Blog

Triana, La Salle

2/20/2020

To say I’m proud to be a part of the organization that is the Overground Railroad to Literacy STL, on any day, is an understatement. I don’t even know how to describe a day like today when the government paused to recognize our founder, the late Dr. Norm White, for his life of service and that I was a part of the group of students, faculty and family that met to celebrate him & this resolution of honor.

Norm created a legacy that I learn from every day. He taught us to invest in stories. He taught me to step up and to commit to change for the better. His work has allowed me to grow with the knowledge that even as a student, I can be involved in something bigger and for that I am forever grateful to Overground!

Triana, La Salle

2/6/2020

Yesterday someone told me that their favorite student to tutor wasn’t allowed back to the after-school program because she was considered a “problem child.” She’s six years old. Being called a “problem child” with a “bad attitude” is a label that seems to be used a lot, especially when talking about the students who are at a higher risk for being a victim of the school-to-prison pipeline. How many times have you had a bad day, and acted differently because of whatever was going on? Well it’s no surprise that not having a sure place to sleep that night, missing dinner or losing a family member to gun violence would affect how you act. And when these things are going on while you’re spending 8+ hours in a school trying to learn? It has got to be hard to focus. These traumatic experiences can accumulate, holding you back from staying on track in school.

La Salle Middle School, where I tutor, has “I Am Somebody” printed on sweatshirts and all over the school. It’s their message stating that every person has DIGNITY, WORTH and VALUE. This is what I love most about Overground. We are dedicated to being committed to our community. This means we advocate for the students we tutor. We commit to going every week, learning their names and their stories, to show them that we think they are more than their environment, or a label, and that success is in their future.

2017 Postings

Hannah S.

2/13/2017

Last Tuesday was my first time volunteering for Overground Railroad. I was at the Learning Center and I really enjoyed the few hours I was there. I was surprised by how quickly some of the kids warmed up to me, I was there for only a few minutes and the kids were treating me like I had always been there. I am really excited to see what the rest of the semester holds and to get to know some of the kids better. ​

RM

2/12/2017

As soon as we were done with homework for the day we could go out and play. The sun was shining today. It begged us to come dance in its rays, yet we had to stay in longer than everyone else. The story you were reading was complex, the questions difficult. Maybe you did not at first understand what you were reading, as it was filled with words that did not roll off your tongue. The tale was of a seemingly distant time, but one that changed your life. Civil rights, injustice - you knew what these meant. You knew that your life was different than mine, but not so different as it would have been back in that time. Maybe you did not answer the questions right the first time, but as we discussed the passage I began to see that you skimmed over the facts and rode the feeling. You already felt the separation, saw the lingering traces of segregation. It did not matter that you jumbled the order of events or did not find the right date. With wide eyes you whispered that black people did not have rights. You said they could not do as pleased or go where they willed; the world was black and white with the darker side being forced away from the light. They wanted to vote, to have their voices heard, to walk through neighborhoods without fear. You said it changed, it improved. All people could vote and own shops and work as they chose. With that you hugged the book to your chest. You pulled back, looked down at the cover smiling, and thanked Dr. King. Your bright eyes and wide smile warmed my heart as you slid your hand into mine and we walked to find the warm sunshine. Thank you Dr. King. Thank you and all those who worked for justice and peace in that troubling time. It is 2017, and we are still working, still mending the wounds of the past and present, clinging to hope for a brighter future. Someday, your dream will be our reality. May someday come soon.

KS

2/8/2017

Tutoring is going well. The kids did not have much homework this week, so I played games with them. They are not always receptive to me, but spending time with them is very rewarding. It is gratifying to watch them interact and learn.

Karen R. - The Sanctuary

2/6/2017

​Working with the kids is going well. I changed age groups from last semester so I am trying to adjust my expectations of maturity. Honestly though the kids work a lot harder than I would expect, based on my motivation at their age. I am working on learning names. All is well.

2016 Postings

Norm White

2/22/2016

#Grateful I am so proud of my students and the #SLU students who step up. Went to a meeting at one of the community sites today and was told that our students are exceptional compared to those who come from other campuses. They suggested those students are tentative in their interactions and our students are immediately involved reaching and working with the young people they are there to be with. I think the distinction is that our students take community work as based in what the Jesuits refer to as an act of accompaniment. They go and engage finding the place they need to be to be of service. While it may not be clear whether test scores will jump tremendously because the complexity of life exists, it is clear that they are providing a service in the eyes of community members. I think of it as CARING. When I spoke over the years about the need for a Resource Quilt, the point of the Quilt was not only to replace our conception of a safety net, it was to join together in an act of Love. What I heard today was about the students as capable of expressing that sort of love for members of our community. Special thanks to Maddie Zimmerman, Lizzie Corcoran, Tommy English, Audrey Manners, Matt Heskamp, and Nebu Kolenchery who all saw a vision worth having. And to all those who have joined in Breaking the Bubble to be leaders in our community.

Lizzie C. - Walbridge

2/3/2016

The past semester at Walbridge was very difficult for me. The program had changed from the year before, and lots of the kids that I had gotten to know well weren't in after school tutoring any more. In fact, I never saw many of them again. A few I still saw, but they weren't in the program so they couldn't come in while tutoring was going. That was hard. I knew that some of them really need reading help, and I wished they could have come in.

It was also hard because the woman who runs the full service programs was out on maternity leave for most of the semester. I had gotten to know her and develop a relationship with her. So it was hard to feel that missing for a long time. Also, she is completely invaluable in terms of running the program. Without her, it's hard to figure out the lesson plan and convince the students to go along with it when she is not there to back us up.

Finally, this semester was hard because I felt very keenly all the ways that the students at Walbridge and I are different, every day. I went through these cycles of frustration. First, I would get frustrated with a student for not listening, or fighting, or refusing to read. Then I would lose my patience. Then I would get mad I myself for being so impatient and not empathetic enough. The cycle would repeat every week, and I would get more and more frustrated with my inability to grow. Going to Walbridge reveals to me a lot of my own shortcomings.

​

I have been socialized in a way that makes me value logic over emphathy, good manners and proper behavior over vulnerability, individualism and success-driven ambition over care for the whole person. By my privilege and whiteness, I have been taught to dismiss people that do not perform the way I expect them to, the way I expect myself to. Part of my desire to be at Walbridge is to learn how to listen to the voices of kids and let it transform the way I see myself and others not like me. It was hard to realize how imperfect I am, with my flawed motivations, and much I still have to learn. It was also hard to see how my socialization kept me from forming mutual, trusting relationships with the kids I struggled with, especially since mutual relationships were one of my biggest goals for my time at Walbridge.

Most days I feel like I have a very long way to go. Which is both discouraging, and the reality of being a privileged, white, higher education student who wants to learn how to accompany and be accompanied by people very different than myself. I will always have a long way to go.

2015 Postings

Audrey M. - Vashon

12/2/2015

To the kid in the back

With the crossed arms

And bad attitude

Who thinks I don’t know

Because I don’t know you

That’s true

Thank you

How can I show you

School can lead to success

When I can’t even guess

The winding circumstances

That led you here

Next time you show me

That bad attitude

I’ll respond with gratitude

Patience and grace

Because the worry lines

On your young face

Are teaching me everything

To the girl with the brain

May it not be in vain

That we meet

You’re glued to your seat

Nose in a book

Won’t dare to look

Up

You are more than the fights you start

More than whatever they call you

I see a light in you

And I know you can rise

Up

To the kid I haven’t met yet

Did you think I’d forget?

I could never

I see you in the face in hallway

In the empty chair

Or hanging silence

I already love you

I’m already called to you

I already belong to you

And you to me

That’s the thing about community

You tell a story

Or say something witty

And you lay down foundation

I follow suit

A gradual creation

Before you know it,

We’ve paved our way to understanding

Soon you’ll see

We can do this,

No you can do this

You deserve a diploma

But more than that

You deserve a chance

To the kids I don’t see anymore

I pray you’ll come through that door

To the kids

Now scattered

Lives tattered

By addiction

​And violence

Suffering in silence

I’m sorry

I am so sorry

I’ll dwell forever In the couldn’ts wouldn’ts and can’ts

But wherever you are

​I hope someone is giving you a chance

Lizzie C. - Walbridge

4/5/2015

I always work with one girl, Mariah, when I help with homework at Walbridge. She is in first grade, but still struggles with recognizing letters and reading from left to right. I know she dreads doing her spelling homework, but I always try pump her up when we sit down together to work on it. This day she was particularly frustrated. She knows she can't read, and she knows that she should be able to. To deal with her frustration, she gets mad at me, periodically hides under the table, pretends to break her pencil, actually breaks her pencil, and plugs her hears when I talk. My initial reaction is anger. I want to get mad and tell her if she doesn't listen to me, she'll never learn to read. But I can imagine that is something she hears frequently during her school day. That's not what she needs to hear from me. So I relax and tell her when she is under the table that I will be ready to do homework again whenever she is. I don't push, and I don't threaten to leave if she doesn't focus. This day, after almost an hour of struggling, Mariah just put her head on my lap and cried for a few minutes. When she was done, we finished her spelling.

Lizzie F. - The Sanctuary

2/17/2015

Last week at the Sancutary, there was a new young girl who had just joined the program the previous week. Meghan, the program coordinator, informed me that she had severe autism and would most likely keep to her self and not interact with the rest of the kids. I let her do her homework silently while the rest of the kids interacted and chatted. All of the children showed the utmost respect to her and in no way made fun or ridiculed her. However, she was alone in one section of the classroom and seemingly was intimidating to the rest of the kids. From my perspective, they did not know how to interact with her because they all had been informed of her having special needs. At the end of tutor time, I told all of the kids to grab their things and bring them down to the cafeteria. This was something different than the kids were used to but they were getting surprised with a cookie party. The little girl did not like this. She was used to keeping her things in their place and asking her to change up her plan was not okay. She had a bit of a breakdown and started to cry. I was with another child trying to calm them down so I was not right there to tend to her. Her classmate, Corion, came up to her and told her that he would take care of her things for her. He said he would carry them down and look after them for her. He proceeded to take her hand and line up at the door holding her things. To me, that was the kindest act I have ever seen. Corion may have been confused and aware of her “special needs” but he wanted to help. It warmed my heart. This moment will stay with me.

Sonya W. - Walbridge

1/13/2015

On Monday I really thought back to the first day I walked into Walbridge Elementary- exactly ten weeks ago. The students’ faces were full of mistrust, excitement, and curiosity. They now have turned into familiar, content smiles and enveloping hugs. One girl looked up at me, smiled, and said, “I am really so happy you are here today.” I really feel as though the students are finally at ease and used to our presence; they demonstrate that they want us to be there. This foundation of trust is really seeping into the tutoring experience overall.

Two girls went out of their way to ask me for help with homework on Monday, whereas the past has generally required some serious coaxing. I really do understand and see now that trusting, positive relationships affect the confidence and determination of the students so significantly. I am witnessing the students work harder and ultimately feel more accomplished and proud of themselves.

A big issue taking a toll on the students is bullying. The verbal abuse is strong and impactful; it turns from external voices at school to the voices inside their own heads. To see a student put another down verbally, and then hear the same comment later come out of the targeted child’s mouth, either directed at themselves or another, reminds me how sensitive the mind is at this age. Of course these five and six year olds are being molded now, but I am only now coming to understand this. Every word helps or hinders them. It turns into tears, self-hatred, and a cycle of bullying. I don’t know how to stop this. I’m struggling for solutions: verbal intervention, time-outs, being a good example, and so on… It is something I have been thinking about and debating a lot, especially when I hear students say that their parents have condoned the verbal, or even physical, bullying to stand up for themselves against the other children. The students are being taught conflicting ideals, and this can not be easy for them to process or decipher.

2014 Postings

Lizzie C. - Walbridge

11/25/2014

When I walk into the cafeteria at Walbridge, my mind automatically takes a snapshot of what this scene looks like. Three white college students walk into the cafeteria filled with black students, teachers, and parents; the tutors have arrived. I try to remove myself from the scene and speculate what this looks like to the parents and teachers that live and work in this neighborhood around the clock. What must they think of how this scene appears. I have little experience with parents, so I won’t project what they must think. Jessica, the awesome woman who leads the after school program along with being a full time staff at Walbridge, has expressed her appreciation for us being there and other staff go out of their way to be welcoming to us. Most of my attention is what my friends, the kids at Walbridge, think of this picture. I constantly wish that they wouldn’t notice that I am white and that my hair looks and acts differently than theirs. I desire to be a part of their environment that is natural and reliable. Unfortunately, the other tutors and I stick out whether we want to or not. I believe that with time and regularity our friends at Walbridge have become accustomed to us and our whiteness seems less obvious. Avoiding the “white savior” persona is important to me. However, at the end of every Tuesday, I get to walk away. To go my safe, comfortable home and eat dinner and see my friends. Many of my friends at Walbridge don’t know which home they are going to, which family member they will see, or where they will be eating dinner. No matter how much progress I feel I have made in becoming just another friend or tutor, this dichotomy between my life and the lives of the students at Walbridge will not go away anytime soon.

Lizzie C. - Walbridge

11/25/2014

I attended the “We Are All Criminals” event hosted Thursday, Nov. 13th. Emily Baxter, the founder and antagonist of the WAAC project, tells the stories of how crimes that many, many people have had the privilege to forget devastate the lives and communities of those who are not as lucky across America. She spoke of North St. Louis and how the communities and schools there are disparately targeted for crimes that happen everywhere, even here on this campus. This results in disenfranchisement and exclusion that divides this city so poignantly. SLU students could change the exclusion schools in North city feel from criminalization through mentoring, tutoring, and building meaningful relationships. Specifically, she said that SLU has the ability to “extend the blue lights” so that everyone, not just us, can be safe and equally valued.

To me, this means that in addition to working on fractions, I also want to show my friends at Walbridge that they are valuable, capable, and important to me. Especially since I get to be with young kids, I hope to help foster this idea that they are worthy before disenfranchisement sets in. I hope they never grow up to feel delinquent, disempowered. I want to extend the blue lights, to make Walbridge, Vashon, Ashland, North Campus, and so many others safe the way I am safe on the campus of Saint Louis University. SLU students can make that happen. As Jesuit-educated, service-oriented students, we have a responsibility to make that happen.

Sonya W. - Walbridge

11/7/2014

Although not every day seems to hold ground-breaking change, Monday had its moment. A mother came up to me, as her daughter ran to grab her backpack and jacket before they headed off, and personally thanked me for the work the volunteers have done so far at Walbridge Elementary. She told me that her daughter's english has noticeably improved over the course of the past few weeks. She was very excited to tell me this. It is incredible to witness the personal growth of the students, and to be reminded that every day is so meaningful.

Audrey M. - Vashon

11/2/2014

I came to terms quickly after my decision to become a social work major that some days were going to be hard, really hard. This is what I reminded myself yesterday as I listened to the struggles some of the Vashon students, my new friends, shared. Yesterday was a hard day. Not a bad day, just a hard day. While we sat at clustered desks and talk about algebra and the ACT, I’m mostly did the teaching. I tried to remember what I learned years ago and to explain it the best I could. But when the homework was done and we lounged on top of desks eating apples or cookies, they took over the teaching. Every story is periodically stopped with a “Do ya’ll know what that is?” and more often than not, we don’t. They teach us about the fights that happen during school, the bad areas of town, the gangs, or even the frustration of crappy lunch meals. At the end, I notice the knot in my chest and let myself feel how the weight of it all exhausts me, and I wonder how they do it everyday.

Ms. Tasha, the all schools service coordinator and our partner in Overground Railroad, always says I look worried or like something bad just happened. I normally play it off saying, “Oh that’s just my face.” But maybe the real truth is that I am concerned. I do worry for the students to whom I’ve grown to call friends. I know that I had a hard enough time growing into myself in high school without the added stress of things like safety issues or institutional prejudices. And I wish that I could take it all away, but I can’t.

Recently, I’ve decided the best way to explain it is with a kitschy comparison. In the classic movie the Matrix, there is the decision to know the truth or live within ignorant bliss. Honestly, this isn’t all that different.

The kids I’ve become friends with at Vashon deal with things I previously let myself believe only existed in movies and that’s a hard reality. Everyday I walk through the doors of Vashon, I choose to know the truth about the world we live in, the city I love, and the lives of my neighbors. Regardless of the difficulty, now I know and I can’t go back.