One powerful experience was with a student who moved here from Vietnam two years ago. Upon being asked how he liked it in the United States, he responded very positively. His family came here with him so he considers this his home, feeling like he has nothing to return to in Vietnam. He also really enjoys the four seasons, something that my Peruvian mother has noted she loves about the United States. I was inspired by how kind, passionate, and positive he is, despite the struggle of being new— not only to the school but to the country. He is so incredibly open to help, even though it must be difficult to not be as fluent in English as his classmates. Inspired by him and wanting to comfort him so he doesn’t feel alone, I told him about my mother who came to the United States from Peru for grad school. When talking to him about my mother’s current persistence in finding her dream, I saw his eyes light up and he told me how inspired he was by her. On my last day, he happily hugged me, saying “I thought you left!” This connection is something that I will take with me as I leave Boston.
Another powerful experience when the teacher brought politics into her AP biology class. She was able to incorporate EPA data into her presentation and immediately responded positively when a student asked about the harms of global warming. The students learned about how the administration, based on the range of data they analyze, could support their denial of climate change. They also learned about the ways the administration are not supporting climate change and the EPA. Importantly, they learned about climate change’s negative influence on animals and their environment. This was the most engaged I had seen the students be in a biology conversation; they were actually interested in this particular intersectionality. In fact, I was so much on a kick from this conversation that I watched Bill Nye’s Netflix episode on climate change that night.
Another more subtle powerful experience is how the teacher often goes without eating. During her prep periods and lunch, she continues to work, either on her own work or with students. I often observed her lunch being slowly eaten through the last two periods of the day— that is a long time without a meal! Although more subtle and indirect than the other experiences, this shows how much she prioritizes giving her students all she can give. It shows that being a teacher is more than just a job.
My preconceptions about urban students have not changed significantly since their behavior and situations are very similar to many students who attended my own public schools. However, I was unaware of the extent of the presence of ELL students and the wide variety of different languages they speak. At my high school, many students spoke Spanish to each other in the halls but there was not nearly as much of an Asian presence. In addition, I was surprised by the stark contrast between my own AP experience and the AP biology class at this Boston school. My AP experience was very rigorous and all of the students had clear plans to pass and attend college. In the Boston AP biology class, most students were failing and seemed relatively unmotivated. I am still interested in urban education but will need additional experience to supplement my knowledge of urban education since this internship experience was quite limited (I had access to one class and the daily routine was the same every day for these two weeks).
Pertaining to recommendations, it would be beneficial to ensure that the assigned class is engaging in multiple activities, lessons, and discussion, instead of the same monotonous structure every day for the entire two weeks (students working independently on their lab reports and the interns editing/commenting on them every single morning).
2018 Boston Urban Teaching Initiative 