Lauren's Post #4

When first working at Anna’s Arts for Kids this semester, I think I was quick to look at ways in which the program was run in a more analytical way. However, after spending time there over the course of the semester I became more divorced from that way of looking at the program from an outsiders perspective because I became more entrenched in the actual work and began to feel like more of a part of the program itself. I am glad that this happened fairly quickly because my experience became more and more positive as time went on. Instead of ruminating on the program or my work there or the childrens’ attitudes, I began simply just showing up and doing what I needed to do from moment to moment. A large reason why I think this happened is because I became accustomed to the schedule of the program and also got to know the kids’ personalities. 

Though I didn’t truly connect my classwork to my Service Learning as it was happening, writing blog posts, cluster convos, and talking about some relevant issues and themes during class always made it easy for me to draw connections while in an academic setting. I have really benefited from having Service Learning for this class as well as Race and Class in Schools because it has made me able to bounce around different and similar ideas in both contexts. I feel as if I have a more well-rounded understanding of issues such as the achievement gap, literacy rates, the effect family has on their children, fate, the accessibility of education, and looking at what makes reading accessible. By well-rounded I do not mean that I understand these issues fully or their effects. I do, however, feel as if I understand these issues on a different level because I was able to not have these issues running through my mind as I was working with these children; if I did, I don’t think I would have been much help or have been the type of person that these kids or the program needed. Through Service Learning I was simply doing my part by being one of the small pieces that are necessary to keep organizations like Anna’s Arts for Kids running and are trying to make a dent in these large, complex issues––even at least in the lives of a few children. If anything, I now understand that there are many different levels of involvement that are necessary in running a program that is fighting against large social, economic, and educational issues. I feel as if this placement was a great fit for me because I feel comfortable in being that smaller piece. 

In my last blog post, I discussed the connection between Shakespeare and Service Learning in terms of accessibility. This connection has stuck out to me the most, and it has been something I’ve been thinking a lot about and have also brought this connection into my other class. In my other class, I’m writing my final paper on approaches to improve literacy rates that involve making children develop their own genuine interest in reading. Dr. Eklund’s way of stimulating conversations on all of the works we read made Shakespeare so much more accessible to me. I mentioned in class that I enjoyed the structure of the classes because I would learn important information on Tuesdays that would often make me more engaged and willing to approach the texts in my own way on Thursdays and in future classes. I really loved this class so much because of the many different ways we were exposed to Shakespeare (e.g., reading, Service Learning, lectures, discussions, scene presentations). There are many different ways that Anna’s Arts makes education more accessible to the children, such as having a variety of available classes such as nutrition, choir, gardening, and instrument lessons. There are also times for games which gives the kids a chance to unwind and also allows for them to work on social and collaboration skills. These available opportunities are just a few of the ways that Anna’s Arts for Kids gives the students many options to explore their own interests and inform their own relationship with these different versions and approaches to learning and developing. It’s hard to describe lasting effects that I think I’ll have in one blog post. In fact, it’s hard to process coherently at all, but the overarching effect would be that I have a better understanding of the importance of incorporating a variety of approaches to people because we all have different interests, ways of learning, and levels of engagement. I also understand more of the importance of collaboration and having various levels of involvement when trying to tackle larger, complex issues.