47 of 365 02/16/2011 Ms. Peralta’s 3rd grade class at Weigand Elementary School Today was an epic day and I mean epic. So much to explain, and it’s already 1:35 AM. A full hour and a half past my due date of midnight I’m writing just starting on writing this. Of all the things that I photographed today, these photos are by far the best, and have such an incredible story. Fran and I went to an area in LA called Watts, to an Elementary school called Weigand. Watts borders Compton and Inglewood and has one of the worst reputations in the South Central Area of LA. I had no idea what to expect from this experience and after it all never would have thought how much it could challenge me personally, and spiritually. We drove 45 minutes from the place I’m staying in Burbank, got off the 110South and drove through legitimate projects and ghetto. I had never seen or experienced anything quite like it. There is too much to explain in words but I would mostly focus on the simplicity of life in the neighborhoods we drove through. It was the stereotypical ghetto, bars on all the windows, barbed wire fences, graffiti, garbage everywhere, and lots of broken down cars! I had seen this stuff on movies but never in real life. After driving through such a rough area, we pulled into a fenced complex that looked like a bunch of mobile homes on a black top. As we entered into the classroom Fran had been volunteering in, we were greeted by one of the 3rd grade teachers @ Weigand, Ms. Peralta and a score of smiling young faces. Waiting for the teacher’s approval, the kids eagerly sat on the edges of their seat, waiting to tackle Ms. Fran. Upon Ms. Peraltas approval the kids jumped out of their seats and ran for hugs. I was introduced to the class and was greeted with the normal elementary “Hi…….Mr. Tanner.” It had been a while since I had been around an elementary class and this was an experience I will never forget. Going from a drive that was rough, intimidating, and overwhelming then entering an atmosphere where the kids were so joyuful and innocent was surreal. I am doing my best to explain in words but I’m having a difficult time doing so. Although, I can say this seriously, I loved every moment of it. After the kids welcomed Fran and me, they went to lunch and I got some time to talk to Ms. Peralta whose name is actually Alma. She’s from LA, went to school up north and is a pretty young teacher. I like being on a first name basis with teachers, it makes you feel all cool, haha but ya, Fran and Alma had become really good friends over the last year. They were going about normal conversation but I had so many questions for Alma. She was kind enough to answer honest and candidly and I am thankful she was willing to answer my potentially annoying questions. Plus she bought us some pizza, booya. I asked her the typical questions but was most interested in hearing about what it is like teaching in such a hard area. I was intrigued because I cannot imagine how hard it is to give yourself to these children, make a connection and not be able to help them out in their home situation. It made me really appreciate teachers and gave me a new perspective on just how much they give back to their students. Growing up in a small town, my idea of life was so much different. I had awesome teachers, a nice school, good friends, and a solid home life. I couldn’t even begin to relate with these kids. Some of them have seen things I will never see, or have experienced things I wouldn’t wish on my worse enemies. It is the complete opposite of my school and how I grew up. As I said before I was challenged personally by just being there and meeting the kids. The city Watts that the school is in is a very tough area. A large majority of the kids come from broken homes, poverty, and have experienced crime, abuse, and neglect. I used to volunteer and help out with kindergarten classes on occasion but as I said before, it had been a while since I had been around kids who I didn’t know. I like kids and I always make connections with them, but this was different than anything I had been around. I asked Alma if it was ok if I took some photos of the kids for my project, and tell the story. I was a bit surprised that it was an “of course,” answer instead of an “I need parent’s permission 1st.” answer. When the kids came back from lunch we went out to the blacktop and she brought some recess toys, which was just a small collection of random things. She handed out a bunch of the objects and let the kids play while I walked around and got to know each one of the kids. She has 17 kids in her class so I didn’t have a good opportunity to talk to every kid but one kid specifically followed me around the entire time. His name was Alfredo. I don’t know if it’s spelled that way but I don’t know how else you would spell it. What was cool about this little guy was that when talking with Alma about kids in her class that were a bit of a special proj

The dogs get bored easily, so I make a happy, happy fun time for them... I hide easter eggs filled with treats and fill up their puzzle treats. They have gotten so used to it that after an hour all the treats are gone and they are bored again.