So, one great thing that City Year provides its corps members (CMs) is The Idealist's Journey, developed by Max Klau, which as CY states, "is more than just an opportunity for open reflection. It's City Year's leadership development guide, written to support and challenge each of us along a thoughtful, intentional process of developing into the most effective and inspiring leaders we can be." A deep statement, that is for sure, but looking at it, you can truly see that City Year is not only dedicated to the students it serves, but also to the CMs it brings on for a 10-month service year.
To break it down for you, we meet twice a month to have leadership development, which is a fancy name for a bunch of trainings that would have benefited us about 3 months prior to the time we hear them. However, one of the best parts of these days is our 1 hour (sometimes 2 hour) IJ (The Idealist's Journey) sessions. I have never been someone big on reflection, so at first I didn't put too much thought into my answers to the exercises, nor did I share much among my IJ group. That began to transition though when I finally was able to admit to myself that I no longer knew what I wanted in life.
As my team leader (TL) so eloquently put it last week, I fell on my face pretty hard in the first half of my service (metaphorically ya fools!). I had lost the assurance of what I wanted to do in my life, I was, to put it plainly, lost. I think that is one of the hardest things in the world to admit, similar (in my opinion) to admitting alcohol dependency. By stating you are lost, you are grasping at straws, at any outstretched arm someone lends to help stabilize your ship as it sinks. Little do you know, no one can save you, you simply have to sink, admit to the world you fucked up, go back to the drawing board and build a better, stronger ship.
I left college with a feeling of "Lost" in life. I didn't know where I wanted to go anymore. I was at a crossroads, but the fog was so heavy I thought one step would drop me off a cliff. Coming to CY helped me to lighten this fog so I could see I hadn;t lost my passions or options in life. My TL, without knowing it, made me question, ponder, and reflect on my life and where it was going. Through this, I realized, and slowly accepted, how lost I truly was, which was a hard kick in the ass.
I wrote what I think is a pretty great reflection that sums up me new blue prints for my "ship" (which, if you haven't gathered this by now, the ship is my life). This reflection came to be in IJ Exercise #13: Reflecting on Our Leadership after City Year. I will try to write this exactly as I wrote it in the IJ book...
"Prior to CY, I always had the plan to get my masters at Wayne. I knew this program would help me become a stronger applicant in a pool of so many stronger applicants. As this year winds down, one plan has not changes, I will be going to Wayne for my M.S. in Basic Medical Sciences.
However, what has changed are my plans after that. I am now kicking it into high gear, studying to take the MCAT June 21, 2014 and apply to medical school this summer. Another big change CY sparked, is my new passion to become a Naval Medical Doctor. I would love to continue to serve in whatever way possible, following any doors national service continues to open for me.
CY has inspired me, pushed me, and driven me to become a better all around person. One who uses their passions to better the lives of others.
There are no limits to what I can do, CY and its members have shown me that.
I CAN rock the MCAT.
I CAN get into medical school.
I WILL join the Navy.
I WILL change someones life through medicine.
I WILL become a Doctor Without Borders.
I CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO."
It is hard to believe how many young people feel "Lost" following college, having earned a degree, but no idea what they want to do with it. It is my belief that we get stuck in a dead end job because we fear admitting that we are lost, that we no longer have a grasp on what we love to do.
To those that are lost, I hope that you have someone like my TL, that will be honest with you (though the honesty will suck at times), providing you with the right questions to ponder. Through that, I hope you can find yourself again, and in that, regain control on your true passion in life.
To those that know what they love, and are struggling to achieve that goal, I hope that you find someone (like my TL) that will never lose faith in you, that will continue to push you, and continue to hold you to a standard higher than you hold yourself. I promise you it will make you a better person, and strengthen you as an individual, but more importantly, as a leader.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
Halfway Through the Year
Hey y'all. To start things off, I would like to say Happy Holiday and Happy New Year to all!! Sorry for the long delay since my last post, but I did not really feel there was anything worth posting at the time. December wrapped up as a slightly crazy month in school. Lost of kids were losing their minds, for reasons that I still do not understand. It was as if they all decided that on a different day of the month they were going to drive on corps member completely crazy. Needless to say, they succeeded, as they always seem to do. The more odd part though, at least for myself, is that I always come back the next day wanting to see the kids that drove me up a wall the day prior. It truly is a love hate relationship haha.
In totally unrelated news, I got the most adorable Christmas cards from one of my students on our last day in school before the holidays! She was so excited to give it to me, yet so nervous at the same time, it was just adorable.
I guess keeping with the string of exciting news, I NOW HAVE A TEACHER!!!! The day of long-term substitutes is over, and a stable teacher will now be in command of my classroom!! It is lovely. And for those of you who thought I was teaching, I am not, I am a 1:1 tutor/mentor for students in my ELA class. For a long time now, I have had no teacher, therefore no real structure in a lesson plan, so that made tutoring a little tough. But in the one week that I had a real teacher, there was more coursework than I think me or my students were expecting, it was glorious!! This new teacher seems pretty cool, she is about 25, so pretty young (I think this is one of her first gigs), but it will help her be able to relate more to the students, so I think that will be beneficial.
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Branching away from work for a moment... Some of you probably know that each year my family has a crazy party on New Year's Eve, which tends to serve in large part as a family get together, but also as a way to see family friends. This year, despite the emcee being out of the country once again to serve in the Peace Corps in Madagascar, we were able to make the event happen! The family came in (for the most part, Keenan we were missin ya man) and we were all able to continue a tradition that has been going on for longer than I can remember. It is crazy to think that as we all get older, we are still able to find time to come together as a group and hangout like we were 12 again. I hope that as we all continue to get older, settle down, maybe start families, we will still be able to keep the tradition going, and maybe turn it into something that we can pass down to our kids.
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Okay, now back to work! As this second half of the year starts, a few things will change as far as what I do on a daily basis. Now that my role as a CM is perfectly defined, as well as my role as the Attendance Coordinator for the 9th grade, I will be pulling kids out of class on a more regular basis to tutor them in a more structured setting. In addition to that, I will be working harder to create attendance initiatives that I had proposed before the first semester ended, as well as working to implement them for the teams and students that win. I know none of that may make sense now, but hopefully it will make more sense as the year moves forward.
That is all I have for now, but I will try to make sure I keep this posting to a month by month basis from here on out!
Happy 2014!!!
In totally unrelated news, I got the most adorable Christmas cards from one of my students on our last day in school before the holidays! She was so excited to give it to me, yet so nervous at the same time, it was just adorable.
I guess keeping with the string of exciting news, I NOW HAVE A TEACHER!!!! The day of long-term substitutes is over, and a stable teacher will now be in command of my classroom!! It is lovely. And for those of you who thought I was teaching, I am not, I am a 1:1 tutor/mentor for students in my ELA class. For a long time now, I have had no teacher, therefore no real structure in a lesson plan, so that made tutoring a little tough. But in the one week that I had a real teacher, there was more coursework than I think me or my students were expecting, it was glorious!! This new teacher seems pretty cool, she is about 25, so pretty young (I think this is one of her first gigs), but it will help her be able to relate more to the students, so I think that will be beneficial.
-----------------------------------------------
Branching away from work for a moment... Some of you probably know that each year my family has a crazy party on New Year's Eve, which tends to serve in large part as a family get together, but also as a way to see family friends. This year, despite the emcee being out of the country once again to serve in the Peace Corps in Madagascar, we were able to make the event happen! The family came in (for the most part, Keenan we were missin ya man) and we were all able to continue a tradition that has been going on for longer than I can remember. It is crazy to think that as we all get older, we are still able to find time to come together as a group and hangout like we were 12 again. I hope that as we all continue to get older, settle down, maybe start families, we will still be able to keep the tradition going, and maybe turn it into something that we can pass down to our kids.
------------------------------------------------
Okay, now back to work! As this second half of the year starts, a few things will change as far as what I do on a daily basis. Now that my role as a CM is perfectly defined, as well as my role as the Attendance Coordinator for the 9th grade, I will be pulling kids out of class on a more regular basis to tutor them in a more structured setting. In addition to that, I will be working harder to create attendance initiatives that I had proposed before the first semester ended, as well as working to implement them for the teams and students that win. I know none of that may make sense now, but hopefully it will make more sense as the year moves forward.
That is all I have for now, but I will try to make sure I keep this posting to a month by month basis from here on out!
Happy 2014!!!
Friday, November 15, 2013
At a loss for words
So, I took this day off, before realizing that I don't really have anything to do when I am not at work! Luckily, my parents are in the area and I am going to meet up with my mom and go check out some houses in the Detroit area.
To go off on a slight tangent for one second that has nothing to do with my year of service... Rory, please focus intently on this next part. If you choose to stay for a third year, I will personally come down there and beat you senseless! This is going to get slightly selfish, but what the F man. I get that you are doing an awesome thing down there and that you are absolutely loving it (which I am stoked to hear :D ), but you left at 24 and you are going to come back and I will be 24... That's FUCKED. I don't get these years back with you, and I don't want to keep losing them! I guess what it comes down to is that I miss you dude. Sometimes, I try to remember some of the last things that you and I talked about before you got on the plane, and all that comes to mind is me forcing you to do the "Fin. Noggin'. Dude." thing, despite you fighting me to do so. I would like to formally thank you for that, it is one of my favorite memories to access when I am thinking of you. Off my soap box, I am glad to hear that you are loving your service, and that this experience is truly opening your eyes to different ways of life.
NOW, to come back to what this blog was originally intended for...
After my classroom switch, I have spent the last month or so of my service working with a substitute that had taken the approach, "I am just a babysitter." Which as a CM in her room, was slightly frustrating, because my students were not doing any work, or the work they were doing was below their levels. I am proud to say that my sub has since been hired as a long term sub (not because she is a great teacher), but because my students will now start to follow a lesson plan, and I will actually be tutoring students.
I am hoping that the lesson plan will begin to fix the behavioral issues that have been happening in my class as a result of the substitute (and what I attribute to being bored with no work), but only time will tell that. I will keep y'all updated for sure.
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If you have been following the Detroit news at all, you may have seen news of a student at East Detroit High School (my school) that was hospitalized one week ago today, following a tragic accident in the swimming pool. It is with great sadness that I inform you that student (whose name I am not sure I can state for legal reasons) passed away on Monday night. It is hard to state just how I feel regarding this loss of a young child, but I think that frustrated would sum it up very well.
I do not mean to lay this news on anyone at the end and just leave, but I am not sure how else I could inform you of what happened. I am trying to look into how I can do something for the family (legally, that is within the boundaries of my Americorps contract) and if you have any ideas, please share them!
To go off on a slight tangent for one second that has nothing to do with my year of service... Rory, please focus intently on this next part. If you choose to stay for a third year, I will personally come down there and beat you senseless! This is going to get slightly selfish, but what the F man. I get that you are doing an awesome thing down there and that you are absolutely loving it (which I am stoked to hear :D ), but you left at 24 and you are going to come back and I will be 24... That's FUCKED. I don't get these years back with you, and I don't want to keep losing them! I guess what it comes down to is that I miss you dude. Sometimes, I try to remember some of the last things that you and I talked about before you got on the plane, and all that comes to mind is me forcing you to do the "Fin. Noggin'. Dude." thing, despite you fighting me to do so. I would like to formally thank you for that, it is one of my favorite memories to access when I am thinking of you. Off my soap box, I am glad to hear that you are loving your service, and that this experience is truly opening your eyes to different ways of life.
NOW, to come back to what this blog was originally intended for...
After my classroom switch, I have spent the last month or so of my service working with a substitute that had taken the approach, "I am just a babysitter." Which as a CM in her room, was slightly frustrating, because my students were not doing any work, or the work they were doing was below their levels. I am proud to say that my sub has since been hired as a long term sub (not because she is a great teacher), but because my students will now start to follow a lesson plan, and I will actually be tutoring students.
I am hoping that the lesson plan will begin to fix the behavioral issues that have been happening in my class as a result of the substitute (and what I attribute to being bored with no work), but only time will tell that. I will keep y'all updated for sure.
-----------------------------------
If you have been following the Detroit news at all, you may have seen news of a student at East Detroit High School (my school) that was hospitalized one week ago today, following a tragic accident in the swimming pool. It is with great sadness that I inform you that student (whose name I am not sure I can state for legal reasons) passed away on Monday night. It is hard to state just how I feel regarding this loss of a young child, but I think that frustrated would sum it up very well.
I do not mean to lay this news on anyone at the end and just leave, but I am not sure how else I could inform you of what happened. I am trying to look into how I can do something for the family (legally, that is within the boundaries of my Americorps contract) and if you have any ideas, please share them!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Class Switch
Hey everyone, I know it has been a very long time since I last updated this blog, but here goes...
This is a post I had started writing during my first week, but never finished, yet I am putting it in anyway:
So as y'all know, I have been placed in East Detroit High School in Eastpointe. The school is HUGE, not even exaggerating at all. I have been lost inside that place more times than I can count, but getting lost did help me find my way around much better than I thought it would. School started on Tuesday with registration and a half day of classes. Registration was pretty much unorganized chaos, which as you can imagine, was just chaos! Once that was finally over, which took most of the half-day, classes seemed to be over. We stayed in school until about 3:00pm to work on some things as well as help out the 9th grade teachers with last minute things. Wednesday was our first true day in class, working with students, and explaining to them what City Year is! Unfortunately, there was not much work to do because teachers were going over the syllabi for their respective classes, but that meant there was plenty of time to interact with students and just get to know them. The kids are super cool!!! It has only been a few days and they are already so receptive to us, it's awesome!
I have been working for the last month or so making/creating this staff appreciation event for the 9th grade teachers that we work with, and now that it is almost here, I cannot wait until it is over. Luckily I have a great team of CMs that I work alongside, so I know we will be able to make it a success no matter what goes wrong.
Up until this point, I have been in a 9th grade English Foundations class, but tomorrow morning I will no longer be in that class. I am getting switched into a new 9th grade English class, where I will serve my final 9 months (or so I hope)! It will be a little weird to be a new kid in a class again, but on the plus side I know most of the kids in the class I am getting switched into. They are reading a different book than the class I was in though, so I am in a mad scramble to try to catch up in The Pigman, which is what this class is reading.
I will keep y'all posted with how my class switch goes, and how staff appreciation day goes! Here's hoping they both go well!
This is a post I had started writing during my first week, but never finished, yet I am putting it in anyway:
So as y'all know, I have been placed in East Detroit High School in Eastpointe. The school is HUGE, not even exaggerating at all. I have been lost inside that place more times than I can count, but getting lost did help me find my way around much better than I thought it would. School started on Tuesday with registration and a half day of classes. Registration was pretty much unorganized chaos, which as you can imagine, was just chaos! Once that was finally over, which took most of the half-day, classes seemed to be over. We stayed in school until about 3:00pm to work on some things as well as help out the 9th grade teachers with last minute things. Wednesday was our first true day in class, working with students, and explaining to them what City Year is! Unfortunately, there was not much work to do because teachers were going over the syllabi for their respective classes, but that meant there was plenty of time to interact with students and just get to know them. The kids are super cool!!! It has only been a few days and they are already so receptive to us, it's awesome!
I have been working for the last month or so making/creating this staff appreciation event for the 9th grade teachers that we work with, and now that it is almost here, I cannot wait until it is over. Luckily I have a great team of CMs that I work alongside, so I know we will be able to make it a success no matter what goes wrong.
Up until this point, I have been in a 9th grade English Foundations class, but tomorrow morning I will no longer be in that class. I am getting switched into a new 9th grade English class, where I will serve my final 9 months (or so I hope)! It will be a little weird to be a new kid in a class again, but on the plus side I know most of the kids in the class I am getting switched into. They are reading a different book than the class I was in though, so I am in a mad scramble to try to catch up in The Pigman, which is what this class is reading.
I will keep y'all posted with how my class switch goes, and how staff appreciation day goes! Here's hoping they both go well!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Placement
Hey y'all!
Last week Thursday I was fortunate enough to be placed into the school I will serve in for the next 10 months! Myself, along with an amazing team of 6 other corps members and our team leader, will be heading out to Eastpointe for a first year partnership with East Detroit High School. I still do not know that much yet, but I will keep you all updated once I do know more. The little I do know is that we will be working in 9th grade (maybe 10th) with math and english teachers. As far as my actual job goes, I know more about that too! I will be a tutor and mentor to students in East Detroit, but will focus my work on those in 9th grade. In addition to my work during the school day, I will be working after school tutoring programs, as well as helping out with after school programs already in existence. I have inquired a little as to whether or not I will be able to create a new after school program, but as I am only there for 10 months, and CY (City Year) wants a program that lasts after me, it becomes a little more difficult.
As I learn more, I will post more information! But for now, here are some Detroit pictures that are long overdue:
Heidelberg Project
My living room
View from my living room windows. Includes: Canada, Belle Isle, Lake St. Claire, and Detroit River
Comerica Park
Heidelberg Project
Last week Thursday I was fortunate enough to be placed into the school I will serve in for the next 10 months! Myself, along with an amazing team of 6 other corps members and our team leader, will be heading out to Eastpointe for a first year partnership with East Detroit High School. I still do not know that much yet, but I will keep you all updated once I do know more. The little I do know is that we will be working in 9th grade (maybe 10th) with math and english teachers. As far as my actual job goes, I know more about that too! I will be a tutor and mentor to students in East Detroit, but will focus my work on those in 9th grade. In addition to my work during the school day, I will be working after school tutoring programs, as well as helping out with after school programs already in existence. I have inquired a little as to whether or not I will be able to create a new after school program, but as I am only there for 10 months, and CY (City Year) wants a program that lasts after me, it becomes a little more difficult.
As I learn more, I will post more information! But for now, here are some Detroit pictures that are long overdue:
Monday, August 19, 2013
One Week Out!
So, it has been a while since I have written in this, but that is for good reason. In my last post I mentioned that the Americorps does a GRRRRRREAT job of keeping their corps members in the dark on everything, which I promise I am not exaggerating here. In the most recent month, I have since learned that I have a registration date on August 7th, at which I will probably fill out paperwork and get my uniform, but all i have been told officially is to arrive at headquarters at 8:00 am. I do know that I begin my year of service on August 12th at 8:00 am, but other than that, your guess is as good as mine!! To try to help build up our hype and excitement, we have been playing Detroit trivia through our Facebook page. I must mention that I am surprisingly terrible at this, but I have committed to not looking up any questions on the internet, so that is my excuse.
Now, on to more exciting news... I HAVE AN APARTMENT!! Jimmy Johnson, along with myself, have signed an apartment in Detroit, in the Lafayette Towers! We are on the 17th floor of the East tower, with a breath-taking view of Belle Isle, the Detroit river, Windsor, and Lake St. Claire. As Sarah Palin would say, "We can keep an eye on our neighbors to the North from our apartment!" Yeah, I just tossed that out there. Also from our super sweet apartment, you can see the Dequindre Cut. For all you that don't know what the Dequindre Cut is, it is a trail that connects the Eastern Market to the RiverFront. It is about 1.6 miles, and only for runners and bikers... well walkers too! It is great for runs, although despite the well lit path, I am still afraid to run at night when it is only lit by lamps.
Now, for all of you that live near the city, but rarely venture out because, well, Detroit has the reputation it does, I would highly encourage you to reconsider. The city, at least it appears to me, is safer than you may think it is at all hours of the day and night! A few things I have noticed in my few weeks there:
1. Dan Gilbert is THE MAN! The things this one guy has done for the City is crazy. If you have an hour for lunch, go to Campus Martius Park, just do it. In slight spoiler alert, you will find sheds with all the great restaurants & bars in Detroit selling mini menus of some of there best foods! Also, you will notice there are these white bikes locked up outside the Quicken Loans/Chase tower. Not entirely sure what they are yet, but I have heard they are free and you can borrow one for a few hours, bike around the city and check stuff out and return it to one of many of these bike racks throughout the city!
2. GM puts on free concerts on the riverfront every Friday night!!! There are only a few left, so I encourage you to get out there while you still can. After all, who turns down a free concert?!
3. Detroit is just a blast to walk around. There are so many great things happening here each day, as well as so many hidden gems in this city!
Now, on to more exciting news... I HAVE AN APARTMENT!! Jimmy Johnson, along with myself, have signed an apartment in Detroit, in the Lafayette Towers! We are on the 17th floor of the East tower, with a breath-taking view of Belle Isle, the Detroit river, Windsor, and Lake St. Claire. As Sarah Palin would say, "We can keep an eye on our neighbors to the North from our apartment!" Yeah, I just tossed that out there. Also from our super sweet apartment, you can see the Dequindre Cut. For all you that don't know what the Dequindre Cut is, it is a trail that connects the Eastern Market to the RiverFront. It is about 1.6 miles, and only for runners and bikers... well walkers too! It is great for runs, although despite the well lit path, I am still afraid to run at night when it is only lit by lamps.
Now, for all of you that live near the city, but rarely venture out because, well, Detroit has the reputation it does, I would highly encourage you to reconsider. The city, at least it appears to me, is safer than you may think it is at all hours of the day and night! A few things I have noticed in my few weeks there:
1. Dan Gilbert is THE MAN! The things this one guy has done for the City is crazy. If you have an hour for lunch, go to Campus Martius Park, just do it. In slight spoiler alert, you will find sheds with all the great restaurants & bars in Detroit selling mini menus of some of there best foods! Also, you will notice there are these white bikes locked up outside the Quicken Loans/Chase tower. Not entirely sure what they are yet, but I have heard they are free and you can borrow one for a few hours, bike around the city and check stuff out and return it to one of many of these bike racks throughout the city!
2. GM puts on free concerts on the riverfront every Friday night!!! There are only a few left, so I encourage you to get out there while you still can. After all, who turns down a free concert?!
3. Detroit is just a blast to walk around. There are so many great things happening here each day, as well as so many hidden gems in this city!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Hunt for Living Quarters
So, despite all the pre-conceived thoughts about Detroit (that it may be run-down, or vacant, or a dump), finding a place to live is actually quite hard because, for the most part, none of those things are true. Detroit is, in fact, coming back! I just recently learned too that the guy the runs Quicken Loans is pouring money into the city trying to help revive it, so props to him, he sounds like quite THE MAN! That is slightly off the topic of this blog though...
Anyway, Jimmy and I are running out of time to sign a lease, and as we are not going to be receiving very much money to live off over the next year, our rent needs to be considerably inexpensive, which again, narrows the renting pool. Tomorrow we are planning on heading into the city to tour the Town Apartments, Lafayette Towers (super nice, but may be a little above our price ceiling), Greektown Lofts, and the Lofts at John-R. We are hoping that they are all quite stellar places, making our decision a little more difficult, but at least we will get the choice, ya know?! I have been trying to get a hold of a lady that leases houses in Woodbridge (beautiful area) for very reasonable prices, but she never called me back. I guess she didn't think I was serious, or just doesn't want to make money every month for 12 months that bad...
I am hoping that tomorrow goes smooth and that Jimmy and I have a place signed by the end of the week so that this feeling of dread about where we are going to live can be behind us (or me at least). If anyone has any ideas on some nice places to live for a reasonable price, let me know please!!!!
#makebetterhappen
Anyway, Jimmy and I are running out of time to sign a lease, and as we are not going to be receiving very much money to live off over the next year, our rent needs to be considerably inexpensive, which again, narrows the renting pool. Tomorrow we are planning on heading into the city to tour the Town Apartments, Lafayette Towers (super nice, but may be a little above our price ceiling), Greektown Lofts, and the Lofts at John-R. We are hoping that they are all quite stellar places, making our decision a little more difficult, but at least we will get the choice, ya know?! I have been trying to get a hold of a lady that leases houses in Woodbridge (beautiful area) for very reasonable prices, but she never called me back. I guess she didn't think I was serious, or just doesn't want to make money every month for 12 months that bad...
I am hoping that tomorrow goes smooth and that Jimmy and I have a place signed by the end of the week so that this feeling of dread about where we are going to live can be behind us (or me at least). If anyone has any ideas on some nice places to live for a reasonable price, let me know please!!!!
#makebetterhappen
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