My Life as a Corps Member (Part 1)

My life as a Corps Member (Part 1) Placement: 7th Grade English/Language Arts with Ms. Dana.

3.5 weeks into the school year

I am at school each morning by 7:30. Students arrive by 8:45, and before 8:30 if they want breakfast. Kids roll into the building in a burgundy haze, streaming through the metal detectors, passing their backpacks to security guards (all women), and waiting in either the gym or the cafeteria until they are released for class. During this time I’m doing classroom prep with my partner teacher, knocking out group work with my City Year teammates, or roaming the school looking for an open bathroom. Sometimes I hang out with my students, and their reactions to my presence among them range from excitement to apathy to actively fleeing my presence. I’m fine with all of these options. The other day someone came up and zipped my backpack for me as it hung open, and then ran off with just a little half smile on his face. It was sweet.

At 8:45, my students are rounded up and marched, single file, up to the seventh grade floor. They are then given three minutes to get to class. Bags are stuffed into lockers, renegade papers are caught and shoved into binders, candies and chocolate bars are tucked surreptitiously into pockets- reserves to liven up the mid-morning slump. From the chaos of lockers slamming, students chatting, and teachers counting down the minutes, some order emerges.

Lines of students, like patient ducks, along the wall outside of each classroom door. No scrambling or fidgeting, just a bored sort of patience as they wait to be admitted to class by their first period teacher.

I walk down the line outside Ms. Dana’s classroom- greeting students, checking in, and reminding them of expectations.
“Good morning Kyra, how are you doing this morning?”

“Ben, did you bring your homework today? Yes? High five!”

“Tuck your shirt in, John”

“Don’t touch her hair please, thank you”

“Girl I’m good, thank you for asking. The real question is how are YOU?”

“Maya, did you find some extra folders like we talked about?”

“You excited to learn today? Yes? It’s gonna be great!”

etc.

I stand by the door and greet each of my students as they come in.  Responses vary. Scowls. Blank stares. A quick nod of the head. Eyebrows way up. Goofy faces. High fives. Sometimes, the most enthusiastic students get their greetings out to me before I get mine to them “Hi Ms. G!”

Throughout the day, this routine is repeated four times, once with each of the teams as they dutifully arrive to improve their reading skills- phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, etc. As a general rule, mornings are pretty tame and afternoons are pretty raucous. Twelve years old can look like a calm and collected maturity or like an almost psychotic inability to focus or take direction. Brooding silence and unpredictable bouts of openness and curiosity. The diversity of dispositions is interesting, but also part of what has made the last few weeks exhausting.

My students are every shade of brown and everywhere on the spectrum of physical development. Their uniform requirements have them all in burgundy collared shirts tucked smartly into khaki pants.  No flashy makeup or distracting accessories allowed. Despite the “no individuality” imperative from the administration, my students’ self-expression comes out through their shoes and through their hair. I haven’t seen the same pair of shoes or hairstyles twice.

The strict attitudes at my school reflect our administration’s commitment to improving the quality of our education. Where only 3 students from this middle school got accepted to specialty DC high schools three years ago, the total was up to 8 two years ago and up to 54 last year. This is inspiring, but a rigorous pace to maintain. There has been an intense focus on standardized testing (assessments every 2 weeks) and on making sure that no lesson is planned which does not connect to one of the core standards for the grade and subject matter. Although the rigid structure and severe discipline regimen is not intuitively appealing, I’m excited to experience it firsthand for the duration of the year.

That being said, I make an effort to ensure that more positive affirmation than corrections come out of my mouth, and that students respect my authority without associating me with the yelling of most of our teachers (Someone's gotta be the enforcer, but thankfully that's not my primary role in the school.)

My days are long and there are so many interesting and stimulating things going on There’s so much more to share, but I didn’t want to postpone a post any longer. I promise I’ll write again soon. Happy (almost) solstice!