In Class/OutClassed

I'm feeling very anxious to visit the high school. Not only have I always been pretty socially unsure, but despite coming from an economically disadvantaged background, I've been separated from "city kids" for a long time and don't know what to expect when it comes to their behaviour, attitude, and language (eg, will they be laid-back? Use a lot of slang? Be open to our visit?). I think that a lot of this anxiety comes from our use of the term "inner-city," which has a mostly negative connotation, to describe the school. I've worked at an "inner-city" charter school before, albeit one which was kindergarten-8th graders, and what I saw there was a little disheartening.

While I consciously recognise the potential of the economically disadvantaged and those from the city, I hope that this trip can change my subconscious feelings, showing me that there is hope for more of us than I had previously imagined. Their policies seem fairly strict, so I'd imagine that the majority of the kids will be well-behaved, and I'm interested to learn about their "school selves" as opposed to their "home selves." I also think this will be an interesting place to observe how the educational system enforces "middle-class values" onto the other classes.

I think, like many other students, I am not really sure what to expect when we go to visit the high school. Though in part, I think this is because I am still not very clear on what we will be doing at the high school, I also feel that my lack of expectations relates to a comment that someone made during the silent blackboard discussion – that she wants to go into the school with an open mind and take the experience as a learning experience. I completely agree with this idea, and I too, hope to go into the school with this mentality. I know that no matter what we will be doing with the students, it will prove to be a fun, learning experience for all of us.

            As we enter the high school, however, I wonder about some of the comments that were made during our silent blackboard discussion, relating to the way in which socio-economic background might play a role in these students’ lives and schooling. I also wonder if there will truly be that sense of students feeling burned out due to the pressures of trying to succeed in school and as a bi-product of teachers feeling burned out as well. It will be interesting to me, to see if these particulars of our blackboard discussion are present in the school.

I can't wait to visit the high school later this month. I definitely think I've had a rather sheltered high school experience and I'm curious to see how the students' experience here compares. Though like the students we'll be visiting, admission to my (public) high school was through application, I believe the process is a little bit different, which I'm sure affects the way the students interact with one another and the backgrounds from which they come.

During our silent discussion on Thursday, one of the topics that interested me was burn out (of the teachers and students). I'd be interested in speaking to students about their experiences of this, particularly because I saw it happen often among students – and sometimes also teachers – at my own school. 

I was also curious about the senior writing project that Sarah spoke about in class. Though we won't be working with seniors, I'd love to know how much of the school is built around this expectation and how much a part of school culture it is. At my high school, students taking senior english APs were expected to end the year with a writing portfolio called the "Senior Portrait" and I know for many of my friends and myself, the expectation of the project was nearly as consuming as the project itself. 

I'm looking forward to learning about different high school experiences from the students, and can't wait to meet them.

I thought the slient board was a GREAT discussion tool. It really made me start thinking about the high school. I like to come into a new environment with out expectations except the expectation to learn from it. But when we were writing on the board someone put on the board 'I wonder how it would have been if we had gone to another school without the high school's resources.' I think that would be a very different experience. Even though we're going to a high school in Philadelphia, this specific school requires entrance exams and has a strong partnership with a Liberal Arts College. I wonder if our presence will make more of an impact at the high school or would it have made more of an impact on a more disadvantaged school?

Going to the high school, I want to expand my knowledge about different academic situations and the impact they have on students’ lives. Having gone to the same school for 12 years, I haven’t had much exposure to different academic cultures such as public and urban schools and thus, I am curious about the way the different backgrounds of the students in contrast to those that made up my class will have shaped the students’ expectations for their academic and vocational futures. Since I will be volunteering at the high school in the near future, I would also like to take this as an opportunity to observe the situations that the seniors I will be working with have faced in order to be able to understand them better and become the best help I can be for them. I would like to learn about the overall perspectives of the class, about how they see themselves in relation to their peers, the world around them and the authority figures that shape their lives; however, concurrently, I also expect that my questions won’t be definitively answered as the students may not open up as easily. I can’t just come into the school expecting that they will tell me everything about their lives, especially when I am a stranger asking about their personal academic and home life. I also can’t just make assumptions about aspects of their lives which may not be true. In any case, my main goal is to make a human connection, to have this be a learning experience that will not only benefit me but most importantly, benefit them. 

I am very much looking forward to our visit to the high school. I am honestly not sure what to expect because having gone to high school outside of the U.S. the only idea I have of what public school will be like is from movies and TV shows, which is probably not that accurate. I am interested to see if the fact that a test is required for entry will make a difference in the motivation of the students. Also, if there are teachers and students who are burned out I would like to know specifically what causes this. I agree that this trip should be one of equal exchange, but I am not completely sure what I bring to the visit besides a “college outlook”. It will be interesting after my visit to reflect on what I felt they learned from me, because it will most probably not be what I originally expected

Hi again,

This is the second video I thought would be great to show everyone. Many of you may have seen it already since it's huge on youtube, however, for those who haven't, it's pretty valuable to watch (as are all the videos from RSA Animate). 

This video talks about reshaping educational paradigms. It discusses why our education system today doesn't work and urges us to rethink what education should look like and how we should be educating children in the 21st century. 

Again, I hope you enjoy! 

-Jillian

In thinking about what I hope to learn from the students of the high school, my gut answer is "everything".  I hope to learn what their lives are like, how they see education fitting into those lives, what they hope to gain from their education, and how they'd like to see their education change or grow.

In terms of what I'd like to take to them, I'm even less certain.  Looking back on myself at their age, one of the things that no one ever told me is that there is no single way to have a successful and happy future and what works for one person may be fundamentaly impossible for another.  I was also never told that one misstep, or even many, doesn't mean that one is doomed or that all possible doors to a fulfilling future are closed.

Hey everyone, 

I heard some thoughts today about working with high school seniors.  Just to clarify when we go to the high school we'll be with juniors and sophomores! Idk if that makes a difference, but just thought I would clarify :).

-Sarah