Allie on the small school with a big heart

Allie

As of today, we have officially completed the first week of our internships. Everyone’s exhausted, but most people seem to love where they’re working. Although I was initially unsure about my placement, I think City Mission Educational Services is going to be a great place to work. Vernon first introduced it as “a little organization with a big heart”, and I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Physically, it’s very small; there’s one central room that serves as an entranceway, auditorium, and teacher’s lounge, and a number of cramped classrooms off of that. There are less than a hundred students in total, but the class size ranges from three to over twenty. And as if these circumstances aren’t difficult enough, their students all have difficult pasts. They have either been expelled or dropped out of the mainstream school system, and as such they have a hard time adjusting to school routines. But despite City Mission’s limited resources and daunting task, the teachers are genuinely passionate about helping these kids. They know that City Mission is the last thing standing between the students and the streets, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to put them on the right path.

City Mission Educational Services

While it is inspirational to be a part of this kind of organization, my favorite part so far has been just hanging out and talking with the kids. They’re extremely curious about life in the US, and they had an endless stream of questions for me to answer. Also, a lot of their questions were about seemingly trivial things, like if I went to Prom or if I had my own locker in high school. I guess these little aspects of American adolescence are a big deal if you’ve never gotten to experience them. My favorite part was probably when we went around the room and they all told me what they wanted to be when they grew up. Most of the boys said soccer players, but there were also future police, teachers, doctors, and scientists. Some also expressed a desire to travel, and almost all of them said that they wanted to go to the US after finishing University. As I listened to their dreams for the future, I was humbled by their resilience. These kids come from the worst situations imaginable, but they refuse to give up. And that’s where places like City Mission come into play. They equip their students with the skills to achieve their goals, and the confidence to believe they can.