Volunteer, Part II
First - W.’s First Broken Promise.
As promised, more on yesterday’s teaching: In short, First Look uses volunteers to teach classes to high schoolers about the value and importance of community service (what we as a community gain, we as individuals, etc). Then, First Look also supplies the kids with serivce opportunities. There is a five-part course we teach, with different modules designed to help the students see the world in a new way, and to nudge them into thinking that community service is a really good idea, and maybe a fun way to spend a Saturday.
Yesterday’s class was Perspective, wherein we challenged the students to see the world in a new way, or, more importantly, to see other people’s views of the world as valid. Through some exercises and discussion, I think we made a dent.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’ve changed the world, but there were sparks of recognition and understanding from a few of them.
It’s an iteresting situation - we were teaching in one of the wealthiest school districts in Alabama (no snickering, please) (and, yes, First Look does go into all schools), talking to freshmen about community service. Not to sound cynical, but fourteen and fifteen year-old white righ kids aren’t the easiest sell. But I digress…
The weirdest part about the whole thing (besides the fear of running into my ex, who teaches there) was actually being back in high school. I felt like a freshman all over again. Worse, because I was wearing a suit. And not to sound older than my years, but holy shit these kids can’t dress to save their lives!
I may be digressing again, now I’m no longer sure of my thesis, if ever I even had one. But our kids were good. Very quiet at first, but they warmed up to us as the hour wore on. The teacher is a fellow of Mideastern origin named Mr. Sheik. No shit. Anyway, he gave us a great introduction and talked about how these kids have everything given to them on a platter, and that First Look would be a great way to give back. They ignored and/or made fun of him. I felt badly for him, mostly because I can see myself as one of his students, and I think I would have at least ignored him as well. And then, years later, I would go back and visit him and talk about him as a great guy. He just has that way about him, like Mr. Cleaver. He has some important things to say, but his delivery and his whole sense of youth culture is *so* wrong that you just can’t get past it. But what the hell do I know about it?
As we were leaving, he commented to his class that he has watched some tv the night before and saw Dharma and Greg, and that my wife and I reminded him of the title characters.
I’m still not sure how to take that.
