Service Learning Journal #1

I always liked going into the elementary school where my mom teaches in Baltimore. Being in a school without the mindset of being student is always odd for me, because I still am a one. But to help out at a school when you're a student is always a new experience. It might not be the same as studying abroad or living in a foreign country but it is in the same vein. Both offer different perspectives you might have been formerly unaware of. After looking into and researching William Randolph school, the place where I'm volunteering, I was surprised to learn that my experience of alternative schools has been skewed growing up in Baltimore. Where I'm from, going to "alternative school" meant you had done something wrong or gotten into trouble in public school and were expelled with the options of dropping out or going to the alternative school. But here it appears that alternative school is just what it sounds like. A school where teens can go to take a different path to graduation. Looking into William Randolph's website their school promotes sustainability, permaculture and hands-on work. Their projects have including a school garden, numerous vineyard field trips and maintenance of a hoop house (a type of greenhouse). Until I actually looked at their website I had a completely different idea of what i was in for. I assumed I would be working with kids who were fed up with the system and had no other options. Looking into what type of service learning opportunities were available the gardening and permaculture projects caught my eye. I think I could learn just as much as I could teach in that area.  Of course I've only looked at their website and a few other links so my idea of the school could be very flawed.