DIFFERENT CLASSROOMS, SHARED LESSONS

As we move through the week, we’ve begun to understand the kids’ routines and how the Tennyson Center is more focused on providing basic needs than a traditional education that we all experience at RJ. Though it has been frustrating not to fully understand why the kids act the way they do, offering them small seeds of encouragement and hope has been the best way for us to support them.

Our classroom experiences have varied, but reflecting together has helped us recognize that each kid needs a unique approach to support. We’ve noticed that age influences how they express feelings and how staff responds to their needs. Although none of us had a particularly difficult day, getting to know the kids and understanding how Tennyson operates have given us plenty to process emotionally as we grow into our roles.

After school, we went to a coffee shop, got ice cream, and hung out at a nearby park to decompress and spend some time outside of the house. This was really good for us to have a new and peaceful environment. After this, we came home and G, Mae, and Paula cooked chicken rice poke-style bowls for dinner. We ate lots of snacks today and had an extra long reflection which fostered really good conversation regarding our confusions, frustrations, and new understandings of our impermanence in the kids’ lives. Tonight’s reflection was by far the most emotional, yet beneficial because it humbled us and offered various insights into each group. Some of us feel out of place or helpless because we know we’re only here for a week and we’re struggling with how we can impact these kids in such a short time. Ms. Mihalco offered some advice from her immersion experience at Tennyson when she was our age: we are here to plant seeds of hope within the kids and show them that they’re capable of forming good relationships and giving/receiving love. Though we still don’t fully understand exactly how we can most efficiently offer support, we are committed to continuing the week with positive attitudes and the desire to develop connections with the staff and kids at Tennyson.