Day 5: A visit to Annunciation Catholic School

 

This experience was a lot each day but for different reasons. Eventually I think I can say as a group we slowly become more desensitized to each of the things the kids did or said but the reality of the whole thing never changed. The half day showed us how these kids are when faced with a different day which can often be challenging as they want to go home the second they got there but this was the only day I saw the kids become engaged and want to get their work done to leave. This was so refreshing to know they genuinely cared about what they were learning when everyone else was, I think they have lots of difficulty with feeling left out with the horseplay so when everyone is working its almost peaceful. I also learned that L was an incredible student, had wonderful handwriting and liked space, would you have asked me that Monday after he tried to fight a girl over a foot taller than him, I would’ve laughed. This showed how the kids are kids at their core and how repetitive they often are and how it’s the teacher's job to break that cycle and push them in the correct direction. Even if that means doing it day in and day out with no change, because change is change no matter what.

 

Today at Annunciation Catholic School was a night and day difference compared to the previous 3 days at the Tennyson Center. Being in an environment where the kids are so loving, so caring, and so driven to be the best they can was so refreshing and allowed me to see how there are multiple forms of love. The Tennyson kids showed love very differently, they showed it through self-control, asking for help, and even fighting about what they thought was right. The kids at Annunciation showed it through their conversations, the way they wanted to know me, and how they cared for one another so openly. I have started to realize that love can be very apparent or very transparent and harder to see, but love is the same no matter the kid or the circumstances and I am so grateful to be able to realize and share.

 

This immersion was beyond what I expected in both good and bad ways. I enjoyed being able to bond with those around by playing hacky sack with the fellas or a card game called garbage with the students at the Tennyson Center. It was hard to sleep in a different bed and be limited in my pastimes, but that’s what made it immersion. Despite the Tennyson Center stories, I enjoyed my time there. The drama and dangerous situations are unfortunate, but behind the spontaneous nature of each student you will find a kid with a good heart who just wants to be loved. It was interesting to see how a student can switch from one emotion to the complete opposite for reasons you can’t see. I loved seeing how Tennyson preps each student for their next steps in life and caring about their future. The traumatic past of each student has permanently altered their paths in life, but every one of them deserve a life like our own – full of love and joy.