Tilyn- 826 Chicago- Day One

On our first day in Chicago, we all woke up early to go grocery shopping before we headed to “The Boring Store”. When we were putting away groceries and eating a quick breakfast at the hostel, we ran into a group of students wearing all K-State gear and introduced ourselves. They are part of K-State alternative breaks and are working with Teach for America. I think this struck me as really crazy because I’m from a really small farming community and I was very hesitant and nervous about coming to Lawrence, which to me is a huge city. It didn’t take long for me to realize though, that you often can’t go anywhere on campus without running into someone you know. It never ceases to amaze me how small the world really is; it seems that no matter where you are, you can always find someone you know, or someone who shares a common acquaintance with you.

I honestly had no idea what to expect out of 826 or what we’d be doing. When we first arrived at the store, Kendra (the volunteer coordinator) told us that the best way to get to know the kids was to read their work. They sent us to a nearby coffee shop to read some of their books for a few hours. I felt really guilty at first because I came to work and help, and instead I was sitting in a cozy coffee shop drinking hot chocolate and reading book. It didn’t take long however before I learned how valuable that background information would be in interacting with the kids. I felt like Mrs. Gruell from “Freedom Writers” reading stories by eighth graders of their friend being killed in a drive by shooting at Church’s Chicken and learning to take care of their heroin addicted brother before they hit junior high. Learning the stories of some of the students, whether sad and serious or light and funny, really taught me a lot about the background of the kids we interacted with.

When the kids got out of school, we helped with 826’s after school tutoring program. I worked one-on-one with a sixth grade girl named Damola. Her homework was to find the area and perimeter of six triangles. Trying to get her to do even the smallest step was like pulling teeth; it took us over an hour to complete those six problems. Working with Damola definitely tested my patience, but I learned a lot about working with kids who have a certain mind set; Damola was very smart and knew exactly what she was doing, but was completely convinced that she couldn’t do it. I’ve never met a child with so little self-belief, and Damola was a student who provided new challenge for me in trying to help a student academically, but more importantly with their confidence.