After our week-long orientation, our classes have started. We headed to campus last night for "Community Building and Social Change," which our instructor says should be called "Community Building and Urban Change." The rest of the semester it will be at a local service agency on the other end of our block, but they did it on campus this first week primarily to help the members of the class who are not a part of this program arrange rides and figure out how to get here. The class sounds like it will be very interesting. On the day before the election, we even get to have the entire class discuss the election. I'm excited about that.
Today we were back on campus for an 8:30 class, our service learning class. We left the apartment at 7:30 to catch the bus and get to the Women's Center. Dr. Jennifer Wies, the director of the Women's Center, is our teacher. We have an enormous packet (over $60 at Kinko's) with readings for that class. That's also the class that our service sites are tied directly to. After the class we stayed on campus for whatever classes we are taking individually. I'm taking Jesuit Theology and Spirituality, which I think will complement this semester well, at least during certain sections of the class.
Also, before my afternoon class, I met with Jennifer to work through a process to determine my service site. She asked me questions and let me talk, guiding me with further questions along the way. She said that there were some clear themes running through what I talked about, such as the theoretical aspects and economic political ideas (how the establishment affects poverty). So I have some homework to do in searching out possible service sites and theorizing the work they do and imagining myself there. Then I might meet with Jennifer again Thursday to discuss what I've found out. She told me that there was something that was very clearly popping out to her but she wouldn't tell me what it was. She wants this to be something we discover for ourselves.
One idea I had was the idea of community planning. In an earlier blog I mentioned how Liz Blume came and gave us a tour from a different perspective. I though that looking into trying to work in a very realistic setting along the lines of community planning would be an interesting idea. I know I've been called the crazy liberal, and I don't want to be labeled like that, not because I don't like what people are saying but because I want to be moderate in that I don't want to get too caught up in one side that I agree with everything that side has to say. I want to be a person with well-informed opinions based on nonpartisan ideas. I want to be my own person. Thus, I think it's fair that I work while I'm down here to have a balanced view. Now if I don't follow up with the community planning, I will still try to open my eyes to see both sides of the issue.
I've also been rethinking the purpose of this blog. This came out a little in the discussion I had with Jennifer and a discussion that I had with my friend Chris. I have a confession: I like to think that I'm right. In fact, I have a huge issue with that. As much as I try to be open-minded, I often remain convinced that I'm right. But I know that I'm not always right because discussions (respectful discussions, primarily with questions rather than attacking) have shown me flaws in my logic. So, thinking about that, I was thinking about my purpose for this blog. What do I want people to get from this? Well, I wanted people to see things the way I see them by seeing a new perspective through my experiences. I should probably be up front about that. But thinking about that, what I really want more than that is discussion. I want to look at the world and see what I see. And I want to share that. And then I want people to challenge that. I would love to have a discussion. I want to get something from this blog too. What I want is a challenging of my ideas. I think Jennifer really saw that desire to discuss issues in our meeting today. So I'd love this to be a discussion board, although it has to remain a polite and intelligent discussion board or I will take it down. (I see too many discussion boards that resort to name-calling and ignorant comments. No referring to Obama as Barry Hussein or McCain as McInsane, which are a few I have seen on other sites.) So this is my invitation (or begging) for you to take a part in a discussion that I hope will emerge here. I hope that some things I write about will be able to stir discussion, but also please let me know if I fail at that.
***Addition: I forgot this earlier, but was getting stuff out of my backpack and found this note of something I wanted to share. Yesterday we went to Crossroad Health Center, a health center in OTR that is faith-based and private. They accept patients with private insurance and without. It's a primary-care facility, and they have a sliding scale for payment based on income (because they are legally not allowed not to charge). Anyway, when Brook (a nurse practitioner) was talking to us, she mentioned that they've had high levels of lead because of the reconstruction in the area that has ground the old lead-based paint into the dirt. High lead levels can lead to mental retardation. Another issue they've come across fairly often is low iron anemia in children. This often comes from the lack of high-iron foods in the diets of low-income families. Often they'll buy the cheapest things they can at Kroger, such as Ramen Noodles. A regular diet of Ramen Noodles doesn't provide the necessary nutrients. Low-iron anemia can lower the IQ. These two things, I think, have a profound impact on the ability of students in these neighborhoods to complete school. It definitely put a new perspective on the issue of education in low-income urban areas.
3 comments:
On lead-based paint, I have learned a few things representing landlords. Did you know that virtually every house built before 1975 was painted with lead-based paint? Then, in 1978, it was outlawed by the U.S. government. That means that lead-based paint is a potential problem in virtually every home built in the US prior to that time. However, it is only a problem if the paint or paint dust is ingested because of chipping, peeling, turning to dust or smaller kids chewing on windowsills, for example - which is why it is a problem when older homes are being renovated or are not properly maintained. The EPA and HUD have aggressive programs to educate tenants and purchasers about the hazards of lead-based paint and how to deal with it, but you can see why it would be such a huge potential problem in a neighborhood such as O-T-R. With a little care by landlord and tenant, though, it can be dealt with without the necessity of abatement (complete removal of the lead-based paint).
Which is why Brook emphasized that it has become a problem through the reconstruction or tearing down of many homes in the neighborhood. Pieces of lead-based paint get into the dirt, and kids play in the dirt and then put their hands in their mouths. Thus, they ingest it. I'm not sure if I fully explained that in the original post.
I have had the expriences, as an educator, of dealing with children who have been diagnosed with high levls of lead in the blood. I often wonder how many children have not yet been tesssted for lead, but experience learning difficulties due to that problem. People in upper and/or middle class renovations usually have the acess to medical care before there is any permanent damage to the brain. Nutrition issues are also a huge part of behavioral and learning difficulties. These problems are creepiong into the middle and upper class famiies due to lifestyle choices. But, enough of that for now...
Glad to hear you are digging deep in your questioning.
Imagine that! a TeKolste who likes to be right!
LOL,
Mom
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