Community Walk July 201

So thrilled ... I lost every bit of this project and that is why it is appearing here now.  A shout out to Dr. Zorka Karanxja for being more prepared than I.  The lesson I learned was to be very specific about which computer sitting on my office desk should be re-imaged.  There was a point at which I lost all my graduate work.  Every piece of it wiped away in one-fell swoop.  So grateful to all my professors that helped to recapture elements of my work.  Many tears fell and another lesson learned ...

This Community Walk that we were asked to do was likely the best springboard for walking in to Rogers Garden Elementary School for a new leader.  I was entering this elementary school at a very high public profile time when the reputation of this school was not one that was positivie.  We had made national news when a teacher had made deragatory potentially racial comments about a specific student on a Social Media platform.  Legal battles ensued and the community and public were angry to say the least.  There were picket lines and frustrated community members up in arms because, in my opinion,  the school should be nothing short of an environment where cultural diversity is accepted and embraced, where students find their voice and are valued for their innate differences.  

I entered this "Walk" with some apprehension.  I wasn't sure how of if I would be accepted by this scorned community and I did not want my "walk" to be perceived as a public relations ploy to "calm the waters," if you will.  I truly wanted an opportunity to "see" the neighborhood and families through the eyes of the community.  

Additionally, a resource officer met me at the school prior to my "walk."  He insisted on accompanying me through this walk.  I adamently declined his "support."  The presence of a new person in the community being escorted by a police officer would not help me fill my intended purpose, which was to truly connect with the community that I would have the priviledge of serving for the 2012-2013 school year.

What did I observe?  Kids playing and laughing, community members at large sitting on their front porch participating in a shared-babysitting model.  Every child that ran up and down those streets appeared to belong to every member of the community.  If a child were misbehaving, any old voice from beneath a front porch might randomly ring out to chastise the young soul.  I also enjoyed the fact that just about every house had frequently used chairs perched in their front yard.  What an atmosphere of conversation and connection this must serve in the evenings.  I look around at my community, where I don't see this same thing.  People and neighbors keep to themselves.  One wouldn't dare speak to a random child for being "unsafe."

The one thing I can say about this community is that the idea of "relationships" and their significance was clearly something that was valued.  

The movie above outlines a small piece of my journey.