Today, I began my volunteer work at Reid Elementary School, located fifteen minutes away from the University of Richmond. Because Reid has a large Hispanic student population, I originally signed up to work with them to fulfill a service requirement for my Spanish in the Community class. However, my first experience at the school today opened my eyes to a whole new side of Richmond that I am so glad to have finally seen. Although the Richmond campus has an increasingly diverse student population, we all ultimately share a common lifestyle as students at the University. I think that today has finally allowed me to see Richmond as more than just a campus. I finally see the city as a real, live city with a very diverse population.
As an ESL volunteer at Reid, I work with second and third grade students, helping them develop their math and English skills. Many of the students enjoy having a young “older person” to talk to. It is also easier for them to relay their problems with schoolwork, since I was in their shoes not too long ago. I thoroughly enjoy working with these students, as they show me a totally different world from my own and they bring back memories from my own elementary school days. I also enjoy the fact that I can be of any help to the students in progressing in their school work.
Again, today would count as one of those eye-opening experiences, to be cliché. Some words of advice for future Spiders: try to take at least one course that emphasizes social involvement and community-based learning while you’re here because, like me, you’ll be very grateful that you did!
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