UNITE LA Spring Break Trip 2010

Hobart

2010-03-11T23:45:00.000-08:00

UNITE members woke up before dark morning to depart to Hobart Elementary for our last visit of the week with Rafe Esquith. We were tired and worn from the last two days but little did we know the how much we would experience in just one school day.

We arrived a few minutes early to the school and took an impromptu tour of the neighborhood surrounding the school. To us the buildings looked very manicured and well kept on one side. On the other side of the school we found many strip malls and small shops. We also found many signs of Korean culture.

After checking in with the front desk we were escorted to room 56 by 5 students (we later found out that they are the classroom hostesses). We walked in to meet Rafe and a few students that decided to come to school early to practice music for their performance. Rafe showed us around the classroom and a joining room. The joining room was set up with tables and chairs for us to sit and coffee and tea (Danishes were coming later!). After letting know a little about how the day was going to go we sat down and settled in while the students worked on music with Rafe.

Once the school day started it went so fast and transitioned so seamlessly it was hard to keep up with the 5th graders. We went from playing baseball to history with no pause. Reading was squeezed in before recess. Science and math flew by without incident. Before we new it, it was lunch time. Rafe's wife, Barbra, brought us a lovely picnic with enough food to serve three of our groups. During lunch Rafe had to duck out to get the students started on another practice session during their own lunch time. After the rest of the students returned from lunch it was time for classroom banking. After all the deposits and withdrawals were made we moved on to young authors and finishing string projects. As time flew by the end of the day sprang upon us, however, it was only the end to the school day. Ten minuted later the classroom was filled again by the cast of A Comedy of Errors. The cast consisted of students we recognized and from other classrooms. An hour and a half was over in what felt like twenty minutes. Reluctantly we collected our things and said our goodbyes.

During the whole day Rafe used moments with his students to teach us tips and activities. He also used things that were going on in the classroom and us as visitors to teach the students some life lessons. We were all impressed by the efficiency of the classroom and the students. They always knew what was coming next and were prepared before we new what was happening. The classroom was a very trustful community that allowed all students to contribute without fear. You could sense how close they all were and how they wanted each other to do well.

We learned and saw so much there is no way we could explain all of it in such a short space. We all left smiling and super inspired. The rest of the day was spent discussing what we saw and what Rafe talked to us about. We believe he enjoyed our visit and praised our professionalism and passion several times. We are very excited to bring everything back to ISU to share with our peers and professors!

We left Hobart and went to Venice Beach to spend our last evening with the sunset. It was a perfect last day for an amazing trip. We grew as a group and individuals. The things we saw and learned will stay with us forever.

The Little Village Lawndale High School of LA?

2010-03-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family! Once again we are getting back late at night, so our apologies for the tardiness of the blog post. Today has been yet another wonderful day in Los Angeles. Our day began early with our departure for South East High School. This high school is fairly new- being opened in just 2005. The campus is composed of several different buildings, with the outdoors being the hallways. The lockers, lunch room, and passing periods take place in the great Los Angeles sun.

One of the interesting things about this school in particular is that there are 6 different academies that function within the high school, just like Little Village Lawndale High School's 4 different academies in Chicago. They are also on 4 by 4 scheduling, which means that there are 4 block classes offered each semester for the students. One semester will consist of 2 core classes (i.e. math and science) and two electives, while the second semester will consist of the other two core classes (english and social studies) and two other electives. The SEHS had their staff tour us to different classrooms in small groups, and we would come back to a conference room after each block to ask questions about different things we saw. In addition, they put together a small performance of their choir for us to see, and boy were they good! We had chills from their beautiful harmonies.

During our visit we also saw posters for the Visual and Performing Arts Academy's benefit for their Special Olympics program. They invited us to attend to contribute to their cause. We all agreed that this was definitely something we wanted to do to give back to a school that was so kind to us. We attended the performance later in the evening, and the students were fantastic. We saw many musical theatre performances, singing, dancing, and even a Michael Jackson tribute. These students surely worked very hard for this performance. They raised over $1000 with this event, and we were certainly happy to contribute! We even helped the staff by picking up some trash on the way out of the auditorium! SEHS had wonderful hospitality toward us.

Rewinding a bit in the day, after our original visit with SEHS, we headed over to Chinatown near downtown Los Angeles. Here we looked at the different buildings, did a little souvenir shopping, and had some authentic Chinese cuisine. It was a great way to see a different side of Los Angeles.

After about an hour in Chinatown, we headed over to Las Angelitas del Pueblo to take a tour of the oldest part of Los Angeles. We had a wonderful tour guide named Frank who gave us the history of the area. He had some great stories about this area! We were able to see the first church in LA, as well as the oldest building still standing in LA. The history of this area is so rich! After our tour, we were able to walk around the plaza and visit many of the Spanish shops around the area. We were also able to enjoy the free Spanish musical performances of entertainers on the plaza. It was a wonderful way to watch the sun set in this beautiful city.

All in all, today was yet another day that flourished with information and strategies that we will be able to use as future teachers. UNITE members are working very hard to make the most of our short time here by gaining as much knowledge as we can. We cannot wait to start tomorrow!

Side note: We're having a bit of difficulty uploading some pictures at this time. Rest assured, we will have them up as soon as we can! Thank you for your patience and support on this trip!

McBride Special Education Center

2010-03-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day. Sorry for the late post but we just got back from the living taping of the Big Bang theory. We are all tuckered out and ready for tomorrow.

We started our day at McBride Special Education Center where we Tim Bays welcomed us warmly. After a quick discussion about the school and an overview of our itinerary we were sent on our way to take a tour of the schools. The building was separated by functioning level and age. The outside building housed the students with more severe disabilities including those with multiple and many physical impairments. The main building was split into pre-K through elementary on one side and vocational and secondary on the other side of the building. The classrooms were filled with helpful aids and experienced teachers. The ratio of student to teacher/aids is 4 to 1. During the tour we were all impressed by the amount of creativity and passion among the faculty and staff, many of whom have spent over 15 years in McBride. We all learned how important modifications can be in ALL of our classrooms. We also discussed that as general education teachers we should never underestimate what a special education student, or any student, is capable of.

After the tour the principal organized a panel of faculty, paraprofessionals, nursing staff, and administrators. The panel was able to answer all of our questions about how and why their school is so successful. They were very impressed that we were there on our spring break to learn about schools in LA. Tim was also working hard to open our minds to the idea of special education and what we can all do to help.

After grabbing resources from McBride and reluctantly saying our good-byes we headed toward Warner Bros Studios to view the live taping of The Big Bang Theory. The show was hysterical and it was quite an experience to see the behind the scenes taping. We would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Robert Lee for this wonderful opportunity that we will be sure to remember.

Thank you and goodnight.

ps McBride fun fact: Tomorrow they will be having a "snow day". The principal has ordered hay and snow to fill the back playground where the students will be invited to experience the snow. "We can't bring our students to the snow. So, we bring the snow to our students"-Tim Bays

We Made It!

2010-03-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

UNITE has landed in LA! The plane ride was smooth, and there were no troubles through the airport. We stepped out of the doors of LAX, the breeze hit our hair, we were standing next to palm trees, and we knew we made it.

After making a couple trips in the hotel shuttle (there are 17 of us, after all) we got settled into our rooms at the Comfort Inn. This Comfort Inn is so much nicer than any other Comfort Inn we have ever seen! There's an outdoor pool and even a kitchenette in each room! The man at the front desk recommended a great Mexican restaurant down the street called El Torito that we headed to for dinner. It was so delicious.

We also decided to make a trip to the grocery store next door to the restaurant to pick up some breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. Everyone agreed that packing a lunch would save us money everyday rather than buying it. We are, after all, college students on a college student budget :)

Tomorrow we have an exciting day of visiting a special education school and going to see a live taping of the Big Bang Theory TV show! We can't wait to get started!

Getting Ready

2010-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

We are only a couple of days away from our departure from Chicago.This will be the place to find everything you need to know about UNITE while we are in Los Angeles during our spring break.

While in LA we will be visiting South East High School, McBride Special Education Center, and Hobart Elementary to meet with Rafe Esquith.

Everyday we will be posting about the day and reflecting on our visits so please check up and see how our trip is going!

Our bags are packed, cardigins are on, and dreams are in our hearts...LA Here we come!
-UNITE