AmeriCorps Spotlight: Meet First Year City Year ACM Fred Lee
AmeriCorps SpotlightÌý
Thomas A. Edison High SchoolÌý
Works with 9thÌýand 10thÌýgradersÌý
Subjects:ÌýAlgebraÌý2, Earth Science, and EnglishÌýÌý
With the first half of the service yearÌýhaving come to an end,ÌýCity Year AmeriCorps members areÌýacclimated to the work they’re doingÌýalongside ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº and teachers across Philadelphia.ÌýIt’s usually around this time thatÌýcorpsÌýmembersÌýsay that the ‘honeymoonÌýphase’ is over as they reflect on the service year thus farÌýand even think back to registration day when they arrived at the City Year office. Some were eager, others were nervous, while others were simultaneouslyÌýeagerÌýandÌýnervousÌýabout what the next 10 months of their lives would hold.Ìý
Meet Fred Lee,Ìýa first–year AmeriCorps member serving 9thÌýand 10thÌýgraders at Thomas A. Edison High School.ÌýJust a few months ago he was new to the organization,Ìýbut now he is entering the second half of the service year looking to continueÌýmaking anÌýimpact within his school community.Ìý
How did you first find out about City Year?ÌýÌý
I have a family member who works within the Philadelphia School District and there is a City Year AmeriCorps team at her school. She knew that I had an interest in education and would tell me about the program. I had the opportunity to come in and talk to the City Year team and get an ideaÌýofÌýwhat the corps experience was like.ÌýÌýÌý
What initially brought you to City Year?ÌýÌý
Before coming to City Year, I worked as a substitute teacher in Florida, so I had some experience working with ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº already. City Year allows me to work within a school, not in the same capacity as a teacher, but I am still able to develop relationships with ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº over an extended period. When you are a substitute teacher,Ìýit is usually hard to develop relationships seeing as though you usually aren’t in a singular classroom for a consistent period.ÌýÌý
The biggest difference betweenÌýbeing aÌýsubstitute teacher and my current City Year experienceÌýisÌýthe relationships that I can develop with the ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº. As a City Year AmeriCorps member, I can work with individual ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº to help them achieve their goals. As a substitute teacher, I am focused on the goals of the entire class, for a short window of timeÌýso the focus on a student is not there as much.ÌýÌý
How valuable are the relationships that you build with ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº as an AmeriCorps member?ÌýÌý
The relationships that you build with ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº are probably one of the most important aspects of what we do as City Year AmeriCorps members. Without a relationship, it is almost impossible to get the ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº to do what’s neededÌýand ultimately help them succeed.ÌýÌý
How has the team experience been for you so far?ÌýÌý
The team experience has been good so far. At times thingsÌýdoÌýbecome challenging. But overall, having different leaders that are a part of the team,ÌýlikeÌýourÌýTeamÌýLeader andÌýImpactÌýManager, helps unify us and keep us on track. I have also beenÌýableÌýto get a lot of cool things done collaboratively with my teammates.ÌýÌý
What are some things that stick out to you about the organization?ÌýÌýÌý
The culture is heavily focused on data metrics and we must always have very high energy. I also see the impact that we have a chance to make.ÌýÌý
What has been your most memorable interaction with a student so far?ÌýÌý
At one point, I was working with a student who sat in the back of the classroom and got in trouble a lot for being on their phone. I found out that she would take photos of everything on the board and zoom in so that she could see the notes. She eventually got moved to the front of the classroom and her academic performance did a 180.ÌýÌý
How much of a role do AmeriCorps membersÌýplay in the schoolhouse? DoÌýyou feel valuedÌýin the work you’re doing?ÌýÌý
Specifically,Ìýwith my partner teachers and the ÌìÃÀÓ°ÔºÌýI work with,ÌýI feel valued. Typically, there is a level of respect that the ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº have for City Year AmeriCorps members and it feels good to have that type ofÌýrapportÌýwith the ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº.ÌýÌý
What are you looking forward to most during the second half of the service year? Ìý
I am looking forward to seeing what my impact has been compared to the start of the year. I am also looking forward to doing more actively engaged activities with ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº outdoors;Ìýit’s just way too cold right now.ÌýÌý
WhatÌýareÌýyourÌýLife After City Year (LACY)Ìýplans?ÌýÌýÌý
I applied to Brazil for the FulbrightÌýProgramÌýandÌýearlier this month I found out that I got to the semifinal stage. Should that not work out,ÌýI am thinking about coming back to City Year as a Team Leader. I would also like to go to graduate school for international education management, or something along the line with education in an international setting. City Year has been a good starting point for me to get to my end goal. It has allowed me to take initiative in a lot of the things that I want to do personally, while also gaining experience working with kids. The job is high–stress,Ìýbut also high–reward.ÌýÌýÌý
For any prospective corps member, what is one piece of advice that you could give?ÌýÌýÌý
You get out what you put in. YouÌýneedÌýtoÌýhaveÌýreasonable expectations of what your impact will be. You will also get a lot out of this experience if you are actively seeking out ways to do something bigger.ÌýÌý
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If you are looking for an opportunity to develop yourself while also making an impact on young people, click here toÌýapply to serveÌýwith City Year Philadelphia.Ìý
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