Eric Goolish
C & I 301 M
Community Service Hours
Bus Trip: 4 hours
The Chicago schools were shocking. I was very impressed by the
materials/supplies/technology Currie High School had available for the teachers and
students. I was especially impressed by the music room that I saw where each student
had his/her own piano linked into a computer. I also thought it was creative that the
curriculum was hip-hop/techno music because that is the music that the study body is
more familiar with. I thought this was a very good idea because urban students would
much rather learn about music they experience in their lives than irrelevant classical
music.
Moreover, I found it very interesting that at Currie High School, the students
graduate high school with a major, similar to how I will graduate college with
mathematics major. I like the idea of motivating the students to focus on a subject area
they like in order to promote post-high school education, but I question the ability for a
young teenager to decide what major to pursue. At Madero Middle School, I was in awe
on how well behaved the students were throughout the school. While I was walking
through the school during passing period, all the students lined up outside their
classrooms quietly until their teacher gave them permission to enter. When I reflect back
onto my junior high school experience, this behavior at Madero seems almost surreal.
When I attended junior high school, throughout the day and especially during passing
periods, students were obnoxious, loud, and disobedient. Perhaps the obedient behavior
of the Madero students stems from their R.O.T.C. program, which at the junior high
level, is very impressing.
Altogether, my experience in the Chicago Public Schools was very positive. I
thought the teachers in the classrooms were very genuine, energetic, and effective at
teaching. It was very different to be in an environment of mostly minority students
because I do not know their culture very well. However, although the city prides itself on
diverse education, I did not see Currie or Madero as diverse. Currie was mostly Latino
and African-American students while Madero was 99 percent Latino; I do not see this as
diverse, just ‘different.’
Jamie Escalante: 1 Hour
Although Jaime Escalante’s speech was difficult to understand at times, I enjoyed
my experience of seeing such an accomplished educator. While the speech consisted of
mostly stories of his experiences and did not give me specific methods for becoming an
effective educator, his strong desire to teach was very motivational. He proclaimed many
times that all it takes to succeed in life is ‘ganas.’ By the end of the speech, I was
convinced that with desire, anything is possible.
Central Tutoring: 4 Hours as of November 4, 2003
Throughout my first four visits, I have found the tutoring at Central High School
to be a very worthwhile experience. It is nice to see that students are coming in after
school to get help on the material they are learning in class. Very different than how I
learned mathematics, which was easy in high school, it is very rewarding to see the
‘average’ student work hard and come in after school for help. Moreover, now that I
have been to Central numerous times, I enjoy seeing the same faces everyday. It makes
for a very comfortable learning experience for the students.
Altogether, I think the after school program is a great resource for the students.
While there are only four math students on average, there are many other students
receiving help in other subjects like Spanish, English, and Physics. The teachers that
accompany us are very helpful toward the students and offer snacks and drinks everyday.
All in all, the after school program seems to be a successful, fun environment for students
to obtain extra help.
Central Tutoring: 1 Hour November 13, 2003
My last mandatory Central High School tutoring visit was my most enjoyable and
helpful experience. Today, the library was completely full of students getting help from
tutors and teachers (approx. 35 students). I spent the first forty five minutes working
with a freshman African American student on her algebra homework. It was very
rewarding working with her because we were both very comfortable with each other and
she said I taught the material better than her teacher did, which I took with great thanks.
After she completed the assignment, we talked for about 10 minutes about education in
general. I was happy to hear that she is very focused on her education and she wants to
pursue Spanish as a serious area of interest, especially in college.
After my first student left for the evening, I worked with another African
American girl who was also working on algebra. This experience directly followed my
recently constructed hypothesis that students who are in a comfortable and motivating
environment perform the best. I did everything possible to convince this student that she
was intelligent and could do all the problems without any help. As our session
progressed, I noticed that she began to hesitate less and answer the questions much more
confidently, confirming my hypothesis that all students are intelligent and can answer the
problems if given the correct level of motivation and confidence.