Ben – 2/24/10 – Getting Tools To City Schools- Special Visit

Yesterday Miral, Chase, Jason, Ivo, Bryce, Dennis and I all left school early at 2:20. We went uptown to the Bronx via the subway to visit a school that had received supplies from  our organization. When I left the subway station (after a 30 minute subway ride), the first thing I noticed was the bad state of the neighborhood. There were many dilapidated houses and I looked a lot like the bleak slum I had seen in many Hollywood movies. Images from ‘Boys in the Hood’ pooped in my head. I noticed that most of the people walking around were of Latin-American descent. Soon after a short walk we reached the school. It looked so much different from what I had read of poorer public schools. It was in a great condition. It was well decorated and there seemed to be so much vibrant life inside the building. It looked better then most of the schools I have been to in my life, and this was one of the low-income ‘ghetto’ schools I had heard about. Many illusions I had died the minute I entered the school. Next we took a short tour of the building, passing lines and lines of children going to after school programs. The first person we interviewed was the art teacher. Once we started talking to people, I realized that despite the happy colors and decorations, these kids faced tons of hardships everyday. More than I can even start to imagine. My heart started to go out to these kids, it really did. On girl described getting the free school supplies like ‘having a huge door of opportunity open for me. It was like a flame inside me.’ The most moving interview we did though, was with the parent teacher coordinator, who is the link between the school and the parents. There she told us of some of the hardships endured by these brave kids. In fact, she told us when the kids got the supplies at the beginning of the year, most of the kids and parents were moved beyond anything else. ‘They said it felt as if someone else cared for their child, and wanted them to succeed as much as they do. It really moved them.’ We also talked to the assistant principal, and by the time we left, I had a greater understanding a respect for these brave kids and the tough community they live in.