Final Project Narrative

Being a youth worker for the last three years has opened my eyes to the reoccurring cycle of students dropping out of school and turning to another life. I work for the Boys and Girls Club of Providence and am stationed at Roger Williams Middle School.I have single handedly witnessed students and teachers arguing for 10 minutes straight over something so pointless. I've seen teachers lock out students they've labeled as hopeless  or troubled. The students that choose to attend their classes, spent the majority of the class period talking to their friends or logged on to social media networks. While the students who choose not to attend class spent their time walking the hallways and meeting up their friends. But you know what, I don't blame them. Everything nowadays is centered around standardized tests and scores. There is no socio-emotional learning, check ins, or conversations. All there is assumptions. Assumptions made purely on perceptions rather than facts. 

Needless to say, there is no sense of community in the classrooms. But what if we did have classroom community and unity. What would it look like? What would it sound like. I can tell you this, we would have/see a lot less students being kicked out of the classrooms. Students would be in their classrooms because they know their teachers want them there and because they know they will learn new things in a meaningful way. I believe students learn best when they have genuine and sincere relationships with their teachers. In order for that happen, instructors must emphasize their role as educators. And all educators must accept that they will have to learn from their students if they expect their students to learn from them. This is how we will ignite learning in the classroom(s). One way I will implement a sense of community in my youth space is by creating a community toolbox filled with activities and resources for both educators and students. Some of these activities will include Ice Breakers, Getting to Know You's, Energizers, Team Builders, Attention Getters, and resources on Diversity and Inclusion. This google drive document will be available on September 1st of 2020.