Service Learning: Week #1
For a kid that dreamed of being a bus driver in kindergarten, I am terrible at taking the bus. On my journey, I asked a kind woman named Wai for directions. I mentioned that I was a student at the University going to volunteer for a class. She didn't know where VOA was, but suggested that I babysit/tutor her children. I must look trustworthy. To make a long story short, I ended up walking past the building twice but eventually got there.
After taking some grief for having walked past the building twice (Brenna and the Achieve! coordinator saw me pass the window both times), we had a short informational meeting. I worked with Achieve! last semester, although at the Lehmann Center rather than VOA. When asked what age group of students we would be working with, the coordinator got up off his chair, closed the door, and answered in a hushed voice, "Most people would refer to this as a 'gang school'".
Physically going off campus and into the city, adds another dimension rather than just "helping kids fill out college applications." I think that I am going to learn more from these students than they will learn from me.