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I'm overall very happy with my experience at Venture Academy. I felt welcomed and got help when needed. It was so interesting to see such a different style of teaching from what I grew up with. I managed to make some great connections with the students, and it broke my heart to have to say goodbye to them at the end of this semester. I'm thinking about returning next semester as well, and I'm looking forward to moving onto the next EDHD class, and one step closer to becoming the teacher I want to be.

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One thing that I think is important to recognize about Venture Academy was their Personal Learning Plan's that the students all work on. A few of the students shared their PLP with me, and it was an interesting concept. They are working on their own projects at their own pace, and they were given a significant amount of time to work on their projects. However, this learning is very individual and not shared with others often. I think the PLP could be really great and helpful for a lot of students, but I did often notice the students goofing off and not working on their PLP during the designated time. This makes me question if PLP's are a good idea for these students. I could see it working much better for high schoolers, since they tend to be more independent and take the work more seriously.

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There will always be challenges when working with children.  Some days they didn't want to talk or lift their heads up off the desk.  Other days they told me all about their weekend and are working hard on upcoming projects.  I learned to take it day by day and decide in the moment what would be best for the student, given the circumstance.
When I first arrived at Venture, I was told that this school takes in a lot of students who might not thrive as well in a regular public school. Hannah Beck, the Community Involvement Specialist, told me that this may be a "last chance" for a lot of students there. That really stuck with me because the kids were so young and so great, I would love to  see each and every one succeed.  This took a lot of patience and understanding however.  A lot of the time the students just wanted someone they could talk to and express their frustrations and worries. This can be hard to balance when  you are a tutor and you want the students to do their homework, but you also want them to feel like they are respected and we are listening.

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The learning environment was very different from what I grew up with. I first noticed that the classrooms tended to be quite loud. The students would get distracted easily and start yelling across the room or throwing erasers at each other. The wild energy of the school was a bit of a shock to me but the teachers handled it so well, and were very patient with them. The students also had a lot of time to work on projects individually, or in small groups, rather than listening to a long lecture. I particularly enjoyed that aspect. However, I had a hard time at first building relationships with the students. My first day at Venture, I cried in my car after the day of tutoring. Two of the three girls I tutored one-on-one didn't like me and didn't want my help. They ignored me or made nasty comments toward me. This really discouraged me because I was looking forward to starting this new journey towards education. However, I decided I wouldn't stop trying. Over the next couple of weeks, they started to warm up to me and we built a great relationship.

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- Be patient and understanding
-create meaningful relationships with the students
-help the students understand the subject matter
-create a positive, welcoming space for students to be able to ask questions and grow

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I grew up in a very small town, so I only ever went to one elementary school and one high school. I didn't know entirely what to expect before showing up to Venture. I think I was expecting classrooms filled with students learning about current issues and working on projects. I was expecting to walk into a classroom and be welcomed by friendly students, and create friendships. The reality was a little different, however.

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1:15-2:30: Every Monday, I would show up at 1:15 and start working with the first girl (Y).
2:30-3:00: Y and I would work on math homework till about 2:30, and then I would go work on math with the second girl (J).
3:00-3:40: I would go work on Humanities homework with the last girl, (H).
3:40-4:15: I would help any student that needed attention when the teacher was busy. This was also a time for homeroom at the end of the day, where the students would talk about their days and give shoutouts, ask questions, and talk about the upcoming week.

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From September to December of 2016, I volunteered to tutor at Venture Academy every Monday from 1:15 to 4:15 pm. During my time here, I worked one-on-one with three girls (7th and 8th grade) , and also assisted Mr. Shepard, the 7th grade Humanities teacher.

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What: Venture Academy is a public charter school that offers grades 6-9. They have recently opened
up high school classrooms as well.
Where:  Located in Minneapolis, conveniently near the U of M campus,
Who: Most students are of Hispanic, Native American, or African American ethnicity.
When:  Venture Academy opened in August of 2013
Why: The Venture Goal- We build entrepreneurs by developing the independence, scholarship, and leadership of young people.