Mid Year Report.

5 months and 1 day until I graduate from City Year.

5 months minus 2 days since I commenced my service year.

This obvious mid-way point as well as a number of other factors made me pause and consider my year up to this point and how I anticipate it's progress in the months ahead of me.

City Year is a goal. It's rather easy to get caught up in the world of kids, focusing on individuals and the necessities of the school, and forget the excitement that is the progress of City Year. Each year, corps members have an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing construction of an organization that has so much potential; the more City Year accomplishes and the harder individuals work, the greater the probability that next year more children will be reached.

I have been reflecting on this statement often lately as the mindset of focusing on the longterm impact has become especially relevant for my team. We were told shortly after we returned from break that we are not getting the typical corps member experience, which includes, but is not limited to a day full of interventions, initiatives in anything from attendance to behavior, and frequent communication with all levels of the school's staff.

The Boston Renaissance Charter Public School team has been thrust into a complex hierarchy that was reluctant to make room, and when room was made, opposed to give us much of a role. We are not needed at our school. Our school has everything from 2-teachers per classroom to many psychologists and behavior specialists to skilled math and english coaches. Our school is so well equipped that our ideal position, which includes bits and pieces of what my school already has in abundance, is excessive and would have been complex to establish.

Due to pressure from City Year, the school has begun to hash out more productive things for us to do, such as focusing on a specific list of kids (a list other schools have had since the very beginning) who we will pull out of class to do interventions in english and math. Unfortunately, this list and plan came directly from the principal of our school, who is currently on leave. She did not consult the echelons in between: the specialists and teachers, who are consequently reluctant to give up their students during what is otherwise a science or writing bloc, or question our ability to be effective in administrating interventions. City Year is now determining whether a team will return next year, which understandably seems doubtful.

Out with the bad and in with the good. My team has been disappointed with the limitations and jealous of the incredible work other teams are doing and the support and encouragement they receive from the administrations. In spite of these negative factors, the majority of my teammates have remained very positive, and seek any means of making an impact.

One aspect of our service that I feel good about is the after-school program, Starfish. In that arena I think I have made the most personal progress, and I think our team had been in its element in confronting and overcoming the various hurdles we have faced. I was, at the beginning of the year, a non-factor when it came to managing behavior in my classroom. The three other team members in my classroom have been an integral source of patient guidance for me. I finally feel that I have a presence in the classroom beyond being mildly liked by the students and sought out when they wish to vent or avoid punishment. At the beginning I was well liked by the students, but because I was lame in enforcing the classroom expectations, I did not garner respect. I am very content with the medium I have recently achieved, and I now sense that the positive feelings some students have for me are more durable because I have finally started to assert myself as an authority while maintaining the fun at appropriate times.

In our after-school program there is an hour of application to homework and one hour of programing designed by my team. Each member has to create one lesson plan per month that will be used by the entire program, and one lesson per week that will be used on Wednesdays, for club days. I am currently working on a lesson plan for 2 days in February (one of which is my birthday!) with my friend and teammate, Uma, that I am incredibly excited about.

In light of Black History month, Uma and I decided to create a game that combines the Titanic exhibit (COSI anyone?), LIFE (the board game), and Oregon Trail (computer game) bringing the kids back to the height of the Civil Rights Movement and engages them in the decisions that were made by average citizens. In the game, their decisions will determine the hurdles they will face and where they ultimately end up. It is very much still in the works as we came up with this idea yesterday. Any input would be very much appreciated! Ideas anyone?

This is one of many events or happenings I have to anticipate for the remainder of the year. I am also preparing for a 1/2 marathon with potentially 5 or more other City Year members; we start this week. Kieran and I are planning for our Ireland trip taking place this summer. I have been contacting a number of different farms that we may work at, and have received responses from a couple. This is the second half of my sojourn in Boston and I am determined to take advantage of all the city and area have to offer. I will be visiting the JFK library, John Adam's house, and Salem (to see my second cousin Meg). Uma, her sister, Tara, and I are planning a snowboarding/ skiing venture. In March I will be visiting a neighbor that used to live on my street who currently resides in Maine. Finally, I am anticipating visits from my familia later in Spring!

I am going to have a great second half of the year. I am excited about enhancing the relationships I have developed with my students and doing whatever I can to be a source of encouragement and support in their lives.

If you have any questions or opinions of what I have expressed in this blog, please feel free to comment or contact me somehow.

Nora Ryan Signing Out.