Hey friends! It's Clare here. In just a few minutes, we'll be leaving for our first day of service in Tilden Middle School. We are all so excited to spend time with the kids and learn more about Philadelphia education.
Yesterday, a few of us went to the service for the church we're staying at, The First Presbyterian Church of Germantown. This is one of the most special communities I've met. "Diversity" is a buzzword that people like to throw around sometimes, but this church is a truly diverse place, and extremely committed to challenging the status quo and truly making an impact in their community. They have been so hospitable to us, and have made our first two days in Philly welcoming and comfortable. Many thanks to them!!!
After spending time with the church members, we went downtown to do some exploring before our meeting with our community partner. After searching long and hard, we found a cute little place to get some amazing cheesesteaks (or for the vegetarians like myself, veggie wraps...we were a bit jealous.)
We met with Public Health Management, our community partner, next, who explained to us what we would be doing throughout the week and helped us brainstorm. Tilden Middle School is a school that our community partner has been working with to improve learning outcomes and encourage investment in education where it has previously been neglected. We found out that we would be tutoring the kids and helping them prepare for an upcoming standardized test. Something that we have learned is crucial to education reform is NOT teaching to the test, but rather helping the students understand the material in an applicable and useful way. If they know the concepts and methods inside out, then they can apply it to what is on the test. Not only is this helpful for their own learning, but it allows us to be sure that the results of standardized tests truly reflect the levels our students have reached.
We will also be helping to run an after-school program, during which we will be helping the students develop a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) project. The idea we came up with at first was Sustainability, an important and relevant topic that we are all passionate about. Later last night during reflection, we picked this idea apart and brainstormed ideas, and we came to the realization that these kids may not care about sustainability and recycling when there are much larger problems to deal with in their daily lives. We realized that we have to use topics that are applicable and important to them, and that they can be excited about. James brought up a wonderful way to do this by suggesting that instead of discussing "sustainability," we help them to think of ways to take ownership of their spaces, to care about the state of them, and through that, to encourage ways of taking care of the spaces they love, whether that is through recycling, creative decorating, or any other ways in which they can sustain the beauty and comfort of the spaces that matter to them.
Well, our PB&Js are made, our coffee's been chugged, and we're ready to go! We're looking forward to writing about how our first day goes. Thanks for following along and being a part of our experience through your support and care!
Much LOVE from ASB Philly!
Philly Cheesesteaks! Thanks to The Wrap Shack!
