Final Service Learning Reflection #3

Easely has taught me a lot about discourse based on neighborhood and schooling. In Lives on the Boundary (Mike Rose), he addresses the fact that his neighborhood brought him to a place where he was angry and confused and stagnant. Because the area he lived in couldn't offer much, he didn't get to see the world for all of its possibilities. I believe that the kids growing up going to the Edgehill Center and living in that area are experiencing some of the same emotions. It is hard for these kids to be motivated in their schooling when they can't see themselves living a better or different life than they are living now. It doesn't seem that these kids are being taught to do critical thinking or that they are given enough attention in school or by their families. When tutoring the younger ones, they don't want to have anything to do with homework (not unlike most kids), but they expect me to give them all the answers. They are used to being spoon fed because I suppose the teachers and parents don't have time or energy to teach them how to teach themselves. Some of the older kids are beginning to understand the importance of being able to figure the answers out for themselves. Just like Mike Rose was on the boundary of staying in his old neighborhood or branching out to learn and study, these kids have a choice. But unless someone steps up to encourage them to pursue higher education and shows them the steps to take, their lives are still on the boundary.