Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The eighth year students have begun our weekly visits to the South Bend Center for the Homeless. It is truly an eye opening experience. At the Center, some students help in the Center’s Montessori classroom, which, for those of you that don’t know, is as much a part of our school as the classrooms in the EC building. Although this classroom is set up just like the others, it is very unique. It's the only Montessori classroom that’s part of a center for the homeless in the country, possibly the world.





Another group of us help in the kitchen. We prepare food for the many hungry residents at the center. We also help the kitchen staff haul water and food in and out of storage. I think it’s safe to say we have never opened so many sugar packets in our lives. In the span of two visits to the center we opened about 1000 sugar packets.

At the Center we learned about the harsh reality for those who live there. While at the Center, we get to meet the guests who are kind loving people. We tend to see ourselves differently than those living on the streets but, in reality, we are quite similar. They are normal people like you and me, they have just fallen on hard times. And the majority of homeless people in our country are children. That fact was a real eye-opener. Especially after seeing the rooms that families at the Center have to share. The center helps us to become far more appreciative than we ever would be without this incredible experience. We have many trips to the Center on the way and many Montessori graduates continue to go after eighth grade. Now on to what the seventh year have to say about their service at school.




While the eighth years are at the Center for the Homeless, the seventh years are working around the school. Work consists of helping in Early Childhood, Lower El, at the Front Desk, in the Library, and for Ms. Lauren. It really teaches us about the different people at school, that we usually will not be able to spend time with. It has been an interesting experience and all of us have really enjoyed it.

In Early Childhood we help the teachers with their problems, as well as the children. When the kids need help they ask the Junior High to assist them with their work. The kids really enjoy when we come because they really feel the support we give to help them, to be a more successful learner. The Early Childhood students request the Junior High students because they really enjoy our help and care.

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