Usually on these “reflect on your experience so far” blogs I find someway to avoid writing about my experiences as a whole so far. This time I’m going to make a good faith effort to reflect on my experience, in the internship, so far:
Overall, I’ve enjoyed this internship so far. Even so, I can’t help but keep wondering what other people are doing. I doubt, highly doubt, that other ASIP internships expose people to the social issues Betsy, Hallie, and I see and reflect on each week. In many ways this internship is more like a summer course than an internship--that comes with perks and downsides, though. :)
I wish our internship was just touring around Mississippi, meeting people (not jut speakers, but “everyday” citizens) and learning about all these problems, and trying to do something about them. It’s so easy to get engrossed in conversation and metaphysical thought. Hence, I added that last desire---trying to do something about the problems. If you delight in repetitious office work, there’s something wrong. I know it needs to get done, that’s why I do it. But honestly, regardless if my official title is ‘Summer School Assistant’ I didn’t apply and accept this internship for the administrative facet.
Talking to speakers, reading publications, and actually seeing the terrible conditions in the Delta and across Mississippi (a motif in the South)...that’s what’s it. After I accepted the internship, especially since I wasn’t looking at the internship as a way to prepare me for a career in teaching, I went through a rejection period because I didn’t want to get pigeon-holed into education. For many people education means one thing--teacher, classroom, students. When I said, “I’m working for the Mississippi Teacher Corps this summer”, I could see it in their faces and hear it in their comments. They automatically labeled me, “Oh you want to be a teacher? You want to teach?” First of all, just because I’m working with the Teacher Corps doesn’t mean I’m actually teaching (it’s understandable that they would think this though). Secondly, so what if I did want to teach? I always said I would not get into education, I was more into other social justice issues. However, if I examine my life since the summer before my senior year, I haven’t been running from education I’ve been running to it. Corridors of Shame, Teacher Cadet, family history final on integration in New Roads, LA, Black Power/White Money, The Springfield Project, Race and Education course, and now this internship--either I’ve been running to it, or I’ve just stopped running from it.
I have yet to soul search or whatever and see if education is my calling, but I’m more comfortable now getting more involved because I see it as a social issue. I still like law (or I think I do, I’ll suspend ultimate judgement until I actually have to do it). It seems here people don’t like law school, especially with comments like, “Usually people go to law school when they don’t know what else to do” or “We don’t need any more lawyers.” Who says you have to be a lawyer in a traditional field or even a lawyer at all. Teachers are the infantry men and women and when it comes down to it they are the crux, but the law can help education and education can help law. Believe it or not I think this internship is helping me see that.
Last academic year, my Freshman year, I didn’t want to tutor in the local high school. It’s not that I mind or didn’t want to help these students, it’s just that I think 1) I think most people get into to have something on their resume 2) it’s already so popular.
The short time I spent at the summer school and from what I hear from teachers about guidance counselors in the schools, many poor and minority students who have no one at home to help them when it comes to post-secondary education also have limited resources in their high schools--the place where resources should abound. This problem has been floating in my mind for awhile this summer, but a light bulb (CFL, of course) came on when we spoke to Teacher Cadet alumnae/TEAM teacher Danielle Hall--MyOp!
MyOp! is the club idea I have to start at Amherst (maybe even a non-profit, now I’m thinking too big, let me take this one step a time). MyOp!--My opinion, my options, my opportunities--would be made up a current college students who can provide college advice and guidance to students in critical needs high schools that want help. We’ll be with them each step of the way and what we cover will reflect the timeline they have to follow in the college applications/admissions process (e.g. we’ll cover the application essay and private/institutional scholarships before we delve into the intricacies of the FAFSA). Students on campus would be willing to do this. I could sign-out vans from the CCE and make the college put its money where its policy is. The front load of the work would come from working in partnership with the schools and teachers, finding out exactly what these students want to know or what would be helpful to them, and ways to present information to them so they can see see a better life within their grasps.
I’m such a college student. I’m a pragmatic idealist. I want to do so much and I know that we can. With all of this, I’m glad I met people this summer who haven’t grown out this ‘phase’. It gives me hope. :) -Radical.
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