Tuesday, February 21,
2017
The day started out with light rain and muggy air. This was
the day we had all been waiting for, a known highlight of the trip according to
students that previously attended the trip. After a quick wake up routine we
set out in the car for a quick ride over to Chahta Ima, a local public
elementary school. Upon our arrival, we got out and after some confusion reached
the front office and got our nametags. After that we went into the multi-purpose
room and talked about what was coming up in the day. We found out that we would
be split up individually into classrooms. There were a variety of options from
pre-K all the way up to the third grade.
Once we got to our classrooms we found that the children and
teachers were extremely welcoming and open to having us in their classrooms.
The children’s schedules were divided into different activities depending on the
day. For example, on Tuesday, today, some of the classrooms would go to PE and
some would go to art depending on their grade level. As volunteers we got the
opportunity to assist teachers and students by offering them help with
activities. We did a lot reading, writing, and drawing with students. Beyond
the classroom we spent time with the students at lunch and recess. The school
was incredibly generous to us, giving us breaks and providing us with a
delicious New Orleans style lunch of homemade roast beef sandwiches and
“Voodoo” chips. Overall, we were overwhelmed by the personalities and
friendliness of the students, and we cannot wait to get back into the classroom
tomorrow.
After school, we stayed on the campus to serve as tutors.
The school offers an after school program called 21st Century that
provides after school supervision and educational help to the students of
Chahta Ima as well as older students that come by bus. We served by helping
students with their Math, Science, and Language Arts homework. The older
students, ranging from fourth grade up through middle school, proved to be
equally enthusiastic and fun to be around. They truly brightened our days, and
it was a pleasure for us to help them study. We hope we were able to give as
much to them as they gave to us.
To wrap up our day, we returned back to prepare at the house
for a potluck dinner at the North Shore UU Church. We shared the meal with
parish members, and finished it off with a King Cake, in light of Mardi Gras
being right around the corner. After dinner, we headed home, rested up for
another big day at Chahta Ima.
James Krumsiek and Kevin McDonough
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