Training Day 2: Complete

As you've all been eagerly anticipating my update on training- you're in for some great stories.

Our Admission Possible training is being held at Concordia University because we've outgrown the space at the AP office. Since I'm technically working in Omaha I was given the option to stay at the housing that all of the Milwaukee and other Omaha people were staying at also. I definitely took this up because I DO NOT want to commute from Hudson in my car that only gets like 22 mpg. I was getting ready to move in to the Carondelot Center next to St. Kate's on Sunday and got a text from Kelly, one of my Omaha roomies, that read, " I just battled a cockroach in the elevator!". All I thought was here's a great start to our year. 

Training on Monday was awesome. Myself, Kelly and Kyle rode the bus over from St. Kate's with the Milwaukee people and I just happened to run into Peggy Pond, a youth studies buddy on the bus! It was a great surprise that made my day. Once we arrived at Concordia everything hit me. I am actually moving to Omaha in less than 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be serving with AmeriCorps this year and to build relationships with my juniors. I did this for a reason. I am however, just starting to realize that I wont be around any of my friends in the Twin Cities for the next 10 months. On the other hand, I'm also remembering that I will be making meaningful relationships with my students, too. Plus, Kelly, Kyle and Maureen are great (Team Omaha)!

During session yesterday, we did organizational mapping and physically put pictures of all the AmeriCorps Coaches, VISTAS and Leadership Team on a wall. It was inspiring to see all the people in the different roles at Admission Possible. It's crazy to think that while we're all doing different work we're all working towards the ultimate goal of helping low-income kids to be accepted and enroll in college.

Today, in training, we had a sociology professor from Augsburg College come to talk about social capital and  the Matthew effect (rich get richer and poor get poorer). He did a great job of explaining and demonstrating how even people like Bill Gates, who we look up to being the exception from the rich rule, were given opportunities that lead them to be where they are today. For example, Bill Gates grew up in a priveleged school district that could actually afford to have access to a computer in Seattle. This was a time period when almost no one had computers, not even colleges! Even though he built a computer out of his garage, he was given experiences where he could actually play around with computers to learn. Our kids need these times to experiment with technology and science.

We also delved into situations when kids enter kindergarten and are immediately tracked based on their ability to read. If they read well, they are pulled out of class and taught math while the others are left in the classroom and are still being taught to read. Those still learning to read will almost ALWAYS be a step behind the group that knew how to read in kindergarten. I've heard this before in many research and policy papers, which is why HeadStart and other pre-k programs are being pushed so much now. There is not an even "start" line for our youth.

I also had a chance to be in a discussion group with first-year junior coaches who are all going to be at schools where AP is brand new. We talked about some of the issues and people we may face when we come  to the school. I think that Kyle and I have a great advantage because there is no history or culture of AP in the schools we'll be at. While that might be tedious at times, it also allows us to set the standards. I plan on meeting all the faculty/staff at my school and introducing myself with baked goods (who doesn't love a homemade cookie?). On top of meeting them, I also plan on intentionally interacting with them and getting to know them. While I'll generally be working with my students, I have an entire school that I need to navigate as well.

Team Omaha has the ridiculous task of recruiting students for a session that has already started! Generally, in AP, students are recruited during the sophomore year and then apply at the end of that year. They know whether or not they will be participating in their junior and senior years before they even enter summer. Then, in the fall, the junior coaches enter with a roster of all the youth they will be serving. We, however, are still unaware of what SCHOOL we'll be at let alone who our students will be.

And the adventure continues...