I'm No Superman

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

-Nelson Mandela

Here's a little bit about me and my job:

I graduated with a degree in psychology, but after having taken some education courses (Educational Psych, Multicultural Education, Teenage Wasteland), I determined that my application of psychology was in education--where I could work directly with people, and see some direct difference-making. But I waited to apply to grad school, and instead decided to see what working in a school was all about--whether it was, in fact, what I wanted to do.

So fast-forward to today: I'm halfway through my year of service with AmeriCorps: Getting Things Done for America. And I LOVE it. I'm working primarily with K-3rd graders in an elementary school in St. Paul. I have fallen in love with my students, as well as the school, staff, and whole community--so much so that I am doing whatever I can to stay with the school next year. (You'll hear more later about why this was more complicated than it should have been). My job includes doing things such as reading with 1st graders, helping 3rd graders with math, helping kindergardeners color/write/recognize letters to lunch duty, giving out snack for the after school program, keeping kids out of trouble while they're waiting to be picked up, and everything in between.

Of course, working with kids is not as easy as my blog title may indicate. Their school work may not be too complex, but boy the students are. Every day brings new challenges--you never know what's going to happen--from the worst: kids fighting, crying, throwing up, not listening, being disrespectful to the best: being respectful, understanding the work, giving you hugs, surprising you. It's a blessing and a curse I suppose. And getting firsthand experience in the field I want to go into is invaluable, so I thought I'd start an outlet for my musings on my job, the kids, and education in general. So here goes nothing.