Volunteering in Baltimore

In many respects, Loyola’s recognition of the Baltimore Year of The City initiative served as the backbone for much of the work I completed in my classes this year. My experiences in Understanding Literature ultimately proved to be some of the most valuable and cohesive because I was afforded the opportunity to share with others what I learned, and apply my knowledge and feelings about Baltimore city to the class. Attending lectures, listening to speakers, working on projects, and analyzing literature helped me draw meaningful parallels between myself, the city, literature, and Jesuit education. Reflecting on these connections I recognize that I have become a more insightful individual because I have learned to look at things much differently.
I have learned to look at myself, Baltimore, literature, and my life at Loyola with a much more critical eye. Furthermore, I have learned to identify the various lenses I use to view and interpret my life, the city, and literature. This is important because the lenses one uses to perceive his connection to the community, family, friends, art, and literature greatly shape his perspective and general outlook in life. I was able to apply much of much of the insight I gained from our discussions about the lenses we use to view Baltimore city and ourselves at a reflective dinner and discussion I attended for the Loyola – St. Mary’s School Partnership, in which I have participated all semester long. During the discussion part of the banquet a speaker stood at the podium with large screen behind her that had several pictures of pairs of glasses. When she began speaking, I immediately understood what the glasses represented. In small group reflection with other volunteers, we were encouraged to look closely at the lenses we used before and after our service at St. Mary’s school, and how it affected our perspectives concerning Baltimore city, its schools, and its inhabitants in relation to ourselves.
Every week I went to St. Mary’s with an open mind, ready to face all of the problems and obstacles the kids brought to the table. Initially, I signed up to volunteer at St. Mary’s because I wanted to get involved with the community and offer what I could to those in need. I had never tutored or worked with underprivileged kids before and had no idea what I as getting into. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I went to St. Mary’s with assumptions. My only knowledge of Baltimore city was composed of a mixture of stereotypes; I thought every neighborhood was poor and unsafe and the inhabitants were underprivileged and destitute. After one session at St. Mary’s, I realized that the lens I had been using to view the city had been “clouded”, so to speak. It had been clouded by stereotypes, misinformation, and wrong assumptions. The kids I worked with turned out to be some of the most sincere, gracious, and genuine children I have ever encountered. Whether it was helping them with a math problem, reading a book, helping them workout a problem with a friend or family member, the kids at St. Mary’s were just appreciative to have someone to talk to and listen to them.
Volunteering at St. Mary’s proved to be an experience that changed the lens with which I view the city of Baltimore as well the lens with which the kids viewed Loyola students. Perhaps the most rewarding part of volunteering at St. Mary’s was knowing that I was directly impacting someone else’s life and decisions. Working in small groups and one on one with the kids broke down the barriers between us. When we sat at the table in the cafeteria working out math problems or practicing spelling words I was a friend and mentor to them, not a teacher, parent, or disciplinarian. Despite all the everyday hardships they face in the classroom, at home, and on the streets of Baltimore, at the end of the day those kids are the same way I was when I was seven or eight years old. Recognizing this fact helped me realize that a relationship had formed and that it would be hard to leave these kids after working with them for five months.
This experience also put a lot into perspective for me. While I would complain about having a bad day, taking a hard exam, or having to write a long paper I had to face much greater, more deep-seated problems every time I worked with the kids at St. Mary’s. Many of them had parents or siblings that were in jail, addicted to drugs, or even dead. It breaks my heart to think about how they live each day with such strength, being raised with minimal guidance by grandparents, aunts or uncles. Thus, my perspectives changed substantially as a result of this experience. However, it was also a really positive and encouraging notion to know that I had such a great impact on the kids. Talking to the older kids about attending Loyola helped them recognize that they have the ability to achieve great things if they set goals and work hard. In fact, many of the kids said they wanted to attend Loyola when they get older. Additionally, they were very interested in my personal life and learning more about me, primarily because I had a genuine interest in helping them and showed interest in their lives, growth, and development. It really touched me to learn that one of the first graders, Arnay, actually cried when I had to miss a tutoring session at St. Mary’s one week.
Although I could have used this last blog to talk about this past Tuesday, my last tutoring session at St. Mary’s, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my entire experience. Volunteering this semester at St. Mary’s was a true learning experience for me as well as for the children. This experience as well as the bus/museum analysis really helped me to look at the city in a positive light for all of the great things it has to offer. Additionally, it helped put the ideals of Jesuit education into context for me because I was learning to interact with the community and lend my talents and abilities to make it a stronger and more positive environment. Evidence of the lessons I learned each week helped me connect my experiences at St. Mary’s to the themes present in a great deal of the literature we analyzed this semester. These experiences have also made me think about the way I view the city and its inhabitants. Volunteering at St. Mary’s proved to be a positive learning experience that helped me get involved with the community, become more insightful towards the meaning to Jesuit education, and see Baltimore city in a whole new light.