Stories from the Field: Seeing Differences Journal 4

In my service learning, classroom I finally have gotten to know the students. All of them are different in their own unique way. The classroom is filled with primary students of Hispanic or African American decent. There are three students in the class who are white. You will see students wearing the same shirt or pants multiple times in a week.  The three white kids in my class you can tell are from a higher social class. They dressed in designer clothing and I never see the student wear the same thing twice in a week. One of the girls will always have dresses on with bows or ribbons in her hair where none of the other girls have that. One of the students on a sixty-five-degree day came into school with snow boots on. Some of the students don’t even have winter jackets. They will wear just a sweatshirt outside to recess because they have nothing else.  

 When talking to the kids I ask if they play any sports or do any activities and the answer from them all is no besides one boy who says he plays soccer. When asking them about sports many say they play football or basketball. I asked if they played for the town and they looked at me in confusion. They must play in their backyard or with neighborhood friends and are considering that as playing a sport. Some of these kids probably don’t even know what a town sports league is. I saw a girl doing cartwheels on the playground, so I asked her if she did gymnastics. She said her mom signed her up but never took her to her first class. You could see complete disappointment in her face when she was telling me the story. I've danced my whole life so for a few minutes I taught her some tricks and told her how amazing she was. The girl went from disappointed to beyond happy. It’s sad to think how much talent these kids have and because of their social class no one might ever see what their truly capable of.  

Many of the students notice my race and social class when I walk into the classroom. They will compliment my outfit and want to touch the jewelry I'm wearing. I wear a lot of rings on my fingers and you can see them staring at my rings when I’m writing something or pointing something out to them. They will even notice my makeup and are so sweet by complimenting me in every way possible. They will stare at my purse and just want to touch everything I have because they don’t have things like that at their house. When we go outside to recess, and I play with them there in shock that an older adult is playing football or soccer. Many of them ask me where I learned how to do that, and I will tell them it takes practice. So many of these kids just want to feel loved and if you show them a little bit of affection and attention it completely turns their mood around. 

The teacher influences the students in many powerful ways. She understands many of the student's poverty levels but will give them clues to tell their parents on affordable things to buy. For example, some of the students don’t have water bottles so she tells the kids to tell their parents if they go to the dollar store, they can buy a plastic water bottle for one dollar that can be refilled. The teacher is white, but I don’t believe her race effects the way she teaches these kids. I feel that she knows what these kids go through daily, that whatever she can do to show her love to them she does. When some of the kids seem like their having and off week or aren’t behaving correctly, she doesn’t yell at them she gives them space and asks them if everything is ok. For example, one girl has been off for two weeks now. She gives attitude and refuses to listen or do her work, so the teacher believes something is going on at home. The teacher pulled her aside and said whatever is going on you must look on the bright side and push through. If you want a happy life and a good job, a nice car, to go on vacation, you must work hard now to be able to reward yourself later. Listening to the teacher say this really inspired me and showed me how to handle a student if I am ever put in that position.  

It is obvious that poverty is prevalent in these schools. From just pulling up to the school and looking at the outside of the building and the playground you can tell the poverty level. The school is run down from the outside to the inside. When I imagine an elementary school, I imagine bright colors, beautiful pictures on the walls, things that will make students excited to enter the building every day. You don’t see this at these schools in Providence. The walls are all one dark color, you have a few things hanging on the walls but not many. I believe students work should be shown off more throughout the school, so they have something to be proud of that they can see every day when walking through the hallways.  

Overall, in the classroom I’m doing my service learning in, you see many differences in social class, race and poverty. Being able to have this experience and try to help make a change for these students is something I’m truly grateful for. Whether it’s playing soccer with a student at recess to make him happy, or listening to a student read her favorite book, I know I’m making an impact on these students lives.