This is Hard. Be Strong.
When people told me City Year would be hard, they talked a lot aboutlong hours and paperworkand getting enough“mԳܳٱ”.Yes,all those things are challenging. I won’t deny that there were days when Ihitmy 10thhour of serviceand thought to myself“how am I going to get through these last 20 minutes of tutoring?”But that isn’t the hard part.
The hard part is seeing the unlimited potential and brilliance ofyourstudentsevery day, but also knowing how hard the systems of oppression in this country will work totake that away from them.The hard part is becoming far too familiar with the smell of pepper spray in the hallwaysorit beingaimedat crowds of parents and students at a basketball game.The hard part is having a student you’ve come to care for so deeplywalkinto the City Year room andbreak down over things that no teenager should ever be asked to handle.
The more you care, the harder it gets.I know thatmight sound strange, but I actually think this is the power ofourservice.This should be hard. We should bemad.We should be angry because our studentsare told that everything’s “fair and equal” now, but still grow up in oppressive systems that put them three steps behind from day one.Thecare and love and respectthat we have for our students should be our driving force to push back harder against all the barriers that stand in their way. “Be strong” doesn’t just meanworking12-hourdays or making sure you hit that intervention target each week. “Be strong” also means be gentle with yourself and be gentle with others, because we have a lot of work to do in our education systems, in our public policies, and in the hearts and minds of people in this country. “Be strong” to me means that when the hardmomentsmake you want to detach or care a little less – care more.Take every day of service as an opportunity to find joy with your students, to build their confidence, to be their advocate andto amplify their voices as they advocate for themselves.
Aisling is from St. Louis, Missouri and is currently serving as the Team Leader at East High School. She studied psychology at Trinity College Dublin and plans to continueserving students after pursuing aMasters in Social Work.
Related stories
Do you know about the vibrant city of Kansas City and the incredible opportunities it offers to City Year AmeriCorps...
Read more about Seven reasons to serve with City Year Kansas CityCity Year Kansas City's Shelby Voigt shares a personal reflection in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month.
Read more about A personal reflection celebrating Latinx Heritage MonthDuring City Year, Jermal Perkins was encouraged, empowered and given the tools to live out service, joy, trust and gratitude...
Read more about Reflections on serviceIdealists of the Year are nominated by sponsors of City Year Kansas City’s fourth annual Idealist Gala; many come from...
Read more about Honoring the 2022 Idealists of the Year
