In the years I've been in Charlotte, enjoying lunch a few times each week with friends was typical. Giving hugs to friends and family had happened every time we parted from a gathering. Because this was still the case during my last week in Charlotte, it didn't feel like I was leaving my home of four years. Everything that was usual for me in Charlotte was happening for the last time, in a while at least.
After a 15 hour drive from NC to MA, Boston greeted me with a drizzle of rain and the most concentrated group of welcoming people with impressive backgrounds I've ever met. I feel a little starstruck, hearing about the work that most of my peers have done before they came to NUSL. At the same time, it's very inclusive and my new friends have been interested in my background as well. The upper level students that I've interacted with have been giving me the inside scoop on my professors. It's going to be a great year.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Summer, where did you go?!
With the end of summer, there have been a new round of changes. Freedom schools is finished, I had my last Toastmasters meeting (finishing the competent communicator's series), my last show with The Flash Alchemy (a Charlotte band I play with), and I've moved from the Wright's home (a family that put me up over the summer).
Each morning at Freedom Schools, we started the day with breakfast, singing, dancing, and a read aloud guest. The point was to create an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. It's called Harambee (Huh-Rahm-Bay). The day continued with reading and activities. With a group of ten middle schoolers, we finished a book each week. In many of the books, the characters encountered issues that come with being an adolescent in the inner city. Working optimally with each individual was a learning process for me. For some students, a little quiet reminder of how great they usually do was enough to stop a behavior from developing. For a few others, it seemed like all the consequences, incentives, and praise available to me were not enough. If I have gained one belief from this experience, it's that teachers and students have huge challenges in front of them and deserve all the support we can offer. After seven weeks of reading and being creative with behavior management, Freedom Schools is done and I'm on the cusp of my first semester at NUSL.
We've already been assigned a lot of reading. It's exciting, although I feel a little overwhelmed. In addition to reading a few cases in the orientation material, my professors have assigned anywhere from 15 pages to 137 pages for each class. Fortunately, I'm not alone.
I've been able to connect with some really great classmates over facebook and our school's social networking site. They feel the excitement and weight all at once as well. I've gained quite a few tips and resources from many of my future classmates already. I can't wait to meet them in person. Move in day is the 28th and orientation begins on the 30th.
Each morning at Freedom Schools, we started the day with breakfast, singing, dancing, and a read aloud guest. The point was to create an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. It's called Harambee (Huh-Rahm-Bay). The day continued with reading and activities. With a group of ten middle schoolers, we finished a book each week. In many of the books, the characters encountered issues that come with being an adolescent in the inner city. Working optimally with each individual was a learning process for me. For some students, a little quiet reminder of how great they usually do was enough to stop a behavior from developing. For a few others, it seemed like all the consequences, incentives, and praise available to me were not enough. If I have gained one belief from this experience, it's that teachers and students have huge challenges in front of them and deserve all the support we can offer. After seven weeks of reading and being creative with behavior management, Freedom Schools is done and I'm on the cusp of my first semester at NUSL.
We've already been assigned a lot of reading. It's exciting, although I feel a little overwhelmed. In addition to reading a few cases in the orientation material, my professors have assigned anywhere from 15 pages to 137 pages for each class. Fortunately, I'm not alone.
I've been able to connect with some really great classmates over facebook and our school's social networking site. They feel the excitement and weight all at once as well. I've gained quite a few tips and resources from many of my future classmates already. I can't wait to meet them in person. Move in day is the 28th and orientation begins on the 30th.
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