The Invisibile Man

I think that it is sometimes very hard for one person to make a change within a society-- but I won't say that it is impossible because there are always exceptions. I get frustrated sometimes in society, because I feel like even if people know that change needs to happen or wants change to happen won't go for it, because it isn't the popular idea at the time, or they wait for it to become a trend. Like take this whole going green thing for example- five or even ten years ago who really cared about how much they wasted as long as they got what they wanted? But now that celebrities are 'going green' and it is suddenly the posh thing to do. The problem is, how do you make what is right or what needs to be done, popular? How does the idea suddenly catch hold of people, even when sometimes the need for it is so plain to see?
I think the reason why I feel like the 'invisible man' can no longer promote change in our society is the fact that as a whole we no longer value what we stand for-- they value what we appear to be. Everyone wants to follow what the celebrities are doing and care little to know the motivations behind their actions, and all too often we overlook many ordinary people we may pass by everyday who may have something really good to contribute- they are just waiting for someone to listen.

There are many reasons why I think it is important to share the stories of the children that I am working with. Just the other day we were discussing the behavior of one of the children, and until then I could not understand why she acted the way she did-- she was always out of control even when she had been warned not to be. It came to my attention that she does not have the greatest home life, and essentially the staff are the closest thing to real parents she has. and that when she acted out, it was merely a way for someone to pay attention to her even if it was negative attention.
In her book ,Nussbaum argues that it is very important to learn about others, but to really understand where they are coming from and the facts of their lives because this inevitiably will affect their behaviors and motivations. All too often, we only focus on our own experiences and our feelings and lose sight that there are many possible experiences. I think that it is this understanding of other people and knowing their stories that makes us want to help them even more. After finding out about the little girl's home life, only made me want to help her more, and her acting out made so much more sense to than it did before.
Before this service class, I had little patience for children and thought that anyone who chose to have a profession dealing with them was insane. Now I am finding myself very attached to the kids, and it breaks my heart thinking that after this year, I will never see them again! I work at a place here in Dubuque, which allows me to see the public all of the time. I have seen some of the kids from my class in with their families, and the lack of concern or attention that the children are getting in some cases makes me want them to know how much I enjoy helping out in their class that much more. I want to be someone that they know cares about what happens to them and wants to hear what they have to say.

Reflection On Service So Far

I am really starting to make connections with the kids and even the teacher whose room I am in, the more time I spend there. I have seen the kids out in public at the grocery store and they are always so happy to see me-- so it is visibally making a difference. Lately there has been talk (of which I don't think I was supposed to hear) about the treatment of some of the kids by their parents at home. One of the employees saw a mother and son out in public and witnessed just horrible behavior of the mother in regards to the son. She said that the little boy was kind of ashamed about the behavior and tried to pass it off as if nothing happened when they both returned to school the next day. It is just so hard for me to imagine a child taking on something like that all alone.
We have also had some bad luck as far as some of the other aides (none from Loras) showing up on a regular basis and following through on what they say they will do. I have found that it is really hard not to want to show up, and have actually considered volunteering next semester in the same classroom as well, because I am really getting attached to the kids.
As we were on our way to the school the other day, we actually got to take Kneist Street for a little ways, and it is so hard to imagine that soon some of that will not even exist anymore. I started to wonder as we were driving if any of the kids from class lived there, and if they did what would become of them-- like where would they go to school or where will they end up living?
Like I said, so far I have had just a really positive experience with this project and it is something I would have never done had I not had this class. It has made me wish that I would have gone for teaching instead of psychology :)