I cannot believe week one orientation is already over! I arrived the first day somewhat nervous and apprehensive about what this summer was going to be like for me. However, I immediately realized that I had nothing to worry about. I met some of the most intelligent and hard working college students this week that were eager to share their stories with me.

Lesson number one: The first lesson I learned this week was to always come into Summerbridge with high energy and a willing heart. On Thursday, the staff introduced the concept of “energizers” which are basically catchy chants that we sing to each other and to the kids to get them excited about the day and excited about learning. I am going to be honest in saying that I was not initially comfortable with the idea of singing in front of a group of people but after two days worth of practice, I felt much better. The energizers are not just songs but spirit lifters. They are a way to make the students feel welcomed and comfortable and they are also a way for the students to hear their own voices.

Lesson number two: Despite how many friends you have that are of a different ethnicity and race, we are still clueless as to what the term “diversity” really means. We had a wonderful woman come in to the orientation to conduct a diversity workshop with us. Some of the stories she told us were completely shocking and made me realize that there are more biases out there than I ever thought there was. As part of the workshop, we went around to different tables and discussed topics such as religion, gay marriage, biases that have been directed towards us or our friends, etc. One of the most powerful and productive activities occurred later in the afternoon. There were two sign on either end of the room. One of them said “strongly agree” and the other said “strongly disagree.” We were asked to treat the space in the middle as a continuum. Thus, if you felt you were somewhere in the middle of these two responses, you would stand in the middle of the room after the statement had been read. After every question, she had us look around the room to see where our peers were standing on the continuum. It was extremely interesting to see where people stood based on the question being asked. One of the teachers admitted afterwards that it would have been better if we had been able to talk during the exercise to explain our thinking or reasoning to the others around us. However, we came to the conclusion that participating in this activity in complete silence was a more accurate representation of reality. Often times people judge you and you do not get the change to explain your reasoning. This workshop was absolutely fantastic and I recommend it to anyone who is going into the teaching profession.

Closing Thoughts: I suppose after receiving my curriculum map on Friday, that I am most worried about becoming an effective teacher so these students are well prepared to do well in their classes in the fall. We learned on Friday that teacher effectiveness is the number one reason as to why individuals do well in school. However, I also have come to realize that teacher effectiveness is greatly lacking in our education system. Even the top 5% of students in the United States are ranked 29th in the world. We are continuing to fall behind in the world of education Thus, it is up to students like us to make some kind of a difference in the lives of children who are struggling to stay afloat. I am a bit nervous as to what the next couple of week have in store. However, I am extremely dedicated to this cause, and I am ready to make a difference this summer.