Jan 4, 2011
Today our class had an orientation. We started class at PLU and talked about general safety guidelines. After that, we departed for the hilltop of Tacoma where my group and I were dropped off, and expected to find our way back to Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically important church on the hilltop. Maggie and I found our way back to the church easily and quickly, because of this, we wandered around some more in the area by the church and visited the library. After we found the church, we had lunch with the class and then departed with Ron for a tour of the east side of Tacoma. We visited an Indian cemetery by the casino and discussed the presence of several different ethnic groups in the east side Tacoma area. Ron then took us to a few Buddhist temples with different ethnic influences. We visited First Creek Jr. High school and met its principle. She talked to us about the ethnic and cultural diversity in her school and how outspoken the kids can be. She is very passionate about her work and loves her students; her positive, hopeful attitude is refreshing. Ron talked to us about the presence of gangs in the area and showed us important areas on the east side. After our tour we debriefed back at PLU in order to discuss what each of us had learned from our day in Tacoma.
While walking through Tacoma in the morning I couldn’t help feeling uneasy whenever we walked past people, especially men. I acted calmly but this uneasy feeling had me on edge. When I went into the bathroom at the library I saw a sharps disposal container. It shocked me and made the prevalence of drug abuse in the Tacoma area more real for me. I felt most connected to the community when we talked to the principal at the Jr. High. Most of the kids there have dealt with many horrible situations, situations that, up until now, have seemed foreign to me. Hearing about all of their hurts led me to feel increasing compassion for these ‘trouble’ kids.
Today I have learned that I cannot judge people by how they act. People have a whole life of experience influencing their present day actions. A lot of the people in the area that we will be working with have many awful situations that have influenced their view of people and their take on life.
Jan 5, 2011
Today we went to two locations of the Rescue Mission in Tacoma. First we started at a place where we worked in a large kitchen. We peeled apples and then moved our way over to a storage room where we organized vast amounts of canned food. The people were extremely kind and I enjoyed working there. After we were there for a couple of hours, we drove over to the other Rescue Mission location in which we were scheduled to work with the kids in an after-school program. While we were there I worked really hard on remembering as many of the kids names as I could. My group also helped the kids with their homework and played with them when they were done. I read with a kindergartener named Skyler. He was more interested in my reading quickly to him in order to get his homework done quickly instead of taking time to practice his own reading.
I felt welcomed by the staff at the Rescue Mission; the children were harder to form relationships with. A lot of the behavior from the children was unpleasant and I had to figure out how to relate to them without having them scream at me or shut themselves down. Thankfully I adapted very quickly and the children seemed more accustomed to our presence by the end of the day. I had a difficult time understanding the boundaries set in place by the program. In my previous experiences with child care programs there has been a strict no touching policy. At this after-school program, we can hug the children, give them piggy-back rides and have them sit on our laps.
Our group’s presence means a lot to the Rescue Mission. The children can have more individual attention, and we can assist the staff in any way that is helpful. Because of this, we can complete jobs that the staff would ordinarily not have adequate time to complete on top of their other responsibilities. I can tell our helpfulness is greatly appreciated because the staff are always thanking us and telling us how appreciative they are of our work. Volunteers are so instrumental to this agency. They can run without volunteers, but the volunteers bring a richness to the organization that cannot be brought otherwise.
When we were at the first Rescue Mission location it reminded me of the story about the doctor in our assigned reading. This doctor had so many medical skills to offer the sick people in the agency he had come to volunteer at. Instead of utilizing these skills, they needed him to take trash to the dump. Organizations always need help, but the service you can provide them may seem much less glorious than you had expected.
Jan 6, 2011
When we arrived at the Rescue Mission today we cleaned and organized an area so it could be used for a reading space for the kids. This led me to appreciate the staff’s resourcefulness. This is a small area in one of the staff’s office, and it would have been so easy for the staff member to use this space for himself, instead he has decided to use it for the kids so they can fully utilize the building’s space. After we finished this project, the kids arrived. Today we got to know the kids a lot better. The kids did their homework and then played until it was time for the kids to do a science experiment. They mixed water, oil, milk and food coloring. This simple experiment enthralled the girls and boys, they continued to mix and pour the liquids long after the initial experiment took place. After this, we cleaned up the mess, and the kids played until it was time to go.
Today was an enjoyable day of work. The kids are learning to trust our group more; the kids are opening up and having fun with us. There is still unpleasant behavior, but I am learning how to open up to them despite of these behaviors which would normally cause me to withdraw and become uneasy. I notice that most of the kids enjoy having us there are very willing to love us. This makes me happy because I can love them better if they are more open to me and are willing to love me. Everybody needs love in their lives and I believe that these kids, who come from many terrible home situations, need a lot of it.
Jan 7, 2011
Today is the last day at the Rescue Mission this week. We will be back on the Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. James, the youth director the Rescue Mission, says that he will give us a tour of the other Rescue Missions in the Tacoma area so we can understand more of the wide activity of the mission. When we arrived, we worked until the kids got back from school. My group member, Kyle, and I helped take down holiday decorations, and helped with general clean up because the mission is having a photo shoot on Monday. After that we rejoined our group outside and helped them rake leaves around the building. Closer to the time of the kid’s arrival we went into the youth building to label water bottles. This shows that the mission is concerned with reducing waste of materials and money. When the kids arrived they did their homework and then watched the movie “Wall-E.” It was a fairly laid back and quiet day because of the movie. While we watched the movie, a girl named Kiki sat on my lap and we ate popcorn. By the end of the movie, popcorn was all over the floor, so we vacuumed and consequently left later than we usually do. Today was a pleasant day, and relating to the children is becoming a lot easier. I am excited for our last two days and to see how our new relationships have evolved over such a short period of time.
Today our class had an orientation. We started class at PLU and talked about general safety guidelines. After that, we departed for the hilltop of Tacoma where my group and I were dropped off, and expected to find our way back to Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically important church on the hilltop. Maggie and I found our way back to the church easily and quickly, because of this, we wandered around some more in the area by the church and visited the library. After we found the church, we had lunch with the class and then departed with Ron for a tour of the east side of Tacoma. We visited an Indian cemetery by the casino and discussed the presence of several different ethnic groups in the east side Tacoma area. Ron then took us to a few Buddhist temples with different ethnic influences. We visited First Creek Jr. High school and met its principle. She talked to us about the ethnic and cultural diversity in her school and how outspoken the kids can be. She is very passionate about her work and loves her students; her positive, hopeful attitude is refreshing. Ron talked to us about the presence of gangs in the area and showed us important areas on the east side. After our tour we debriefed back at PLU in order to discuss what each of us had learned from our day in Tacoma.
While walking through Tacoma in the morning I couldn’t help feeling uneasy whenever we walked past people, especially men. I acted calmly but this uneasy feeling had me on edge. When I went into the bathroom at the library I saw a sharps disposal container. It shocked me and made the prevalence of drug abuse in the Tacoma area more real for me. I felt most connected to the community when we talked to the principal at the Jr. High. Most of the kids there have dealt with many horrible situations, situations that, up until now, have seemed foreign to me. Hearing about all of their hurts led me to feel increasing compassion for these ‘trouble’ kids.
Today I have learned that I cannot judge people by how they act. People have a whole life of experience influencing their present day actions. A lot of the people in the area that we will be working with have many awful situations that have influenced their view of people and their take on life.
Jan 5, 2011
Today we went to two locations of the Rescue Mission in Tacoma. First we started at a place where we worked in a large kitchen. We peeled apples and then moved our way over to a storage room where we organized vast amounts of canned food. The people were extremely kind and I enjoyed working there. After we were there for a couple of hours, we drove over to the other Rescue Mission location in which we were scheduled to work with the kids in an after-school program. While we were there I worked really hard on remembering as many of the kids names as I could. My group also helped the kids with their homework and played with them when they were done. I read with a kindergartener named Skyler. He was more interested in my reading quickly to him in order to get his homework done quickly instead of taking time to practice his own reading.
I felt welcomed by the staff at the Rescue Mission; the children were harder to form relationships with. A lot of the behavior from the children was unpleasant and I had to figure out how to relate to them without having them scream at me or shut themselves down. Thankfully I adapted very quickly and the children seemed more accustomed to our presence by the end of the day. I had a difficult time understanding the boundaries set in place by the program. In my previous experiences with child care programs there has been a strict no touching policy. At this after-school program, we can hug the children, give them piggy-back rides and have them sit on our laps.
Our group’s presence means a lot to the Rescue Mission. The children can have more individual attention, and we can assist the staff in any way that is helpful. Because of this, we can complete jobs that the staff would ordinarily not have adequate time to complete on top of their other responsibilities. I can tell our helpfulness is greatly appreciated because the staff are always thanking us and telling us how appreciative they are of our work. Volunteers are so instrumental to this agency. They can run without volunteers, but the volunteers bring a richness to the organization that cannot be brought otherwise.
When we were at the first Rescue Mission location it reminded me of the story about the doctor in our assigned reading. This doctor had so many medical skills to offer the sick people in the agency he had come to volunteer at. Instead of utilizing these skills, they needed him to take trash to the dump. Organizations always need help, but the service you can provide them may seem much less glorious than you had expected.
Jan 6, 2011
When we arrived at the Rescue Mission today we cleaned and organized an area so it could be used for a reading space for the kids. This led me to appreciate the staff’s resourcefulness. This is a small area in one of the staff’s office, and it would have been so easy for the staff member to use this space for himself, instead he has decided to use it for the kids so they can fully utilize the building’s space. After we finished this project, the kids arrived. Today we got to know the kids a lot better. The kids did their homework and then played until it was time for the kids to do a science experiment. They mixed water, oil, milk and food coloring. This simple experiment enthralled the girls and boys, they continued to mix and pour the liquids long after the initial experiment took place. After this, we cleaned up the mess, and the kids played until it was time to go.
Today was an enjoyable day of work. The kids are learning to trust our group more; the kids are opening up and having fun with us. There is still unpleasant behavior, but I am learning how to open up to them despite of these behaviors which would normally cause me to withdraw and become uneasy. I notice that most of the kids enjoy having us there are very willing to love us. This makes me happy because I can love them better if they are more open to me and are willing to love me. Everybody needs love in their lives and I believe that these kids, who come from many terrible home situations, need a lot of it.
Jan 7, 2011
Today is the last day at the Rescue Mission this week. We will be back on the Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. James, the youth director the Rescue Mission, says that he will give us a tour of the other Rescue Missions in the Tacoma area so we can understand more of the wide activity of the mission. When we arrived, we worked until the kids got back from school. My group member, Kyle, and I helped take down holiday decorations, and helped with general clean up because the mission is having a photo shoot on Monday. After that we rejoined our group outside and helped them rake leaves around the building. Closer to the time of the kid’s arrival we went into the youth building to label water bottles. This shows that the mission is concerned with reducing waste of materials and money. When the kids arrived they did their homework and then watched the movie “Wall-E.” It was a fairly laid back and quiet day because of the movie. While we watched the movie, a girl named Kiki sat on my lap and we ate popcorn. By the end of the movie, popcorn was all over the floor, so we vacuumed and consequently left later than we usually do. Today was a pleasant day, and relating to the children is becoming a lot easier. I am excited for our last two days and to see how our new relationships have evolved over such a short period of time.
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