Alicja Duda (5)

June 15, 2012

I could go into the millions of memorable details of everything that has happened this week (eating dinner with veterans of SNCC [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee], meeting John Sgeigenthaler (!), walking through Kelly Ingram Park [the infamous site where Bull Conner unleashed hoses and dogs on children], singing freedom songs with Civil Right Movement veterans, visiting the super awesome, justice-seeking Southern Poverty Law Center, eating some good ol’ Southern barbeque with Kou, Dr. Sapp, Dr. Beth Paul, and Rip Patton J]… but since this is a blog titled, “Reflections,” I think it’s time for me to reflect. So, here we go:

By studying history, travelling to history, meeting history, discussing with history, and embracing history with a community of scholars and students, I truly have gained a slightly wiser, broader, deeper, and fuller understanding of life itself. It’s as if my world of balancing school and service and work and sports and deciding a major and thinking about future careers has been zoomed out tenfold to view the biggest picture: the Beloved Community. John Lewis describes the Beloved Community, a central theme in Walking with the Wind, several times. Quite simply, it is the community in which everyone loves each other. Regardless of social or academic prestige, physical characteristics, cultural differences, religious beliefs—John Lewis, along with countless others during the Civil Rights Movement, strived (and are still striving) toward this Beloved Community.

What struck me most throughout the trip is that every speaker of every event concludes his or her speech or conversation with a mandate: that our generation is wholly responsible for the future. The torch has been passed and we need to continue the race toward the Beloved Community. Though we face bigger and scarier issues (e.g. human slavery, economic injustices, etc.), everyone emphasizes that we also have bigger and better resources, especially mass communication via the Internet.

In addition to internalizing the Civil Rights Movements and current social justice issues, I have learned a lot about myself and the people around me. After years of stressing over "What in the world am I going to be when I grow up??", I have learned that there is no “social justice career”; rather, social justice is a way of life. Whether I become an elementary school teacher or an academic scholar, a lawyer or a doctor, a sanitation worker or a social movement leader, I will do my absolute best in this day and in every blessed day to strive for the Beloved Community just as the "black masses" did in the Civil Rights Movement--by utilizing my political rights, by treating my fellow brothers and sisters equally, by making ethical decisions.

Food for thought:

“We loved you—We didn’t even know you, but we loved you.” –Diane Nash, reflecting on her role as a leader of the Freedom Riders to defend social justice for our generation. She challenges us by asking. “What are you going to do to better your generation? What are you going to do to better your grandchildren’s generation?”

Alicja Duda (4)

June 9, 2012

It is only Day 2 of the Civil Rights Travel Course, but I already think that today is the most memorable (and transformative) day of the whole summer. Why? Because today I got to meet, embrace, and converse with living people of history: the very same people who participated in the 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike.

A little bit of context: Sanitation workers were overworked, underpaid, and unnoticed by society because society designated such a dirty job to the lowest form of people they knew: blacks. They were so embarrassed that many chose to walk home from work to avoid being ridiculed on the bus for their smell after a long day of taking out other people’s trash. On the worst occasions, their work was fatal. Once, on a rainy day, two workers tried to stay dry by ducking under the cover of the garbage disposal truck. Both slipped and fell inside. They were crushed.

While passing through Memphis, Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) took note of the plight of the sanitation workers. Despite it being an unpopular issue, MLK gave his full time and efforts to empower the sanitation workers. You see, the sanitation workers had attempted to defend themselves since 1961; however, it was the tactics of MLK that truly organized them and his symbolic presence that gave them the publicity they deserved. On March 29, 1968, 5,000 sanitation workers marched holding bold signs stating “I AM A MAN.” Just a couple weeks later, the city agreed to give the workers raises and to recognize their union J.

Imagine these same men, once ridiculed by society, in today’s world. Let me tell you, the four veterans we were privileged to meet were remarkable: freshly dressed in a suit and tie with shining dress shoes, some even with a matching hat, and all of them speaking to us honestly and humbly. Although they are uneducated, retired sanitation workers, they were perhaps more dignified and real than half of us students in the room. I was awestruck.

At the discussion panel, someone asked why it took so long for the sanitation workers to unite. A man from the panel, named Mr. Leech, answered, “If you kick a dog, it will fear your feet. It took us that long to build up courage; we took a hell of a beating.”

I was amazed at their story. Unlike the teenaged Freedom Riders who risked nothing except postponing their education, these sanitation workers risked everything: their jobs, their family’s stability, their lives. I raised my hand and commented how similar their situation in the 1960s is to the situation of farmworkers today; both are exploited and lack unity. I asked how could present day farmworkers gain the courage to organize themselves? One man answered with another analogy (I am noticing that people really enjoy analogies on this trip J): “If you hold one pencil in your hand, you can break it easily,” he said to me, gesturing with his hands. “However, if you hold 10 or 15 pencils in your hands, they are much harder to break. This is how we find strength.”

 I deeply appreciated his answer. But I was not satisfied; how do the farmworkers gain courage to even unite 10 or 15 of themselves to protest physical and emotional abuse, poor salaries, and general exploitation? How do farmworkers overcome their fear of deportation? Fear of losing their job? Fear of risking their family and life? I think that they are missing their Martin Luther King. They need a solid, public figure to represent them in society. Maybe a lawyer, maybe a valiant Mexican farmworker—whoever it is, I believe that social movements need a figure to lead the numbers.

Alicja Duda (3)

June 8, 2012

Well, we made it to SOS Adventure #2: the Civil Rights Travel Course! After a few weeks of prep work with Dr. Sapp (which consisted of reading John Lewis’ Walking with the Wind [an absolutely phenomenal read—I recommend it to anyone, I promise it is not dry!], David Chappell’s A Stone of Hope [a bit more academic, but also insightful], watching many documentaries, discussions, and two papers), we made it to Nashville, Tennessee J (We meaning myself, Dr. Sapp, Dr. Beth Paul, Professor Bickel, Tammy Briant, Kou, some twenty Stetson Law students, and “Rip” Patton, a Civil Rights and Freedom Rider veteran—definitely more about him later J).

Tonight we had a brief orientation meeting in which we all ate dinner and discussed the week ahead. Tammy Briant, Director of Student Life at Stetson Law and coordinator for the whole trip, emphasized that the week ahead is all about transformative learning; she explained that, as children, we accept beliefs and values from our family, society, experiences, and friends. As we continue to grow up, Tammy continued, it is important to think for ourselves and to challenge our deeply held beliefs. After all of the academic prep work, I know Kou and I were both ready to start our transformative learning experience.

Alicja Duda (2)

June 20, 2012

Today was my last day volunteering as a Teacher Assistant—so we had a Fiesta! J (Note: I am blessed to have this position as my CLA during the school year—so I will be back later this August! J ) All of the students and I brought homemade food to represent our traditional cultures: we had tamales, plenty of tortillas, flan, empanadas, mole, and galapki (pronounced “go-wom-kee”), a Polish dish that I brought. It was really nice to have a day off of teaching and learning and to take time to simply spend time with each other. Lots of the students’ children came to enjoy the food and festivities, which made it a very familial and warm atmosphere. When it was time to say goodbye, I was both surprised and touched when every student gave me a hug, thanked me for helping them throughout the summer, and blessed me with a “Que Dios te bendiga” (God bless you).

After the Fiesta, Miguel and I discussed the day and the past summer term of ESL. (Our post-class discussions--about the students, about current events, about school, about politics--have become a regular part of the day and something I look forward to). We first discussed the basic tenants of teaching, which I found very insightful and would like to share:

(1) Students are the M.I.P.s of the classroom (Most Important People). Miguel told me that in all of his ESL classes, both he and his students sign a contract; he agrees, as their teacher, to help his students learn English and to fulfill their personal goals to the best of his ability. Likewise, his students agree to give their very best effort both during and outside of class to make the most of their education.

(2) Teachers are there to guide the students, not to boss them. In other words, teachers should not merely stand in front of the class and dictate the knowledge to the students; rather, the teacher should be among the students as a guide to facilitate the learning process. Especially in an ESL classroom, the former method of teaching is very common. While teaching English can become dry, it is important, Miguel noted, to keep in mind the students’ cultural and social contexts. You can do this through getting to know your students (their careers, their family lives, their dreams, their immigration stories), sharing these stories through in-class discussions in English, and relating the teaching material to their personal lives.

(3) MISTAKES ARE WONDERFUL. Two simple reasons: they are ways of knowing where the student stands in the class and they serve as invaluable learning opportunities. However, Miguel warned me that it is important for the teacher to know when it is appropriate to correct a mistake. For example, during a reading exercise in which the students take turns reading a text aloud, sometimes a student will struggle over a word. Sometimes, it is okay for the teacher to openly correct the student by helping them to pronounce the word correctly. Sometimes, especially if the teacher has already openly corrected many of the student’s mistakes or if the student is shy, it is okay to allow the mistake to occur uncorrected. The best scenario is when a student makes a mistake, recognizes the mistake, and corrects it himself.

Miguel and I also reflected on the overall success of the students throughout the school year and the summer; ALL of the students improved their test scores and most will advance at least one level in the class. Miguel also told me that I work well with the students and that they really appreciate having me as a part of the classroom. If you have ever volunteered in a classroom before, you will understand how this kind of compliment is music to my ears. As a Teacher Assistant, it is difficult to tell whether or not I am truly building a strong, trusting relationship with the students; my only tangible results are attendance and test scores. To be honest, my biggest fear coming into this position a few months ago was that I would be perceived as “the little white girl” helping the Mexicans to learn English. Indeed, I was that little white girl. However, after I consistently came to classes and patiently worked with each student with a smile on my face, we have broken down the race barrier and now perceive each other based on our character and personality. It truly makes me happy to know that the students enjoy learning from me as much as I enjoy teaching them J

Alicja Duda (1)

Hey Everyone!!!

This is officially my first blog post! Although it is late in the summer, I have been keeping a journal everywhere I go to keep track of my service experiences, so this is all fresh :) I have been doing a lot of traveling, so get ready for a lot of different stories to come!

To give you some context, my SOS consists of four different service projects: (1) ESL Teacher Assistant at DeLeon Springs Baptist Church, (2) Civil Rights Trip with Dr. Sapp, (3) Bonner High Impact Initiative in Albany, New York, (4) and the Oxfam CHANGE Initiative in Boston, Mass.

June 2, 2012

It is absolutely amazing the things you learn about a community by spending time in a classroom.

Every Monday and Wednesday evening, you'll find Miguel, an ESL teacher, and I in a classroom at DeLeon Springs Baptist Church teaching English to about twenty Mexican adults. Even after some tutoring experience under my belt, being an ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher Assistant is a completely different world compared to tutoring at the elementary school level.

To give you an example that shows the unique nature of ESL and how awesome Miguel is, here's a short story of something that happened earlier this week: before class started, all of the students were hanging out on the front porch talking while I was inside setting up the chairs and the computer room. When I walked out to call the students in, I found them heatedly arguing over each other's different recipes on how to make tamales; one student defended that it tastes best with a certain kind of ingredient while another student argued that it's much better with her family's traditional ingredients. Naturally, they continued the conversation as they entered the classroom.

Miguel listened, amused, for a few minutes until the students quieted down. "You know," he said in both stern and amused English, "a tamale is still a tamale, no matter what kind of ingredients you put in it. Maria's tamales might taste a little different than Yolanda's tamales, but they are both tamales." The students and I smiled, thinking that Miguel was half-joking because we all know how much he loves his students' cooking. But to our surprise, he continued. "It's a lot like in here; you are all students. Some can read better, some can speak better, some are just beginning, and some are ready to advance. But in the end, you are all students and you are all here to learn." This definitely got the students' attention. Miguel had just addressed the division among students based on English fluency level, a major problem in the classroom, by relating it to something that all the Mexican students could grasp: tamales. I was so impressed by his poise and approach, I call this the tamale analogy.

Miguel’s tamale analogy is certainly one of many in-class lectures he has given to the students on social and cultural issues, including immigration, religion, and gender roles. In addition to the teaching English part of the day, ESL requires patience to work with various social and cultural contexts that the students bring to the classroom. With each class, I learn more about the students and how to work with them—there is never a dull moment in an ESL classroom J