I mentioned having the opportunity to go on a field trip with the 6th graders to the South and West side of Chicago. We got split up into groups and each group went to a different location. On Thursday, my group got dropped off at Community Roots Garden in Garfield Park. We picked up garbage, pulled weeds out, and planted peas in the garden. I have to admit, I wasn’t pleased that we would be doing manual labor, let alone in 30 degree weather. However, I admit that I had a fun time working together with my students to help out this community. This garden grows and provides healthy foods such as a variety of fruits and vegetables that community members can come and take since they may not have money to buy some at the grocery store.
On Friday, we went to St. Joseph Child Development Center. This was extremely fun for my students and myself. We had the opportunity to read to pre-schoolers, play gym games with them and eat lunch with them. This is located in the south side of Chicago where most of the students come from single-parent homes who are living below the poverty line. Something amazing about this school is that it offers ESL classes to the parents, since a majority of them are Hispanic and don’t speak English. They also offer GED classes and computers to help parents fix their resumes to help find jobs. This field trip was an eye opening experience for both my students and myself.
