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Probably the most valuable thing I learned from my time at Murray is the importance of building a relationship and dialogue with students.I developed a quite a bond with C and B, and that had become so useful when it came to me helping them learn. They knew that they could come to me with questions without any fear, and that I would do my best to help them, or if it was something I was unable to help with, I could help direct them to someone who could assist. It is also through this connection that I came to understand B and C as students, and learned tips and strategies that helped them to thrive.

These relationships really shed some light on the benefits of small classroom sizes. I truly believe teachers are better able to assist their students and help them thrive when there exists a more personal relationship. I believe it helps teachers be seen as allies rather than the first line of oppression.

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Unfortunately my schedule next semester will not allow me to continue the pilot program at Murray with my current students. However, I am no way done with middle school students, and possibly even Murray. I have two tutoring jobs, both of which involve working with middle school students from various academic backgrounds. I also met a teacher at Murray who asked if I would be interested in assisting with an after school program there. I will need to double check the times with work and school, but I hope to be able to make it there at least some of the time. I feel as if I am getting such rich experience working with so many students, and they are really opening my eyes to many aspects of teaching that will be incredibly useful moving forward.

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From my orientation and from the description on the course website, I did not have high expectations for my experience at Murray. I was sort of expecting the tough, sassy middle school student you see on movies, and I was expecting to have to fight tooth and nail for them to get any work done. I was not dreading the challenge because I think it's important to deal with a wide variety of students, and its unrealistic to expect every single student to be jumping for joy about school work. Thankfully, the reality did come to present its own challenges, but none as dramatic as I was envisioning.

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From what I have seen at Murray, I think Murray does a great job of embracing the various cultures of the students. Murray has a very diverse student population, and does a very nice job of making sure everyone has representation and is included. In multiple readings and videos, such as this TedTalk, we learned about the importance of cultural context in education. I think Murray is ahead of the curve on this approach.

One project in particular stood out for me.I previously mentioned this project in a blog post, but the students were required as a global studies project  to research and complete an essay, poster, or movie about their ancestors migration. This was tied in with different immigration vocabulary, and a lot of discussion surrounding the factors that cause people to leave a country or attracts them to a different one.

I thought this project was so cool! I really appreciated the opportunity it presented students with. They were not only able to learn about their own family history, but also the historical context of the families of their peers. History has been a subject that has traditionally been very white washed, or at the very least European, and it is so cool the teacher took this opportunity to step out of that box.

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In EDHD 3001, we had a few discussions about the pros and cons of 'tracking' students. Putting students into this 'at risk' category is the worst form of tracking. I believe  every student has the potential to thrive in the correct education environment and with the correct support. When we label a student 'at risk', we are telling that student that they are basically walking a tightrope between success and failure. This can discourage students, particularly students who may not have been too fond of school to begin with. Motivation can be hard to find if you feel like people are expecting you to fail anyway.

I think it is great that Murray has this program to help students, and I have seen the benefits of students' participation in this class, but I believe there is still room for improvement within the structure of the program.

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I LOVE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS!! My experience at Murray really opened my eyes. Prior to service learning, I had always been a little afraid of middle school students because you hear so many rowdy stories involving them. This service learning actually  inspired me to get an additional tutoring job working with middle school students! I can see myself working with this age group as a career.

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Every single student i worked with at Murray, was extremely respectful, and most were very willing and able to complete their projects and assignments. Granted, there were a few students who really needed the extra help, such as one 8th grade boy who was reading at a beginning level, but I think an even more tailored program could have been better suited for those particular students. As previously mentioned, and which I will elaborate on more later, I don't agree with the label of 'at risk students'. In my experience with my main students, both B and C do quite well in school. B finished the first quarter with all A's and B's , and almost always had her homework completed and turned in on time. C also did quite well first quarter, even getting moved into advanced classes, but he has a little more difficulty getting his homework turned in. In class, C is a very independent worker, and typically completes 1 or 2 assignments in our time together, but rarely does his work at home. After getting to know C and talking with him, I learned that he wakes up very early everyday (around 4 AM) to catch a ride to school with his brother, and he also has a baby nephew at home he helps take care of. I know that ,personally, homework would not be my priority with a schedule like that, especially after an 8 hour school day. I don't know how it could be expected of a 13 year old. I think both Murray and Ms. Thrasher could do a better job of accommodating students, but I do understand the difficulty of that when there are so many students in a school and in a classroom.

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Throughout the semester, I have had the joy of working with two wonderful eighth grade students,  B and C. We have worked together almost 3 days a week for the entire semester, so we have gotten to know each other quite well. There are many days when seeing and chatting with them is the highlight of my day. It has been awesome watching them learn and grow as students and people,

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According to Murray's website, "Murray Middle School provides an intentional intervention program called the "Pilot One-on-One Program" for at-risk students who are academically challenged.  [The program] focuses on students that typically do not have strong home support and are often living in crisis."

Personally, I don't agree with this description. The students I have been working with rarely seem to struggle with content, and I think setting the tone of the class in this way creates a sort of "lesser than" perspective, but I will elaborate further in a different panel.

At Murray I typically work with the same 2 eighth grade students. I assist them in any of their subjects they have homework or an upcoming test in. These subjecyts include english/Language Arts, Algebra, Global Studies, and Earth Science.

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Cindy Thrasher is the coordinator of the Murray Middle School Pilot One-on-One Program. The program is currently in its 19th year, and Ms. Thrasher has been in charge of the program for the last 9! She herself is a graduate from Murray High School, so the program is very special to her.