Living Instead Of Surviving

The Eureka Office of Education has an amazing “education” program  focused on foster and at-risk youth. Within this program there are levels that represent how serious each case is, and within these levels there are certain ways of teaching in almost a way of rehabilitation. When I went to the office today, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found myself in awe of the program but also intimidated. I had no idea how I can make this into a graspable project, even less when I was asked what I was planning to do. After talking more with Anna, I realized what I wanted to do.

Most education systems, are systems within a system within another system. These systems set some up for success and others up for failure. It is all standardized; one’s success in life depended on the averages of academic scores, while juggling a multitude of positions, because student is only one position in life that some hold. However, these systems only work on an average student with average circumstances raised in a different environment that did not depend on survival. Talking to Anna today, helped me want to create a project based on teaching curriculums, basing my service learning on assisting teachers in these classes, comparing and contrasting their teaching styles focused on these youth; what can be improved/changed?

The most challenging aspect of this project is having them not put a guard up when someone new walks into their environment and affects their learning capabilities or interactions, because I just want them to be themselves, to know that they have a safety zone where they don’t have to put up a front/guard/face. Another challenge, is how to inspire them, motivate them. For some kids this is it, the last chance they have before they get thrown into another environment, prison. No one is the same after that.