Initial Reflection: First Visit

Hey maintenance is a good thing, right?

Drake Boling         

       There are five branches of the Lexington Public Library scattered around Lexington. All of these branches host similar community outreach programs. Our service group works with the Village Branch, which has offered Homework Help since 2004. Homework Help is a project that meets Monday through Thursday, that is focused on helping elementary school students to get extra assistance with the homework due for the next day of class. 

       Monday, September 14th was our group's first day of service. We packed into Bobbi's car and headed there after my 4:00-4:50 Computer Science lab let out. My group is very kind to wait for me every week.

Tiny library smashed between a Kroger and a Save-a-Lot

       There is a "line-up" of children that are in the waiting room. The computer in the corner of the homework help room lists the children the in order that they signed in. The screen updates when Lynn updates from his computer. Kids that have finished their homework help are removed from the list and they go back into the holding room/general library area to play, talk, or whatever. I quickly got the sense that it was a constant stream of kids that need help. Almost like when you order at a restaurant, and a screen will tell you when your order is going to be called. I understood how many children need help every night. It definitely could have been seen as overwhelming, but I made sure to not let the amount of help needed  make me hurry through the kids I helped. And I certainly did not hurry. 

     When I approached Lynn, he read the next name in the lineup. "Oh sorry, Jessica (do not remember child's name) only works with Mr. Johnson (do not remember his name). He comes in at 6. We'll go on to Luis." This moment struck me. I thought back to the connections I had made while volunteering at Crossroads elementary- the connections I made with the students there. For a girl to refuse to work with anyone but this man who comes in everyday so routinely? That was impactful. That was an end to strive to- a relationship that was so important to a student. 

       I worked with Luis for almost the whole time. The kids have a good amount of homework. I very much enjoyed getting to know my student. I like to think he can now "carry the one" millions of times better than when he started. I also was very meticulous about his handwriting. At the start, I told him to re-write nearly everything- to present his information well. I was very strict about him lining up the addition facts neatly. I explained that if you line up everything correctly in the beginning, the work does itself. I explained the most important part is when you write out the number in a sentence at the end- attaching meaningless numbers to context with meaning. It is rewarding to see what the numbers mean as far as "how many cans bought" or "how many tickets sold"- that's where stuff matters. And I told him to write out the final answer well- he worked hard to get it, now he should present it like he's proud of it. After several worksheets and hundreds of "ones carried", he started to do this on his own. He lined up his math much more neatly. He would erase his 6 that looked more like a "G" without me asking. I'm not saying he will do this next time I help him out with homework. But if a relationship is built, hopefully these positive influences can become habit. 

Pretty much me

        As I was helping out and imbibing the organized chaos of the whole thing- tons of people outside, tons of people in the holding area, many other volunteers in the Homework Help room- I got the deep sense that this same scene was playing out in the four other branches of the library system. I wondered if there was anyone in an extremely similar situation- perhaps another UK student volunteering at another branch, thinking about me as I think about them. It was one of those moments that makes one feel small. Makes one realize the amount of help places like the Lexington Public Library need. Most of the students we will be helping come from the Cardinal Valley area. This represents merely one neighborhood of Lexington. There is a lot of room for good. There is a lot of need for it too.