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
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