A closing Poem for round 1 written by Chase

I would like to close with a form of prose
reflecting on the weeks just past
from fun times to down times
moments shared with young minds
and a range of emotions and stories so vast
their words and their phrases
truly amazed us
some understood
and some rather perplexing
let me ask you
what's the first step to making a budget?
calculate your net worth or assets?
your income?
money you have or have not spent yet?
well ask a child from Oak Ridge
their answer is this
simply "go to Texas"
or how many pouches do 3 monkeys have?
you think none, they say one
third grade math is so fun
when reason and logic is suspended
a question posed to the man in green clothes
are you from Jewish?
that's hecka crazy
it's hella tight
what happened to normal adverbs, like really and quite?
don't axe me
it's a tough question to answer
but we know it comes from somewheres
oh how clever the means to attain attention
from students who seem to care less
just use quiet hands
1-2-3 combinations
or scream "class class" "yes yes"
now out of the rooms and into the open
Oak Ridge has a distinguishable culture
the recess it seems
is our only means
to mentor about sportsmanship and structure
but to no avail
cause the wall ball wall's hell
just ask Mr. Hunter (Yeechang voice)
teaching sight words and sound cards
adding numbers and money
led to the immediate subtraction of our hair
we divided our time
to give each kid a shot
at doing better than before
but multiply that
with the extra stuff placed in our lap
and you've got an algebraic equation of balance and strong rapport
we learned everyday about Oak Park ways
a culture so diverse
from food to dance moves
we soaked in the knowledge
in hopes to be well versed
paper corners spatted with tiny orange fingerprints
hot Cheetos, their cherished snack
the jerk
a dance move
combining crypt walking and skipping
while hopping forward and leaning back
some of our team had succumbed to the norms and the ways
while others of us were considered to be whack
and our day to day brought a story of its own
I'll run down each in top 10 fashion
coming in at number 10
was the Fun Run at 5 am
a voluntold experience not soon forgotten
number 9 is the ants
they march 1 by 1
over every inch of the school
in numbers that seem quite fascist
number 8 comes on Wednesday
enrichment time with different grades
a challenge in itself
but especially when raining
number 7, Friday food bags
a task of which we are capable
but often blamed for mishaps
number 6, extra mile tickets
given to students that went the distance
but are used too as a quiet tool
and a gambling chip on the playground
numero cinco, el ghetto store-o
it's its, noodles and el drinkos
at number 4 we have START
where kids do homework and march
and take the occasional dodge ball to the face
oh without number 3
I don't know where I'd be
Tuesdays, free pastries and coffee
number 2 kept us smiling
throughout each day
much thanks to Ari for the introduction
it's not very long
and falls right out of your mouth
notice my intentional phrasing
let me hear it team
"ding!"
drum roll please
actually i was being facetious
but without further ado
number 1
our team itself
by chance we were placed together
none of us too sure of the other
yet we never let our differences get in the way of the task set before us
each member playing a crucial part
in the whole that is Blue 5
I love you guys
and our days at Oak Ridge
strengthen this bond making even Hydrogen jealous
Hunter's jokes never failed us
Caitlin's videos always caught us
the 3 abs I do have I owe to Lauren
and the 3 complimentary rolls
to Kristin's Cosmic Brownies
the VST and me
we had our differences
but worked through it with flying colors
and Ari Shapiro
will always be our hero
Katie, I still don't know what you're saying
when you speak so fast
but that makes you a damn good CAPper
and Sly Park was a blast
Sarah is a swell POL
I mean, are you kidding me? we went to Yosemite
and Lindsay, my gangsta
we be stayin hood fa eva
so this is my team
and that was our project
and I'll tell you now Blue Unit
we're ready for whatever lies next
-Chase Jones

Personal Reflection

Working at Oakridge Elementary this round has definitely been challenging, especially for a first project, but ultimately a rewarding and worthwhile experience. Our team has definitely had a rocky start and often I felt out of place, I was afraid this project would be the end for me. Although our job may have seen simple compared to a physical and labor intensive project, there were many unseen challenges that faced the team.
Yes of course we were indoors most of the day, sitting and chatting with kids, but we were also responsible for the goal of improving the students standardized test scores by 40%. We also were at a first round project spending most of the day alone, without our team to back us up. In the classroom, each team member expressed different experiences, with students, teachers, relationships, time management, and especially diving head first into something we thought we were unprepared and untrained for, teaching kids from kindergarten to 5th grade? I asked myself, really?
At first, I sometimes felt that our presence would be insignificant compared to the teachers and volunteers who would be at the school for the entire year. The team eventually found its groove, moreover we became an integral part of the class, working with each student, personalizing how we spoke, relayed information and even looked at each individual student in our charge. The improvement now seemed apparent.
Our responsibilities didn’t rest in the classroom, however, we were tasked with providing a presence in the playground, acting with so many hats, one would think, how could you do it all? From playing with the kids in all grades, to supervising and acting accordingly as newly trained mandated reporters, to refereeing basketball, wall ball, and four square games to working with the afterschool START program acting as role models and tutors, I think we managed quite well as a team.
Furthermore, this experience has been very rewarding to see the niche that we’ve created and the influence on the lives of young minds. We’ve accomplished quite a bit and I’ve actually enjoyed our project so much that it’s sad to see it come to an end. I’ve also realized that there are often times conflict comes into play from when we’re children to when we are adults, however, from that we grow bonds, strengthen our resolve and become not just a team, but a family, and I’ve come to appreciate my teammates much more.
Although we were only there for about two months, I will always remember my time at Oakridge, and hopefully I am able to come back to visit and see those we’ve affected, because if there is only one thing I can say, I didn’t so much touch the lives of these kids, they’ve touched mine.
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- Ron Kunateerachadalai