Community Building Day

Reflection on Community Building Day

As I reflect on Community Building Day, I think about how there is more than one way to accomplish a goal. When I heard that we would be working at a school for students that did not go to traditional high school, I had assumed that the students were either not smart enough to function in the traditional setting or their behavior has prevented them from fitting in at a school with a much larger student body. Even when we were in the school and had not yet been assigned a student to work with, my thinslice of the students was that they would be hard to work with and not able to think at the same level as our class could. Yes, I know that sounds harsh. However, my view of the students quickly changed as I began working with one of the students. The student I worked with kept to himself for the most part during our first workshop, the mobile one, but began to come out of his shell more as our group's progress furthered on our creation. Eventually, our group was distracted by the 3D printer which happens to be one of my student's interests. I was mind blown at this student's understanding of how the 3D printer works, what it can make, and how to program it. I felt like it was the first day of Spanish class, and even though I don't know a lick of Spanish, the teacher rambles on in espanol anyway; I am telling you, this kid knew his stuff. After that, my view of this school was changed. Through the rest of the workshop I felt as if the kid in my group was the one showing me how to approach the tasks whether it was creating a scribble machine or setting up makey-makey. It occurred to me that going to a traditional high school setting like I did is not the only way for someone to obtain knowledge and intelligence. And after hearing some of the other students share their thoughts on the workshops articulately and with great insight, it cemented the notion that goals are achievable in all sorts of ways and that just because one approach works for me, does not mean that it is the best approach for others.

-Brett T.