Day 1: Welcome Aboard

Day 1: Welcome Aboard.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Well, well, well, was that my heart beating like a drum or was it my nibbled fingernails tap-tapping on my already worn biology textbook?
To tell you the truth I don't know. My mind was miles away and going at a thousand miles an hour. Day 1 at Escuela Vieau. What was it going to be like? Would it be good, bad, ugly? Would it be like homeschooling with my brothers and sisters? Would it be similar to the Summit Summer Camp experience I had had for several years? Would I be up to such a task? It couldn't be *too* bad. The kids would probably love me and I'd be way overstressing this. Surely it wouldn't be as stressful as Summit...would it? Of course not! Still, nightmares of kids screaming and bouncing off the walls flashed before my eyes as I rubbed my sweaty palms together.

I was in the commuter lounge at Marquette finishing an email and preparing to print out a paper for my challenging school life. After the first few weeks of college I was finally settling down and getting down to absorbing as much as I could in the short time I had. The tough thing about education is that no matter how much you absorb you'll still be woefully short of understanding the mind of each child. There are nine kids in my family, and while thats not as many as some, I do know one thing and that is I do NOT have all the answers to my littlest sisters questions even after knowing them their whole lives. One cannot begin to grasp the depths and fantasy of kids even after living with them for 20 years. There's just WAY too much within the identity of an individual for anyone to really absorb it all. There's one reason why we don't even understand ourselves super well. I say we need God's help in the end. With an encouraging thought like this in my head, I put-putted up to the first day of my service learning. I had arranged to meet my classmate at the coffee shop and trek down to the bus-stop to catch a bus to Escuela Vieau. While excited about what I knew would be a cool experience, I really kind of questioned what I would do there in the first place. Someone had mentioned tutoring? Was I really qualified to tutor in math? Its not like I'm extremely good at it.. Would the kids even want to learn? Would they hate me with a passion right out of the gate? Darn it, I was worrying again. I shouldered my bodybag of a backpack and cracked a weak smile to someone I knew from somewhere. Time to go. I gave the good ole John Wayne salute to some people studying in a corner and walked to the coffee shop.

My classmate Anne (not her real name) and I made our way to the bus-stop for what I figured would be the 2:10 bus. A couple other people were sitting with us waiting as well. After sending a text or two thanking the encouragment I had just received, I looked at my phone to check the time. 2:05. Should be here any minute now. "You nervous?" I asked Anne. She wasn't too nervous. Gee, these kids had more nerves than I did. I sighed, said a prayer and plopped down on the grass, waiting for the ride. Presently the 30 bus came into view, or I should say, came within hearing range. I pondered on how I could always hear it before I saw it. Really I didn't have to wait outside for the bus. I could just wait inside Gesu Church...All I had to do was listen for the snorting of the gargantuan truck. Oh well, no matter, just get on the bus and move along. We were at the back of the line for the bus, but it pulled up and opened its doors. I heard something about being full, needed money and noticed for the first time the gee-I-have-to-wait-for-ten-more-minutes expression on the people outside. "You're kidding right?" I murmured, sitting back down on the grass. Day 1 and I'm late. A buzzing on my phone made me stir as I got a text message from Mom. "God be with you." she said. ...thanks Mom. I chuckled and waited for the next bus.

----------------------

Anne and I hopped off the second bus and began walking towards Escuela Vieau a couple blocks away. Almost there! Fifteen minutes late, but we were almost there. After a busride that really tested my faith in my memory of when and where to get off, the destination was finally within sight. As a homeschooler (homeschooling for the win, by the way!) it was always cool to actually go to a structured K-8 building. Yet there was something more about it now. As I opened the chainlink gate to get to the concrete pavement that was swarming with kids from ages 5-15, I seemed to relax somehow. For once I felt like I could actually do something good. Once on the field of battle my confidence came back and I felt a certain calm. What was this? Kids were screaming and running around all around me, offering that disorder that is so cool in a way. Why was I walking up with a huge grin on my face? Wasn't this the place that I was sure would be my demise a few hours ago? Well, no more. Welcome Aboard.
Suddenly a face caught my eye. Well as I live and breath! "Luis!" (not his real name) I yelled out. "Luis!" There to my left was one of the kids I had tutored at the Summit Educational Association during those long yet rewarding summers. The kid started as he heard his name and turned as I shouted out his name again. Then the pause. The look of disbelief. The wonder. Could it possibly be his corny teacher from Summit? "Kevin...?" he called in complete incredulity. But then he was swept away by his buddies and I slowly ascended the stairs to the school. Now I was smiling and remembered Summit. There is something about seeing someone you know that makes being in a completely strange place totally home.

I trotted down the hallway towards the room where I was to be assigned to the kids I would tutor for the day. The confidence I had was complemented by a surge of adrenaline that reminded me that I really was not qualified to teach at this point. But no matter, my job was to give these kids everything I had and let God take care of the rest. The quiet in the room was deafening. Off in a corner a older lady was tutoring a young hispanic boy about math or english or some such subject. I stared for a few moments, taking in her method. "Look at her." I thought "the pencils..the candy..the stickers..the whole aura of quiet instruction.." Oh dear..I forgot the candy I was going to bring. The door to the room opened. My heart stopped beating for a moment. My site coordinator walked in with a shy, pudgy hispanic boy of about nine trailing behind her. "Kevin," my coordinator said "This is Jose (not his real name) and he needs help with math and reading. Could you help him please?" Jose stared down at his feet and, very quickly, whispered "HellomynameisJosecanyouhelpme?" Suddenly it wasn't about me not being qualified. There was a little boy, who reminded me of my own little brothers and sisters, nervous and stuttering in front of me, an older brother and 20 year old young man. "Oye," I grinned "Te hablas?" (basically "do you speak spanish") Jose started and looked up at me for the first time, smiling his head off. "Si puedo!" he chuckled. We sat down and brought out his math and reading.

-----------------------------------------

5:45. Done. I don't know what I did. Maybe I completely messed up today, but after all it was Day 1. After tutoring Jose for a while I was introduced to three teenaged boys who I tutored in math for a couple hours, and now all four of us were walking back down the hallway to the teachers lounge. I still know I'm not that good at math, but something in me felt great. Something in me conquered the tired college kid and made me realize that I had helped these kids somehow. If not academically, I had at least had brightened their day and encouraged them to come in to learn tomorrow morning. Once again my backpack was on my shoulder and I was ready to wrap things up and move along back home. These three teenagers, however, were having a blast still. "Kevin!" one said "Do you do anything other than do magic?" I smiled at the memory of turning a card into an smartphone for Jose. "Well of course. I do martial arts, play basketball, sing.." "SING SOMETHING!" a second boy said. Wow..someone who doesn't cringe at the idea of me singing.. well they'll be sorry.. I hummed a couple bars from a song I had written and sang a few lyrics while we walked along. "Hey?" said the third boy. "What's up buddy?" I answered. "You gonna be a teacher, Kevin?" he asked. I don't know. I honestly don't know. Right now I'm letting God figure that out. But He has blessed me with this opportunity. "Maybe, we'll see..." I replied. The second boy piped up excitedly "When you become a teacher, can you be my teacher?" "Yeah, me too! You're cool!" "You need to teach us in high school!" I grinned and pounded their fists. It was time for me to get back home. "If I become a teacher, I'll see if I can find you guys. Just get there first, okay?" I smiled again as I left.

That smile didn't really leave even after I got on the bus. It didn't leave even after I got lost on the way home and had to walk the last mile back to campus. And when I think of it now I smile and look forward to going to Escuela Vieau this Thursday. My first experience was a good one. Maybe all of my opportunities to tutor from now on will be terrible and nightmarish. Maybe they'll lead me to discern away from teaching and to veterinary work. Maybe they'll touch me in a profound way like they did on Thursday and God will call me to a vocation as a teacher. I don't know. But in any case, I thank God for that day and pray that He will lead me.

"Now is our chance to choose the right side." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Welcome aboard, Kevin.

Introductions

"A new commandment I give unto you...That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another... By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35


Hello everybody, this is Kevin here! Some of you all may know that I am currently in the College of Education at Marquette University. So far its been a very neat and challenging experience for me, with God/family and friends/school all balanced on a platter known as Kevin's College Experience. In particular interest is my Service Learning Project through my freshman education class. In this project, I am traveling by bus to a K-8 school called Escuela Vieau in the city of Milwaukee and tutoring mainly Hispanic children in subjects such as reading and math. I had the idea of reflecting on my experiences there, and putting them on a blog so that all could see my thoughts and feelings on the surely unpredictable yet wonderful days I'll have there.

So there you have it! I had my first day there this past week, so I'll be sharing pretty soon what that was like. Provided that you guys can put up with my corny writing style and whacky thought waves, I pray that you too will enjoy and learn from this next Chapter in the story that God is writing for me.

Here we go. Buckle up. We're headed on an Adventure thats sure to give us both surprises going forward. If you want to stay with me I'll be happy to have you alongside. Lets just see what happens.

I'll end with this quote, from J.R.R Tolkien's incredible story The Hobbit. "Far over the Misty Mountains cold..to dungeons deep and caverns old..we must away ere break of day to claim our pale enchanted gold..."


The Apprenticeship of the Guardian