Mairen shares, 

 

Leading up to my senior immersion, I was unsure of what my experience would look like. Little did I know each day would be different. My high school level class consisted of a maximum of 5 kids each day that spent a total of 30 minutes a day doing actual schoolwork. When I first walked into such a small class, I expected it to be relatively chill, but it was quite the opposite. Even with 3 teachers in my room, it seemed like everyone was going in different directions at all times. It quickly became apparent that different kids had different needs every day. On Monday, a kid showed up to school with lots of energy, but on Tuesday, he slept the entire day. What makes Tennyson so different from a traditional school like Regis Jesuit is that they cannot focus on teaching schoolwork until they can make sure that the kids are adequately prepared to do so. Some kids arrive at school incredibly sleep deprived and hungry because they may not have gone home the night prior, so the teachers let them sleep all day. They’ve created an environment where the kids feel safe enough to rest in. The most valuable lesson I learned on my immersion, from the Tennyson staff, is the importance of noticing another. All of the teachers, therapists, and YTCs at Tennyson pay such close attention to each kid and know when they’re getting dysregulated or if they had a rough day. They meet the kids where they are and understand that their behaviors, good and bad, were learned from environment they grew up in. Each kid at Tennyson has a different story, but one thing they all share is the struggle to present their emotions in appropriate manners. It took me a few days to realize, but this struggle doesn’t make a kid inherently bad, it just means they need extra guidance to regulate themselves. Whatever they learned from their home isn’t their fault, but it’s our responsibility to offer them proper support and guidance, however that may look. I feel so blessed that I was given the opportunity to spend a week with the kids at Tennyson and will never forget the impact this experience had on me. Moving forward, I am committed to treating everyone with dignity, patience, and most importantly, love.
    

Mackenzie shares,

After spending this week at the Tennyson Center, I will be bringing home a lot of different lessons. The first one being to have patience. Before I entered the school, I was honestly terrified and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I quickly learned that school has a lot of different meanings for these students. In my class specifically, school meant a lot of coloring and mindfulness breaks. I also learned from my kids that love presents itself in many different forms. When the students got frustrated or on the verge of a meltdown, watching the YTC’s calm them down showed me just how much love the community has. With all the struggles and anger the kids go through, it was meaningful to acknowledge how much support the students have at the center. Overall, my class challenged me to be open and forced me to dive into new experiences. I watched both the teacher and YTCs provide the students with an immense amount of support, and it reminded me that there is still a lot of hope for these kids. Therefore, my immersion experience let me learn about different perspectives and how I can make an impact within my community.

Ellie shares, 

Out of all the chaotic ups and downs the best moments were the calm ones that made the students feel like regular kids; playing cards, drawing, or having a lighthearted joke. While chairs could get thrown out of the blue, what really mattered were the conversations afterward. What I take away with me from the Tennyson Center is knowing that each day is about progress and showing up as much as you can for what really matters - people.

Paula shares, 

Coming into this immersion I expected something chaotic and loud, and while that was true for many groups at Tennyson, the group I was placed in was very relaxed. All the kids were very independent and most of class time consisted of watching cartoons, but I got to see a lot of their personalities shine during activities. Throughout this week I learned that a lot of them like card games, and while they keep to themselves most of the time, when we get together to play, they become very loud and extraverted. We bonded over shared interests like drawing and specific cartoons that we would explain to the teacher. During art class, one of the kids told me how usually people just act nervously and avoid them, but having someone enjoy doing the same activities as them and having a normal conversation was refreshing to see. While I had a calmer experience, Tennyson has helped me see the impact that simply treating people with dignity and encouragement can have.