One of the most memorable things about my 10 days in Gaston is all the funny things that the kids that we worked with said. On the first day of Holly's class, she was explaining a story about a 20-something girl who was telling her father that she was marrying her 60-something professor. Some of the kids in the class shouted, "get it!" and "she must get good grades!" In one of Brian's classes a kid asked, "can I bring in magnesium metal tomorrow?" to which Brian responded, "what does that do?" The kid responds, "oh, it just explodes..." On the day that I got to teach Ms. Hatchell's environmental science class, a kid came up to me after class and said, "Ms. Le, do you play sports? because your calves are really big!" (To which I responded, no, they're just fat. :)) Getting to work with the students of KIPP and GCP was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
I is for I love the Landers.
The Landers were the best! They opened their beautiful lake home to us and from the start were very accommodating. When we posed the question, "chocolate or vanilla?" at dinnertime to sneakily attempt to find out what kind of cake Rachel would like for her birthday, she ended up buying chocolate and vanilla items for us the following day! We always came home to little surprises like that. I can honestly say that we all felt at home and that being in their home added a lot to the trip.
P is for persistent teachers who work from dawn to dusk to dawn again.
The teachers at KIPP were the most inspiring part of the trip for me. They come in well before school starts at 8 am and stay well past 5 pm. By the time they get home, they are too tired to do much more than pass out over a pile of papers (or so I imagine). It is really great to know that some of the hardest working people in the country are in the trenches everyday, working to improve the educational experience for the future leaders of the world.
P is for the participants.
I could not have imagined a better group! We all meshed really well and had such a fun time (when we were not teaching or napping). Among many, many games of catch phrase, taboo, apples to apples, jenga, hot seat, cranium, and oh, yes, mafia, we had a good time. Oh, and I can't forget the loud sing alongs we had in the car/the makeshift karaoke basement. :)
G is for Gaston.
I can't say that I could ever move to a rural town, but I can say that I loved the "road ends 1 mile" signs, the Hardee's in the middle of town and the Piggly Wiggly. The nice thing about being in a small town is that everyone knows each other so everyone works together. When some of us began to teach during intersession, we would drive to school together and I felt just like the teachers at school, bagged lunches in hand, setting out on another important day. I really like the sense of support that the teachers give and receive from one another. It makes the school really special.
A is for Arturo and his Arturisms.
You would have to ask Matt for more info on this, but in a nut shell, Arturo taught us about the importance of communication and the human factor (both of which are fan-tast-ic). I'm sure Arturo still has much to teach us! (And many more questions to ask us since his is a very curious person...)
S is for spell silicone backwards.
Brian: "N." ... Matt: "Are you stupid?!"
I love how Cranium brings out the love in people!
(s is also for sending love.)
T is for trip leaders, Clare and Elma.
CLARE AND ELMA ARE THE BEST! :) They planned such an awesome trip where there was never a dull moment. It would not have been the same without Clare's morning face and Elma's relentless energy. Not to mention our thought-provoking communities and list of house rules (don't eat all the cookies and if you're here, be here). A big thank you to you guys :)
O is for "Oh my gosh, there are cockroach eggs everywhere."
Working on the Habitat house was one of the most memorable times on the trip. I was personally horrified at the idea of working on the house. On the outside it looked perfectly normal but on the inside, it was completely different. Most people who know me know that I am a neat freak and that I love all animals in the world but I don't count bugs. I feel the opposite of love towards bugs. And the house was not in shortage of them. Besides the fact that I was walking into two of my biggest physical fears, it honestly broke my heart to see the inside of this house, to see pictures of children who used to call it their home and to think that people everywhere, on a daily basis live in these awful conditions. I really hope that the family is doing better and that the next family that moves into the house has a happy future. I really think what Habitat does is awesome.
N is for nap time.
The Lander's house and the benchmark room's floor are the best places to nap. I have been known to take a 4 hour nap on the couch before.
And now for just random things that make me laugh:
"I have no voice." - Christine, upon receiving a paper slip that says, "You are homeless. You have no voice."
Elma grabbing girls during Cranium to act out "chick magnet".
Brian and Arturo jumping into the freezing cold lake.
Katie's issue with clapping/coordination.
Dance parties in the vans.
And every game of mafia.
It was my favorite AB trip so far. :) And I learned a lot. Including how hard teachers work and how willing students can be in a subject that intrigues them. On one of the days that I taught environmental science, I asked my students a series of questions, such as "what makes a good teacher? what makes a good student? why aren't students always good students?" They let me know that they have the ability but are not always self-motivated to learn. They do believe, however, that an inspired, engaging and personable teacher can sometimes push them to do so. This trip really makes me want to teach even more next year.
Thank you to everyone for making this trip what it was!
Lien
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