Aveson Global Service Learning in CHINA

 Today we traveled one hour by bus to an elementary school, populated by children of migrant workers.

  

There are up to 60 children in each class, they do not have air conditioning, their desks sit inches from one another.  They have limited supplies, no technology whatsoever.

These students are struggling, to say the least.  

They struggle with every aspect of their education, as well as a constant struggle with poverty,

And, as it was explained to us as we pulled into their parking lot, some of them have never seen people who look like us.  At first they pulled at our hands as if we were royalty, perhaps.  I thought this is how the Beatles must have felt, one of our kids said, " or the Backstreet boys ". Perspective, right?


Our students paired up, along with two Chinese students from our sister school, New oriental! And created two 40 minute lessons on "American culture and community"

I can't explain how amazing it was with these short descriptions, but I'll try.  Aveson juniors and seniors walked to the front of the very crowded, very hot, deathly quite classrooms and took over the room in seconds.  Chinese students assisted and translated, and together they made the kids laugh, think, allowed them to move, interact, dance, draw, and play.

Purag and Giovanni "super heroes" students created their own super heroes, drew them, gave them powers, and Purag and Geo translated them to English.

Remington and Matthew "a brief history of popular music" included the most raucous game of musical chairs I have ever seen.  60 kids moving to FUN and MICHAEL Jackson.!

Giuilia and Lilia "landmarks" taught them about the Statue of Liberty and more, while engaging them in head,shoulders,knees and toes!

Holden and Emily "holidays" exposed them to the American traditions associated with valentines day and Halloween.  Children made their own masks and traded "valentines"

JD and Mason " Literature" A reading of green eggs and ham by JD left me a little teary.  Plus art activities and games.

Nico and Soren.  "Children's games" red light green light.  , lots of movement, energy.  The loudest classroom I have ever been in.  They also taught them to count to 20 in English.

......and our students were masterful.  They handled the heat, the energy, the language barrier, as if they had been educators for years.  And.... It turns out they have!

I don't remember quite how it was said, but each of them, over and over, throughout the day told me, "this is like community day.... OR “aveson COL prepared me” OR.... “It's like working with ASL,  the is a mini community day,  OR. Community day really prepared me for this, I wish we did this with ASL more. "

The staff of the migrant elementary school said the children smiled like they had never seen before.  The energy was electric.  Ms. Tapia and I took 400 photos and our eyes pooled with tears about a dozen times.  Yes, we were proud.  

We have known some of these kids since they were 10 years old.  But it was more than that.  There is something profound about actually seeing a philosophy became a practice.  When "global competence" stops being a catch phrase and starts to live in the action and confidence of aveson students.  

When ideas are communicated because our students have a skill set that allows them to walk into a classroom on another continent and communicate ideas that may have an impact on a child for the rest of their lives.

Emily Pacini said to me something like, "I finally understand "take action". I felt I was actually doing it, communicating ideas, weighing perspective, I could feel it".

Forgive me for being so grand, but this is why I do what I do.  This is why we created aveson and I hope you can celebrate this accomplishment with these kids and all those who will travel in their footsteps.   We are now a "global" academy.  Pretty cool, indeed.