Building Schools and Relationships

I knew that I loved this city before I came, but after our week here I feel at home here. All the people that we met here showed us the spirit and compassion that lives here. Our group kept busy through out our time at John Dibert, but what I really enjoyed, that is unseen, are the connections and conversations we had with the staff. Putting stickers on library books was an activity in the background to having conversations with staff about the learning community in New Orleans, their family, and experiences. This is the real treasure of this trip. As future educators, what better way to experience a school's culture than to get in there and ask questions and support teachers and administrators.

I spent most of the week working at the Pre-K cottage. Wow! I wish we had a before picture. It was intimidating walking in on Monday, but we plowed through the boxes and layers of paint until we actually had a room that looked like a preschool. The staff at the cottage, Jeanie and Tannika, were great! They shared their experiences with us as we worked alongside of each other all week. I truly hope that they liked the outcome of the room, and that they have a great learning year with their little ones. And, I also hope that the flowers we planted in the boxes outside the cottage welcome all the pre-K's to class, and brighten their day.

To our group. . .I think we were a really remarkable group. We all worked hard, supported each other, and had some great fun together. I really liked that everyone had positive attitudes and were willing to put forth effort to get the job done! If I get a chance to go next year, I hope that many of you will to! Thanks to Karen and NLU for organizing a wonderful trip and learning experience.