Mar
11
Family and Community
Filed Under Mentor Blog
(posted by Tech Lab volunteer, Kristen)
Last week, I went to West 7th P.A.S.’s writing circle and Technology Lab. It’s a small school and West 7th’s Lab attendance never fails to reflect that: our circle was small. Mary, an E.A., three students, and myself sat around a table in the art room. Some had a hard time getting there and another was saying he couldn’t write that day. Despite this, we went ahead and started a quick check-in about everybody’s spring break ideas. We made it 1/3 of the way around the circle when a student’s plans for sleeping in turned into a discussion about family; specifically, what it’s like to watch younger siblings get into trouble… How frustrating it can be to try and influence them to make better decisions. It turned out two of the guys in the circle had younger brothers of the same age and the third guy had a younger cousin. As the conversation went on, we were all talking about our families: what it’s like to be brothers or sisters; how it seems that all younger siblings, no matter how good they are at fronting otherwise, look up to their older brothers and sisters.
Comparing notes with others in the circle, it seemed that we could all agree that no matter how many fights we get into with our siblings, they are still important family supports, that we identify with and with whom we share some of our most personal family experiences. And in this circle of people with different genders, races, social groups and generations – the things that usually keep us apart – we could all relate.
The conversation was so good that we only had a few minutes to write together. But undoubtedly, the conversation inspired us. Mary played a spoken word piece about community, living in the hood, and change. The guy next to me started writing instantly, and so did the student across the table. We listened to the poem again and then everyone read his or her poem aloud. The students at West 7th never cease to impress me with their maturity and respect for each other, always listening and praising each other’s writing. And in this space, this classroom tucked in the corner of a small P.A.S. school, I have hope for community, hope for the change that is coming.
