Saturday's Post!

Saturday Jan. 22

Today is Saturday, and the weather was very nice and cool. Everyone got up on time and got ready as if we were heading to KIPP today. Yet at the same time we realized we would not be going to KIPP, instead we were heading home. We packed our bags, said goodbye to Beau, and gave our thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Landers.

Thinking back through this past week, the first couple days went by slowly. However, we soon fell in love with KIPP and the students, and time just flew by so quickly that we didn’t realized it was time to leave already.

These 10 days had been a rewarding experience for all of us. Each of us took away something valuable for our lives, and also moments of memories that we treasure in our hearts.

Tim is a determined teacher. Even though Mrs. Bailey had initially objected your poem, you still carried through despite the difficulties, and made it a meaningful and engaging lesson!

Francesca is diligent, patient, and willing. Your willingness to work not only on interesting tasks but also the mundane ones has left a magnificent impression of the Terps on KIPP!

Rachel is a person with very positive attitude. You were very encouraging and engaging when you taught. You brought so much energy to the high school classroom and gave more confidence to the students!

Bridget is a very timely person. You are always on schedule for everything and was always willing to help. You brought a lot of laughter to the group. Your knowledge of songs also shocks me!

Elma is always ready to go and always has a big smile on her face. You are the cheerleader of our group and always immerse us with excitements. You and Kim make the best trip leaders ever!

Kim is born to be a leader. You always take care of everyone’s needs and always has fun and exciting ideas (the decoration in Lander’s house was so pretty)! You and Elma make the best trip leaders ever!

Ariel is very persistent and brave. You always want to make things perfect and you would never give up. This is something we’ve all learned from you. Good luck with your teaching career!

Kelly is always so caring. You always pay attention to small details and you would never leave anyone behind. You are willing to talk to everyone and make everyone feel they are part of the group!

Nadira is very friendly and willing to share her experiences with us. You are also very good at arts and crafts. You always put a lot of efforts and do your best no matter how simple the tasks were!

Jessica is warm and sweet! You did a great job teaching the 5^th graders, putting in effort to make adjustments for each class. You are also very thoughtful and willing to help those in need!

Megan is responsible. You took great care of the group, and drove most of the time. Thank you for keeping track of the budget and left us $20 for last night’s dinner!

Mr. and Mrs. Lander are the best hosts ever. You are always so welcoming and made us feel like we are home. Thank you for trusting us to stay at your house. Without your hospitality we would not have the opportunity to be here.

Thank you everyone for making this trip happen! It was great to get to know you guys, and we are the best group ever!

Angela & Jonathan

Friday was an amazing day, so amazing in fact that I could not bring myself to miss any second of the time I had left, even to write this blog. But now I have had a day to reflect and there is a lot I’d like to say. First off I would like to talk about our final day. With the excitement of parent pride night still fresh in our minds we all started off the day excited. Especially to congratulate the students on what a terrific job they did. All of them were really excited to hear this and started the day off on a very positive note. After the initial interaction with the students I spent the majority of the morning of my morning preparing for the AP psychology class that me and Bridget had been given the opportunity to teach. At first I was really nervous about how it would go but the teacher was extremely understanding and helpful. Because of his guidance and support and the confidence I had in Bridget my nervousness soon turned into excitement.
When the time to teach finally arrived, we were lucky enough to have an attentive and engaged class. I believe that this truly was a testament to what a great atmosphere KIPP provides, and I really appreciated. It made teaching a great and rewarding experience for me even thought it was a lot of work. It also gave me a whole new respect and appreciation for all my teachers and the hard work and dedication that was required of them. I spent the little bit of the day remaining interacting with the middle school students. We played fun team-building games with them such as a toilet paper fashion show. I could not have asked for a better end to the day. Once again I left KIPP feeling impressed with the student’s effort and cooperation.
For our last night we did a few special activities including going out to a nice dinner and having a paper plate award ceremony. Dinner was filled with lots of laughter, great conversation, and delicious food, and we even got to spend a few extra hours with some of the amazing KIPP staff. The paper plate awards were a very emotional time and really made me appreciate my fellow terps and recognized how great each and every one of them is. They all had such thoughtful things to say about one another, and it was obvious that they put a lot of effort into making their paper plates special. The rest of the night was spent reflecting on our week, and having one last game night (one of our favorite night time activities).
Overall this trip was an incredible experience to me that is very ha to explain and understand if you were not there first hand. I love my team members, the school was great, and the teachers and students were inspirational. I cannot think of a better way I could have spent the last 10 days of my winter break, and would recommend and AWB trip to anyone who asks.

-Kelly

Also a little late--oops

This post was suppose to be for Wednesday, January 19th, but in all the excitement and what not I never got a chance to post. I remember that this was another amazing day at KIPP where we got to really interact with and talk to both teachers and students. This was also the day that Elma, Jonathan, and I tried to go to one of the public schools in the area to see if our group could come in and help out, but in the end, they didn't want our presence to "disturb" the students. Oh well.

Anyways, now we're all back the University of Maryland, College Park. It's weird being back at a school that isn't KIPP with no one sending love or getting excited because they have a chance to have a college student sit at their lunch table. I learned more from this experience than I could have ever imagined. I learned from the students, teachers, school leaders, but also from the amazing people I lived with for ten days that went from strangers to family.

From the students, I learned what it means to be passionate. These kids were so inspirational, welcoming, and willing to learn. I still don't understand how they go through such long days and still have the amount of enthusiasm they do. Even in the circumstances they are in, they have been instilled with this belief that they can make it to and through college. It's really amazing to think that a 10 year old can be motivated by the idea of getting to go to college. I'm not sure what I was thinking about when I was 10, but it definitely wasn't college.

From the teachers, I learned what it means to really believe in students. They told us about their frustrations with the school system, even KIPP isn't perfect, but they are some of the most dedicated teachers I have ever met. I was amazed to find out they give out their cell phone numbers to students and it's normal for students to call with questions. These teachers work over 9 hour days all for the sake of students. One of the teachers had a sign in her classroom that said "You can do this. I won't give up on you." During this whole trip we talked about problems in the education system and the reasons for such big learning gaps throughout the country. Maybe if all the teachers had this same amount of dedication and belief in their students the problem wouldn't be as extreme? Idk. Maybe.

From the school leaders of the middle school and high school I learned what its like to really believe in a cause. They answered all our questions about KIPP, what's working and what's not. In a rural area where the public schools aren't the greatest, KIPP seems like it's doing a great job. It's really refreshing to talk to people who are really making a difference and looking for solutions when they see what's in place now for rural education in the area isn't working.

From the Landers' I learned about compassion and kindness. They are good people, genuinely good people. They welcomed college students, most of whom they never met before into their home and made if feel like it was ours, too. I can't express how much I appreciate what they did for us, and I really didn't even know people like that could exist.

And finally, from all of the alternative winter breakers of this trip, I can't even express how much I learned from you guys. I learned about the world, about books, about cooking, about what "flash-dancing" was, and more and more and more. I didn't imagine I would become so close to all these strangers who are some of the coolest and most fun people I have ever met. I can't begin to explain how amazing this trip was and a lot of that was due to the amazing people I was surrounded by. So thanks, and I miss you all already.

Umm. Okay I think that's it.

- Nadira :)

Friday the 21st

"Kinda late" via Ariel

Before I begin, i have to attest to how much fun i am having. (yes this is in past tense.. I'm a little late). i am sooo incredibly glad that I got included on this trip. I am surrounded by great people, with great hearts, and a lot to say. So with that, I'm really enjoying myself here. A lot has happened between now and the last time that i had blogged, and a lot of thought provoking discussion has ensued as direct and indirect result of these events

The most importnat of which, is that I'm getting the opportunity to teac a class on Friday. This is not just any class; it's an AP Language and Compostition class. I can either interpret my feeling as extreme excitement or sheer terror. At the immediate moment it is the latter. I'll have to return to talk about how Friday had gone..........

now for the present

Now that I'm back at school, I can take the time to reflect.
My lesson that I taught was kind of surreal. I'm glad that it is over however. The kids picked up on how very nervous I was. That honestly bummed me out, but I got a second chance to teach! i walked into the room to return my book and she was preparing to teach her next class with the things that i had prepared. Knowing that at least my ability to prepare lessons was useful was encouraging.

Over too soon!

The house is quiet, except for the sound of the washing machine and dryer! Air mattresses have been deflated, unused paper cups back in the closet and the leaves are out of the dining room table, safely tucked away until another time. How we MISS you all!

We thank Elizabeth Doerr and Megan for the leadership training and care that they put into making the AWB-Gaston program possible. Hopefully, Megan will get over her cold easily, once she gets back to her regular sleep schedule! And, of course, we thank KIPP for welcoming all of you U of Md students. Without that opportunity, none of you would have needed a place to sleep down here!

Mostly, we thank God for each of you and the way you touched our lives. Each of you were thoughtful, enthusiastic in whatever you were doing, respectful of each person's belongings, feelings and opinions, uncomplaining and overflowing with gratitude for the chance you had to come to NC for your AWB. The birthday party was so amazing! You all worked so hard and so well together to make it a great beginning to my 64th year! Great poster -- delicious cake -- love the photo of you all with Pat Wu in his decorated U of Md classroom -- unique sequinned string balls -- fun poster -- and meaningful paper birthday cake with your sweet thoughts!! We love having AWB T-shirts as well! Thank you for EVERYTHING you each did to enrich our lives. Your presence is always welcome here so please don't ever hesitate to call and see if we're going to be here. We'd love to see you each again ... and, if possible, meet your family too?

May you remember that your lives may not always go where you expected. With faith and gratitude for whatever circumstance you are in, you will learn and grow through the process.

Blessings to you all --Angela, Ariel, Bridget, Elma, Francesca, Jessica, Jonathan, Kelly, Kim, Nadira, Rachel, Tim ... and Megan :)

Rachel (& Jim)

Thursday, Jan. 20

Today we woke up early to go back to KIPP! We met with the principal, Mrs. Barford, in the morning, and asked some important questions about the KIPP model and her experience working with KIPP. She was very honest and firm in her beliefs about the strengths of KIPP. She feels that KIPP is different from public schools because of the focus on collaboration between teachers to improve their individual teaching skills. She highlighted the importance of college as a concrete goal for students to attain after they leave KIPP. Mrs. Barford also stressed the need for more funding for rural education and for higher teacher retention rates. She feels that she will leave her mark on KIPP by higher student achievement, and emphasizing planning and assessment.
After the meeting, we split up to work in the middle and high schools. We worked on bulletin boards, graded, filed papers, and met with teachers to discuss lesson plans. Many of us have the opportunity to teach a class in the middle or high school tomorrow. Elma is teaching Comparative Politics, Bridget and Kelly are teaching AP Psychology, Tim, Rachel, and Ariel are teaching different high school English classes, and I am teaching 5th grade reading. We all had a productive day and had a great time getting to know the kids even better.
At the end of the day, we took the vans to Roanoke Rapids Amphitheater for Parent Pride Night. Parent Pride Night is a chance for the students to express themselves through music, dance, and poetry to show off what they have learned at KIPP and appreciate their parent’s continued support of their education. The students worked hard to earn their spot on the stage, and their practice truly paid off. We were amazed at their performance tonight! Each class, or “Pride”, performed a song/dance to express their classes’ motto and what it means to them. The middle school and high school’s band and chorus, the AcoustiCats, and the Gospel Choir performed their best numbers. The audience, family and teachers, was very supportive and participated in the performance as well. Parent Pride Night was a great way for us to share in the students’ success and remember the week we’ve spent with the kids.

-Jess and Jonathan

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Today was our free day of the week! We all got to catch up on some much needed sleep and began the day with some delicious French toast and blood oranges. The high excitement for the day was when Tim casually announced he wanted to jump into the beautiful but freezing lake behind the house. We all followed him outside to show our support for this decision and screamed as he jumped in. Maybe later on in the week the rest of us, or at least some of us, will also convince ourselves to take a swim…maybe. The rest of the day was spent doing a chocolate-themed puzzle the Landers’ had in the house and preparing for Rachel’s birthday tomorrow. We made a birthday card in the shape of a cake for all of us to sign and designed gift-wrap paper for her present and the frame for her good-bye gift. We also decorated the house with sequenced globes, balloons, a birthday banner, and baked a cake! All of this was done thanks to the closet full of art supplies we found in one of the rooms in the basement. The number of cute stamps and paint we discovered was almost overwhelming.

Cooking dinner was quite an adventure today. Pat was coming over so we decided it would be cute to make some dough, buy some toppings, and have everyone make their own individual pizzas. Remembering Pat was a vegan, we spent quite some time freaking out over making vegan dough, and then realized the dough we planned on making didn’t have any type of animal product in it, anyway. After this initial set back, pizza was a huge success! Everyone got to put on exactly what they love from our plethora of toppings. After dinner and talking to Pat some more about life, we played some intense but hilarious games of Cranium and Charades.

Today was a great day for bonding and having fun together. It definitely feels like we’re one big family, and I don’t even miss Facebook! From the puzzle debacle to watching Megan flash dance, there was never any lack of entertainment. I’m excited for tomorrow to at the school for some cleaning up and then back at he Landers’ for a birthday surprise. ☺

- Nadira

Saturday Jan. 15

Saturday was our first day not at KIPP, and we worked with Habitat for Humanity to experience a different kind of service. We split into two groups in the morning. One group went to a foreclosed home to clean out the furniture so it could be sold through Habitat for Humanity. The other group went to the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store to help move paint into the warehouse and organize the store.
We had all heard of Habitat for Humanity before, but did not realize the organization was so active in Gaston. The Landers, our host family, are active members on the board for Habitat for Humanity and were very appreciative of our help. Overall, we hope that our work with Habitat will allow the residents of Gaston to recycle their furniture and buy more affordable furniture. Profits from the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store also help fund future home projects.
The second half of our day was spent with the teachers of KIPP. We went to Pat Wu’s house on Lake Gaston, where we were treated to an assortment of delicious dishes courtesy of the KIPP staff. It was a casual night and many of us had a chance to talk with the teachers about their personal experiences with KIPP. Our conversations helped us gain further insight into how they teach and the pros and cons of working with KIPP. What most stood out was their passion for working with kids and making a difference in the Gaston community.
After dinner, we went home and had a great reflection about whether or not charter schools are the best solution for the US education system. Each of us was assigned a role in the education community as parents, students, or teachers from different backgrounds. We then participated in a mock Board of Education meeting where we could voice our opinions from our perspectives. We concluded that education is a complex issue and there is no quick fix to the problem. We finished the night with a fun game of Scattegories. We’re looking forward to going back to the KIPP school next week!

-Tim and Jess

Also From Fri, Jan 14

In the two days I have been here at KIPP I have already realized what a remarkable place it is. From the first moment I walked in the warm, friendly, loving, and supportive environment was impossible to miss. The walls are decorated with murals, quotes, college banners, and inspirational bulletin boards and the students and teachers never hesitate to make us feel welcomed. They did this by either inviting us to sit with them at lunch, “sending us the love”, or even simply saying hi to us in the hallway. These are all such simple gestures, but they have big impacts.

Not only are the students extraordinarily kind, but also they are extremely mature and have greatly impressed me. I have been lucky enough to spend an entire day with the fifth grade class, and I have never before seen such well-behaved 10 year olds. In fact their maturity surpassed some of my college friends. They come into class completely silent, are attentive, and stay on tasks with no complaints. And even on the rare occasion that they do get off task it takes as little as a simple hand raise from the teacher to quiet everyone back down and get them on track.

This good behavior no doubt has to do with the drive these students posses, which can be seen in almost every action. They spend extra hours in school everyday, ask intelligent questions, and don’t let any chance to learn go to waste. Today we gave a presentation about Maryland and opened the floor for questions after. Being use to the typical college classroom I wasn’t expecting many questions, but almost everyone’s hands shot straight up into the air with such enthusiasm and zeal. One girl even asked how college could help her change the world. It makes me hopeful to see kids so young so eager to learn and follow their dreams.

At first I wasn’t sure how KIPP had molded such inspirational children, but after 2 days there I have realized it has a lot to do with the hard work, passion, and dedication of the teachers. They go above and beyond the call of duty for these kids; tutoring them after school, giving out their phone numbers so they students can call if they need help, grading papers for hours, coming with new and better teaching methods, and most importantly creating a challenging and stimulating environment with out being sterol and harsh.

In sum, KIPP is an astonishing place that has surpassed all of my expectations. I have had a truly enlightening and thought provoking experience thus far. I cannot wait to be impressed by the students and teachers again the rest of the week, because I know they will!

-Kelly

From Fri, Jan 14

During my second day at the KIPP School I was able to share both Pride Time and lunchtime with the sixth graders, and although I enjoyed grading papers and tracking the students, getting to know them on a more intimate level, as more than just a name, was such a great experience. The students are very welcoming and wanted to know everything about me from what I liked to study to what my favorite type of music is, leaving me with little time to get to know much about them. Although the majority of our conversation was filled with questions about the University of Maryland, I was able to learn the most important ingredient it takes to make a KIPP student, hard work. Something that has stuck with me since our first day here was when one of the students told us, “Everything that we have, we have earned.” Coming from a very privileged background, I was very moved by this statement because most students I have encountered in my life seem to take education and opportunity for granted. The KIPP students, even at the sixth grade level, are so eager to learn and cannot wait to go to college. Over half of the students know what they want to study in college and even more than that know exactly where they are going to apply. This driven attitude has really given me hope for the future. Since I first met the students I have felt confidant that they will make a difference in the world. While sitting at the lunch table, today, a few of the sixth graders were asking me if the career they wanted to pursue was a good one and wanted to know if pursuing that career would help them make a difference in the world. With a smile I told them that as long as they pursue things with a kind heart and a straight mind that they will only do good for those around them. The students smiled in response to my answer and proceeded to ask me more questions about the entire college experience.

The KIPP students have a certain drive about them that seems almost unexplainable and made me want to ask if there was something in the water that they were drinking, until I attended a faculty meeting today in the middle school. The KIPP teachers are just as extraordinary as their students. This group of teachers is very proactive, supportive, and fun to be around. The KIPP students and their teachers share such a close bond and with a very experienced staff it is obvious that these students see their teachers as great role models. I have noticed that the passion and drive that the teachers have is contagious and it seems as though the KIPP students have caught it. With school days that begin at 7:30am and that end at 5pm these students work harder than most adults that I know and although they often get tired throughout the day they seem to continually work through it with the support of their teachers and their peers. Wiggling their fingers at one another and “sending love” to show support and appreciation is something that both the teachers and students are constantly doing throughout the day to show that they notice each others hard work and effort. Everyone at the KIPP School has been extremely welcoming and I have learned so much from them already. Being in North Carolina and working at the KIPP School has been an amazing experience so far and I cannot wait to experience the remainder of the trip.

Gooo Ravens!!!

-Bridget

Almost, But Not Quite

One job that occupied a significant portion of my time today in the KIPP Gaston College Preparatory Middle School was tracking. This means it was my duty to record whether or not the 100 or so eighth-graders were on the successful trajectory for the required political science class. This program highlighted two important points for the teacher: which students were struggling and which units were the most difficult for the class as a whole to understand. A low score in the former category indicated that the child needed more individual help and the latter category indicated that the problem was not individual, but as Mr. May, the political science teacher, put it, "where the teachers fail."

I noticed a reassuring number of students whose names were highlighted in green-- meaning they were achieving at the desired level, usually 85% proficiency or better. While the number of students whose names were in red (meaning they were achieving at the lowest expectation, with some scores as low as 20% proficiency) were far fewer, what I noticed was alarming: the same students whose names appeared in red for the previous units were still achieving at a red level.

The existence of KIPP is promising; it's a progressive new way for students to learn. It was developed so the children who were being left behind in the old model were given the attention they deserve. But what do these red names indicate? Students are still being left behind. It illuminated the fear of education policy officials: that underlying causes of the wide disparity in basic education are still going unaddressed.

KIPP is wonderful and definitely a step in the right direction, but it's just that-- a step, not the goal. As a nation, more active steps like KIPP need to be made and it's clear that as a country, we have a lot more work to do. We need to pour more resources into research and experimental education like KIPP so we see what works best.

The gap is getting smaller, but it's unfortunately still there.

--Rachel

FIRST FULL DAY!!

So we have all successfully wound down from our first full day of service at Gaston College Prep school. (This is Ariel btw!)
Going to the KIPP school was deffinately an experience. The kids in the middle school were soooooooooooooooo well behaved and excitied to be in school. It was nothing like what I have experienced.

Something that we had talked about in regards to this is is it particularly "normal" for kids to be this quiet? Does being educated in this manner affect social skills and development?

I have to admit that I was rather nervous to go to the school, but that quickly dissipated, the teachers were very disarming, and needed the help.

Something that i found rather interesting was the fact that they did not have a 'guidance office' in the high school. I personally spent a great deal of my time in the guidance office my junior and senior year. What GCP has instead is called their College Counseling Office. That is were career planning is discussed, college essays take place, and summers become doorways for internships and other cool educational stuff. Man, I wish we had an office like this in public schools.

Tomorrow I want to make sure that I have more of a presence amongst the middle school kids, I'm sure that they have a lot to share, and I'm eager to hear it.