Community

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The Mt. Hope community is one that, like many communities in the state, has been hit hard by the economic downturn. Many of the buildings these students pass each day, as well go to for their daily activities are run down. This has to be difficult for these kids, especially when they are so close to East Lansing, a community that is in better economic shape. Below are some photos of the buildings in their community.

Here is a picture of the middle school where they play youth football. The football games draw large crowds, but it seemed more of a social event for the parents, then rather a supportive environment for the children.

Below are some pictures of the local community center that several of my students attend after school, the [|Eastside Community Action Center]. The community center is a great place to go. They offer many advantageous programs ranging from homework help to computer skills seminars, which helps build their technology literacy. The children love going there because they promote a safe and fun environment. This also provides great leadership and guidance as the volunteers there truly care about the children. The great thing about the community center is that it is at a church. Most all of my students talk about how they go to church and I couldn't think of a better place where they can interact with adults and read a wide arrange of material. It is important that our students read outside of school, and Sunday school is a great place for them to gain more exposure to a different form of literacy.

This last picture is a great example of what most of the buildings these kids come into contact with each day. An old rundown building, with NO TRESPASSING signs posted all around them. I found myself feeling down and dejected by just going and seeing this, I couldn't imagine the toll it must take on these children seeing this constant reminder every day of how bad things are. Unfortunately, these signs provide a different type of exposure to literacy, a more negative one.

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A huge portion of Literacy is the way our kids talk. Their language outside of school greatly differs from their "classroom language". Any place where kids go with other kids is a great place to look at to see where they acquire their vocabulary. Below is a picture of Old Everett Park which is a place many of the boys in my classroom talk about going to. Although there were no kids on the day I went, it wasn't hard to imagine kids running around and their interactions.