Lisa Jacoby Community Walk Reflection April 15, 2013
In reflecting on both the summer and spring community walks that I participated in, I have to admit that the spring walk was definitely more comprehensive than the summer. The summer walk included the basics of what was around the school. My team and I focused on finding the answers to questions like, Are there any grocery stores in the immediate area or is the area basically a food dessert? and What kind of recreational spaces for children exist in the area? We did not really look at housing, other than to take note of the superficial aspects of homes that could be seen from the sidewalk as we walked around the neighborhood. This time around, we looked for what the community offered in terms of support for both children and adults. We focused more on questions such as, Are there any kind of youth support and/or youth activities foundations and What kinds of services are offered in the community that are geared towards the wellness and betterment of individuals of any age? When the team posed deeper, more meaningful questions to each other we ended up with a more complete picture of what the neighborhood has to offer its residents, and whether or not the residents take full advantage of what is being offered in the community for themselves and their children. Through this latest community walk I found that the community could be a heavy lever for school reform. I say could because it seems as if the community does have a few programs that could really trigger school reform if they worked in tandem, not the isolation they seem to operate in at this time. As we talked about in the Payne reading organizations and community members must come together in order to create change. In my opinion, if organizations do not pool their resources for the greater good of the community then they are nearly working against each other. Families are either unaware of, or lack interest in, the Rebecca K. Crown Youth Center and I find the under utilization of the facility a travesty. I am also saddened by the lack of coordination between Bradwell and the youth center. Why wouldnt the school look into creating a major alliance with the center that would offer students after school programs and weekend activities that could be so easily crossed with activities at the school? Or has the school already done this and the folks at the youth center displayed a lack of enthusiasm about working
together? Why dont teachers have this information without having to look for it? I say the same for the South Cultural Center and the ETA Creative Arts Foundation. People from well outside of the South Shore area gather at the Cultural Center for various reasons but not once have I heard anything about anything taking place at the center that could benefit Bradwells families. Why wouldnt the Creative Arts Foundation bring some of those plays into the school for students to see or maybe run a workshop for students to participate in and put on their own performance for the school? I just dont have any evidence of an alliance between the three major community centers and Bradwell and I feel that is truly a pity. Imagine how many wonderful arts students could be introduced to and supported through if all of these entities came together inside and outside of Bradwell. I envision a place where students could go after school hours and on weekends to take part in activities that foster pride individually, and as community members. Surely, if these establishments joined forces to form a cohesive unit as just a part of their operations they could highly impact school reform. You know how in the lobby of hotels and motels across the nation one can find a myriad of brochures for points of interest in the immediate area and beyond? The main office of Bradwell should feature a section devoted to all of the resources available to students to families in the community! The assets I might capitalize upon are of the aforementioned centers. I would need to first identify the barrier between these places and the school in order to build a strong community relationship but I would start by inquiring about whether or not any of the directors, including the principal, social worker, etc. at Bradwell, have ever sat down and had dialogue about how they could come together to offer services that may improve the health, so to speak, of the community. If not, that would be the initial barrier I would need to work through the unfortunate, and all too common, barrier of simple and pure lack of communication. In terms of my classroom, the first barrier I will likely need to focus on is identical to the barrier of the community as a whole: communication. All too often kids are taught, either explicitly or implicitly, that verbal communication and/or expression of feelings is not the way to get along with others or solve problems. In my experience, students almost seem to think that communication is a sign of weakness. For me, being definitive about respect and communication, and modeling, and role playing of respectful communication versus the alternative will be the foundation of building a strong classroom relationship. Mutual respect is a
main ingredient in any solid relationship student-student and student-teacher relationships are no different.
