because I was helping inside the office; I would have appreciated that she would've respected our previous agreement, and held my spot in that classroom. Although I was initially vexed, I chose to move on with a positive attitude and not allow this to get in the way of my experience at El Centro, or my perceptions of staff members. In the end this unexpected change has led me to work with a group of five 1st and 2nd grade students (a completely different age group than my initial intention), and I am really enjoying it, although it was proved to be a difficult task. The students that Ms. Dominguez (the 1st and 2nd grade teacher) has assigned me are struggling mainly with reading comprehension exercises. Of the five students, one particularly stands out to me for his inability to read at the age of 7. Kevin has just finished first grade, and although he is at "risk of retention," according to his report card, he has moved on to second grade despite his academic struggles. I am eager to work with Kevin, and I am really hoping that I will make a positive impact on his skills so that he doesn't continue to fall behind. Kevin's experience concerns me I know it isn't a unique one, and that there are many students in his position; it gets me thinking: who is to blame? Are teachers not giving him enough attention? Are parents not doing their jobs at home? Are students not putting the necessary effort? I think it's a mixture of everything, and it is clearly having negative results. I hope I can make a difference, however small, in the lives of these five children.

Say Cheese!

After the first, complete week of summer school, the kindergarten class waits eagerly to receive prizes before heading home.

 

Our local police officers stopped by to sign autographs - the kids were VERY excited :)