A new perspective

City Year can broaden mindset

“Are you crazy!?” was the typical response I received when I told my family and friends that I would be moving to Arkansas from Pennsylvania to join an AmeriCorps program instead of pursuing a full-time teaching position.

After graduating from college and reflecting on my time as an education student, I felt as though I wasn’t given access to a fully representative view of education. I had student-taught in a privileged suburb in Philadelphia and knew I needed a change of perspective if I was to continue to develop into a well-rounded educator.

City Year’s mission seemed like one that I wanted to contribute to, and I was eager to learn about the causes of educational inequality and the effects that it would have on my future students.

As an education student, I learned specifically about a teacher’s role in a typical classroom, but I hadn’t yet had the chance to be an outsider to that point of view within a school. My role as a City Year Corps Member allowed me to practice my strengths as an educator, but also allowed me to develop in other areas beyond what a traditional teaching job could have provided.

Clarissa was a student who I worked with this year in the English class that I supported, and was also a student I coached on behavior. By working with Clarissa in both of these capacities, I was able to witness her efforts in English class, but also got to know her as more than an English student.

Clarissa’s favorite subjects were math and science, she was in the band, and she often found English to be boring. During our year working together, I was able to help Clarissa make connections of what she was learning in English class to her other interests in school.

English never became Clarissa’s favorite subject, but as I watched her grade steadily improve throughout the year, Clarissa told me that with my help she was starting to appreciate what she was learning in English class.

If I had been just Clarissa’s English teacher, I might not have had the chance to learn of Clarissa’s strengths outside English class. Through my unique role as a City Year Corps Member, though, I was able to see Clarissa as a whole student and help her achieve success in English class.

As my time as a Corps member has come to an end, I realize that City Year gave me a chance to gain a new perspective on the classroom that I didn’t get as a teacher.

My time with City Year has developed me as an education professional through my experiences with students like Clarissa, allowed me to work with a diverse and energetic team of young idealists, and strengthened my resolve to become an educator who won’t let the ZIP code of my students determine who they become.

Mark Hickey is a graduate of Ursinus College with a B.A. in English, and served as City Year AmeriCorps Member at McClellan High School for the 2014-2015 school year, where he tutored ninth-grade students. Mark is planning on being a high school teacher in New York City this fall.