Career week

This is career week at my adopted public school. The idea is that people from the community come in to show and tell the kids what is available out there for future jobs. Today, there was a variety of things going on: karate, cake decorating, and a menagerie of moth-eaten animals in the playground. Tomorrow there will be recruiters for the armed forces. I don't know what else. Aargh! To be honest, I didn't hear of anyone coming in to discuss working in agriculture, or driving trucks, or cleaning motels (what these kids' parents mostly do). I certainly did not hear of anyone who was a professional in law or government or city planning or science (what these kids could aspire to) coming in to discuss their work. No poets, no artists, no actors, no dancers were there today. Perhaps they will be there tomorrow, but I sincerely doubt it.

I come in to work with these kids one day each week. This experience affirms me as the kids welcome me and ask what book I have brought to read to them, what art we'll be doing today, what FOOD I have for them. They want to read to me, haltingly, but so proud of their accomplishments.

First thing today, we had the cake decorating lady. The teacher has told the kids they must sit on their bottoms in front of the demonstration table. I scooch down with them to see what they can see. Not much. The table is much too high. I tell the kids they must move back in order to see. But what is happening is so compelling the kids keep moving closer. (Why can't they just stand around and get a good view?) I take a couple of the shortest kids on my lap so they can see. After almost half an hour, the cake is done and they are promised they can eat it after lunch. They are incredibly wiggly and itchy.

We quickly segue into my activity of vegetable sculpture. I have brought ten different vegetables and the kids are invited to use anything they want, put it together with toothpicks and playdough, apply googly eyes, whatever. Make a dragonfly out of a carrot and apply wings of kale. At first, I wondered how they would respond to such a freeform art activity. But then, I heard the low hum of productivity as they constructed animals, robots, cars from the vegetable pieces. They shared ideas and vegetables and they delighted in each other's creations. Many of them were eating their creations or wanted baggies to take them home. Lorenzo, (so proud to be asked!) and I took the leavings to the science teacher who has a guinea pig. He stuck a carrot into the cage and it was snatched up! Lorenzo was most pleased to report this to the class when we returned.

Today was mulch for the mind: cake decorating, vegetable sculpture, karate, a wonderful out loud story, and the excellent math presentation by their regular teacher.

Public school, even the most modest of them all, is alive and well in America. I am proud to be a volunteer for these vibrant children and hard-working teachers.