Life at School
“Miss Mast,
I’m glad you aren’t afraid of us anymore.
Your face looks more comfortable. I’m glad you can be a part of our
family.”
Well, I
wasn’t aware that in my first week I was not only scared but I looked scared. There
was so much that this statement helped me realize. When a student said this to me this week, I
was reminded that I was really afraid when I first came to Curie. It was large
and different, and I was clearly an outsider.
It didn’t take long for me to get over that. It has been so long since I’ve had any fears
other than teaching itself. After this
comment I also realized that the fear was all in my head. The students didn’t change, but my perception
of how they saw me did. I also feel
blessed that this student considers me part of the family now. It’s such a
confidence booster.
This week has
been full of planning and new technology! It was a bold move to bring iPads
into the classroom, a new iPad cart was just purchased for each floor, and even
though we didn’t get as much done as I wanted, we will be better prepared next
time! The students also seemed to have a lot of fun setting up their Edmodo
accounts and pretending our class had a Facebook (I’m very excited to tell them
about the Facebook assignment we will be doing in a month!). I’m hoping to
bring more technology into these classes, so be ready to hear more about it
later!
City Living
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| Auditorium Theater/Joffrey Ballet |
Through
Chicago Semester’s arts program, we saw Unique Voices at the Joffrey Ballet
Friday night. I’m not familiar with ballet or dancing in general, but after
seeing the ballet, I definitely thought about changing my career path and
becoming a ballerina. The stage was
beautiful and even from a distance, you could see the passion and emotion that
each performer put into dancing.
 |
| Shedd Aquarium |
Saturday, some of the girls and I took advantage of our Chicago residency and went to the Shedd Aquarium. It was free for residents, and we assumed if we got there early enough, we could walk right in and enjoy the fish. The long line outside of the tent outside of the building told us otherwise. We decided to brave the cold and wait, but I think if we would have seen the forecast, we would have run away. About twenty minutes in, we couldn’t feel our toes and it didn’t take long for the rest of our bodies to follow. We waited outside in line for an hour and a half and then waited in a tent for another thirty minutes. Some positives of the wait were (1) I was able to eat my first Chicago dog while in line, (2) Some parents let us hold their children to keep them warm, and (3) The wait made the aquarium so much better. The building was beautiful and unique and I love fish. I even got to see my favorite animal, manta rays!
We didn’t have
school on Monday because it was President’s Day, but some of the Chicago
Semester students volunteered in Humboldt Park.
San Lucas United Church of Christ runs a mobile produce truck that
provides fresh fruits and vegetables to families who can’t afford them. Once a month, the church has about one hundred
people line up to receive produce, but without volunteers, the crowd would not
be manageable. While we were there we unpacked the truck and then bagged the
vegetables and fruits for convenience. Families
went down the line and picked up what they needed. The church relies so heavily
on volunteers, but it wasn’t hard to see why it works! The work went so fast
because we were having fun and the process helped so many people. Part of me wishes I could do it every month,
but I would miss my students!
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| Volunteers for the day! http://www.humboldtparkportal.org/directory/3934 |
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