Back to School

Today I started my Practicum for class at Hoover Middle School. It's really close to my house, which is nice. When I showed up, I had no idea where to go, so I asked a girl if she could show me. She was nice enough to walk me over. I felt like I was a new student, going to school for the first time. I got a map of where I was to go for the first four periods of school. The first was an art class. I had no idea where this building was. The administration at the office was not too friendly or helpful. So i'm walking around aimlessly, I step in mud. Yup, it still feels like a first day of school. I ask a PE teacher where it was, and she pointed in the right direction. Meanwhile, announcements are being broadcasted. There was a break in at the school last night. They know its a student because of what was taken. They ask the students to write annonmous notes saying if they knew anything about it. I realize very quickly this is not Challenger school. I go into the first class. Most of the students are Hispanic and bigger than me. Kind of scary. During class I just walked around and introduced myself to the kids. Next class was a reading class and a language arts class. I got to tutor some boys who were having a hard time. A sixth grader was reading at a 2nd grade level. In the same class are kids who are reading at a high school level in sixth grade. This must be really hard for the teacher. The teacher was really great. She told me that she had taught in a private school and then moved to public school. She realized that at private schools, there is no challenge. The students are tested before being admitted and parents are paying for there kids to be there so there is not much problem with motivation. This really stuck out to me out of everything I heard today. These kids in public schools are in a tough spot. They are not bad kids, they are just in bad circumstances. They don't know anything other than what they have experienced, and they don't believe there is life outside of San Jose. Mrs. Austin was telling me that one of her sixth grade students was running away from home; her mom would be searching for her all night long. Kids are still kids though. Girls between classes were talking about Napolean Dynamite, and about how cool Tinker Bell was.

In general it was a different and scary experience. I realized how blind and innocent I was in junior high. It made me sad to see a girl eating lunch alone by a tree, and how I wish I could have sat with her and be her friend. Public schools face a lot of issues that private schools don't. The teachers at pubilc school have only 50 dollars for supplies. Teachers are selling pencils to students for 10 cents and giving lectures about ruining the supplies because its all they have.

It was scary being the new kid, even though i'm in college. As I was walking in the hall between classes, blending in with the hundreds of junior highers, I felt more at ease when one girl said hi who I had met earlier. I made a friend!