RationalSnowflake

They warned us not to make promises we couldn't keep, and I was very careful with my wording. Still, as I tried to coax Tony* to go get a late pass from room 160, I worried about how he was interpreting what I was saying. "Hey Tony, how's it going? How come you're not in class?" "I'll tell you the truth. I was on my way to class, but my jacket got stuck in my locker, so I was late, and the teacher wouldn't let me in without a late pass." "That sucks. So you're on your way to 160 to get a late pass?" He hesitated. "No, I don't want to get suspended" "Why would you get suspended for being late?" "Well... I wasn't in my other classes today..." "Okay... but you're still getting marked absent right now... so you can still get suspended, and you're making it worse by not going to class." He shrugged. My logic, which seemed pretty flawless to me, didn't phase him. "

Today wasn't special or eventful in any way. It was just another day. So much happened, but so much always happens. As I went through the day, I felt it all getting away from me. It was too much to take in. I want to write about it, but I don't remember it. I'm going to try anyway. Here's a day in my life: 5:00 wake up. Tired. 5:15 go to gym 6:45 shower, breakfast, etc. 7:25 wait for Sam 7:35 drive to work 7:47 get to work. Circle. 7:57 write out my grievances about the attendance process (I was asked to do that). 8:15 power greeting. Saw K, told her I had something for her. Three students hugged me, two complained that I saw them but didn't hug them. 8:33 gave K the book Hyperbole and a Half: 8:35 scramble to gather materials for my tutoring sessions. Wade through the hallway. Lots of hugs, high fives, and "good morning"s. 8:40 class starts. Stay for quiz. Eight students ask for a pencil. I don't have any on me today, so they have to

Content warning: the following post contains details of sexual assault, and can be upsetting. If you feel like it will upset you, please don't feel compelled to read it. These stories happened to me, but they aren't my stories. They belong to all of us. When I was 12 I decided I no longer wanted to be religious. It became increasingly clear to me that religion was just something people made up, and I had stopped playing with imaginary friends when I was eight or nine. It also seemed, at the time, as though non-religious people had more fun in life. They got to eat what they wanted, when they wanted, without having to worry about whether god would approve. They got to go places on the weekend. They got to wear whatever they wanted. It seemed like the secular life was free from a lot of the anxiety that accompanied religion. (I was wrong about a lot of that, and it now seems like people of faith have it a bit easier in life, but that's not really what this blog post is ab

( The opinions expressed are not representative of City Year or AmeriCorps as organizations) According to City Year's website, and what we have been told (repeatedly) in training, we serve students who are most likely to drop out, using an approach based on research from Johns Hopkins University: (image source:  https://blog.five-startech.com/abcs-dropout-prevention-early-warning-attendance-behavior-course-grades ) Students who have one or more of these "ABCs" are much less likely to graduate compared to their peers. The good news is that students who manage to reach the 10th grade on track are most likely going to graduate. The crucial years, identified by Johns Hopkins and City Year, are grades 3 through 9.  I'm working in a high school, but supposed to be focusing on the 9th grade, for the reason mentioned above. Each of my teammates is assigned to a 9th grade classroom, and we go to lunch with the 9th graders. Our rooms are on the same floor as most of

( The opinions expressed are not representative of City Year or AmeriCorps as organizations) I don't often attach significance to objects. If I'm asked to share an object that means a lot to me, I usually struggle to come up with something, and end up bringing in a book. Books are great, but it's the words in them that I really care about. The same goes for all of the letters I've saved over the years. They mean a lot to me, but it's the words and messages they convey, rather than the pieces of paper, that I value. But over the past few weeks I've accumulated a number of artifacts from students, and these objects mean so much to me. I worry that over time I'll become cynical of them and what they meant at the time I got them. Perhaps negative interactions with the students will taint my memory of how great it was to receive them. Or maybe I'll just be sad, and let my sadness convince me that I wasn't actually happy about these simple things. Hopefu

The opinions expressed are not representative of City Year or AmeriCorps as organizations My last blog post received a lot more attention than I expected. Some of the reactions have been positive and supportive, others not so much. I really appreciate my fellow corps members and the upper management people who have reached out to me in the past week. Some of them have thanked me for writing and voicing what a lot of them have been feeling. That validation and acceptance meant a lot to me, more than they probably realize. I also really value the people who have approached me to try to change my mind or to question the assumptions and claims I made. I always want to learn and grow as a person, and getting that feedback has helped me continue to question and explore the impact of what I'm doing. I still disagree with many of City Year's practices, but I'm trying to learn more in order to build a well-informed critique, and offer alternatives. A number of people have encourag