On the Eve of Woodland

It's that time again. The night before a new project. Last week was transition week. It was another one of those times I wanted to quit AmeriCorps. (For all those concerned, I've come to find that everyone in this program has quitting days as well, so this is fairly normal.) Fortunately, we're all hanging in there together. We had a bunch of meetings, and we were back on campus which means: community meetings, wearing proper uniforms, room checks, the kitchen only being open from 6-7:45 am and 5-8 pm. That's always fun when you forget to pack a lunch... I tried to make a point by just eating 2 granola bars all day, but it backfired on me when I got a 2 day stomach ache. Way to go Anne. I wake up early and pack my lunch now. Lesson learned.

Our briefing and debriefing went well. We also met with another team with whom we are switching projects, and I'm not going to lie, we're all a bit nervous. The biggest challenge is going to be dealing with punk high-schoolers. This is the age (9th and 10th grade) where kids know what no means, and they use it frequently. They know they don't have to technically follow the rules. It also does not help that the kids we will be tutoring have a high chance of dropping out. In addition, I don't remember a thing about freshman and sophomore high school academics. Geometry? King Lear? I never even finished reading it in class and wrote a paper anyways. We all need to do some brushing up.

Tomorrow morning we will be having a half day of orientation and then thrown into tutoring in the afternoon. Although I am apprehensive, I'm sure once we all get adjusted, it won't be bad at all. It's going to be possibly the most mentally challenging project so far (and possibly ever). I'm going to have to think, while trying to gain respect from the kids, and simultaneously re-learning algebra 2. Challenging, yes. Am I going to be just fine? I'm pretty confident. Bring it on.

<3 anne