Basic Training Academy

Here is where I sum up my first 6+ weeks in DC in one post:

It started with the 10 hour drive from Boston down to Silver Spring.  That wasn't hugely eventful, so I'll spare you the details.  I finally got to meet my roommate Rachel, with whom I'd previously only conversed through phone, email, and facebook.  Within the first couple hours, we got the sense that we'd get along famously, and so far that's held true.  The next day Rachel and I held something of a roommate audition for Zack and Tiffer, our two other potential roommates, at a nearby Starbucks.  We liked them enough, so we agreed to add them to the lease that night.  So that's my household, for the most part.  It's pretty ballin.

My first official City Year experience was a full day registration extravaganza!  I waited for about three hours to get fingerprinted, but it was all fun times, because I got to wait with City Year people (and they're the best people).  And it was so worth it, because next time some unknowing citizen mistakes me for a criminal, I can whip out this piece of paper that PROVES that from the time I was born through August 11, 2010 I was never accused of felony.   Chyeah.  Also, it means I can work in D.C. public schools.  The rest of the day was spent signing a LOT of paperwork.  And so ends registration.

August 16 marked the beginning of Basic Training Academy.  BTA is what City Year called the six weeks we spent learning the ropes of CYDC.  On day one, we were split into our "crazy teams," randomly assigned teams of eight to ten corps members, with whom we learned about City Year culture before being assigned to our official "flagship teams."  That first day, after getting to know the members of my crazy team (named "Rabbi's Gift (fo' sho!) after a City Year founding story (founding stories are a collection of inspirational fables and stories that preach morals that City Year strongly upholds)), we went head-first into service.  We spent half the day volunteering at a community center in Southeast, playing with the kids there and leading them in various games.  It was definitely a good way to start off the year.

The rest of that week was spent learning about City Year and the different teams we could be on.  That Friday we filled out a pretty intense survey that, along with what the staff managed to glean about us from our initial City Year interviews and various interactions that week, would determine which team we'd be placed on.

That weekend, if I remember correctly, was my first optional service day.  I went to Stanton elementary in Southeast for a beautification project.  It was a couple days before school started, so everyone was in crunch mode, trying to get the school in shape.  I spent the whole morning working in the garden at the front of the school in 95 degree heat.  I picked up about a gazillion cigarette butts, pruned some bushes, and planted a bunch of mums and grassy things.  Suffice to say, I looked pretty cute and not at all gross by the end of it.  Despite the physical exhaustion, I found the experience to be extremely rewarding.  The school looked so much more inviting than it did when we started, and I got to know some of the CY senior corps and staff, as well as the members of other nonprofits, pretty well.

 After that weekend of nail-biting suspense, we were finally assigned to our flagship teams.  I was assigned to an elementary school in Southeast D.C.  In 2006/07, only 16.3% of the students at my school were proficient or advanced in math, and only 17.7% in reading.  The school has been restructured since then, and now the numbers are closer to 30% in reading and math, but it's still pretty sobering.  So many of the kids qualify for free or reduced school meals, that the school provides three free meals and a snack to all students every day.  But you'll hear plenty about the school in later posts.

Wednesday, the whole corps of 140, along with the senior corps and staff, left for our three day Basic Training Retreat.  BTR was held at a gorgeous family camp in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.  The corps liked to joke that instead of a relaxing retreat, BTR was CY's excuse to work us 14 hours a day.  Long hours aside, it was a really eye-opening, memorable experience.  I heard some amazing speakers, got to bond with my new team, and participated in a talent show and a spontaneous dance party.  However, the highlight for me was the privilege line.  The privilege line began with the entire corps holding hands in one long line in silence.  It was a gorgeous day, and the setting was tranquil and beautiful.  A staff member read out directions, such as "if you live in a household with two parents, take a step forward," or "if your parents are divorced, take a step back."  The directions dealt with family, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.  Those who had attended a private school took a step forward, and someone who felt he or she had been denied a job based on race took a step back.  By the end of the activity, hardly anyone  was still holding hands.  The privilege line was followed by a whole corps discussion, in which we talked about what it meant to be privileged.  I was amazed by how diverse the corps was, in every aspect, and how we almost all agreed that the standard measures of privilege don't adequately describe how rich a person's life can be.

The rest of BTA was a whirlwind of trainings in math, literacy, and behavior, coupled with observations at my school.  The days were long and it was hard, often boring work, but I learned so much.  City Year is huge on surveys and other types of feedback, but whenever I was asked what else City Year could help me with before I began official service, I would answer that BTA pretty much covered all bases.

And now we get to the really fun stuff.