Wayne State University

Service Learning at University Preparatory Science & Math High School

Learning in Communities Project

Kayla Guzman
TED 2250 Becoming an Urban Educator (Section 004)
Dr. Sabrina Smith-Campbell
December 12, 2016

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Childrens Defense Fund, once said
this: Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and the
world better than you found it. Not only have I learned more about the critical importance of a
teachers role in both the educational and personal lives of his or her students, but I have also
realized how vital it is for an educator to be familiar with the community in which they teach and
the environment in which their students live. Throughout my service learning experience at a
local Detroit high school, I have learned how aspects of a community can impact my actions as
an educator, how to use those assets of the community to plan for culturally responsive teaching,
and what my role could be as a teacher in an urban community.
For my service learning, I attended University Preparatory Science & Math High School.
My assigned mentor teacher was English educator Ms. Stephanie Gaines. As I sat in on her Crew

(homeroom class), English 12, AP Literature, and AP Language classes, my decision of pursuing
a career in education was confirmed almost immediately. Watching how she motivated her
students to learn during her lessons, how she inspired them to develop a love for learning, and
how she connected with each individual student was immensely moving and encouraging to me
as a future educator. As I surveyed her classes week to week, I began to wonder how the
community around the school can have an effect on the actions of the teacher as the academic
year progresses onward.
I have learned a lot about the surrounding community of UP Science & Math High
School through my own observations, through research, and through the knowledge of my
mentor teacher Ms. Gaines. As I acquired more knowledge about the neighborhood, I realized
that there are certain aspects that may affect the actions of a teacher in the school. The first
aspect that I noticed is the location of the school. Based on the population density of the
community, the high school is considered to be located in a suburban neighborhood ("Detroit, MI
(E Jefferson Ave / Mount Elliott St)". Though most of the area consists of apartment complexes,
including 200 River Place Lofts, River Place Apartments, Martin Luther King Apartments, and
Pasadena Apartments, the surrounding community has many learning opportunities in proximity
of the school. For example, students are able to take a seven-minute walk to Elmwood Park
Public Library. There is also an art gallery called District VII Gallery within a three-minute
walking distance from the school. The Belle Isle Conservatory, Belle Isle Aquarium, and Dossin
Great Lakes Museum are all located on the island of Belle Isle, which is only a ten to fifteenminute drive. Downtown Detroit, which is home to the Detroit Opera House, the Fox Theater,
the Renaissance Center, Comerica Park, and much more, is about an eight to ten-minute drive
from the school. If I were an educator at this high school and school funds permitted field trip

opportunities, I would love to be able to take my students to libraries, museums, theaters,

workplaces, or event centers. Traveling to places like these can help students learn information in
a more holistic, integrated way through experience than in the classroom, which usually only
presents subject matter in a textual and abstract way. There are so many places to choose from in
the schools surrounding area that can further expand the number of ways in which the students
can learn.
Another community-based aspect that may affect the actions of a teacher is the
population of the surrounding community and the schools population. The number of students in
a school usually depends on the population of the surrounding community. Moreover, class sizes
depend on the size of the school in comparison to the number of students enrolled. It is
commonly known that smaller class sizes can contribute to improving student academic
achievement, especially since this allows more one-on-one time between teacher and student.
While visiting UP Science & Math High School, I noticed that class sizes range from fifteen to
twenty-five students. In her smaller classes, Ms. Gaines is able to communicate with more
students individually. In contrast, during her larger classes, she is only able to work with some
students individually and spends more time instructing the class as a whole. However, this does
not necessarily mean that her larger classes are at jeopardy in making improved academic
accomplishments. An educator can succeed in teaching their students through helpful instructive
methods, like collaborative grouping; giving everyone the chance to participate; finding new
ways in getting to know students individually, such as creating surveys or inviting students to
write letters to you; and through simply accepting that instruction may take longer. As long as
lessons are able to be communicated as thoroughly as possible and the teacher is able to offer

more assistance, such as tutoring after school, the students in larger classes are just as capable of
succeeding in their academics as those in smaller classes are.
The last aspect of the community I noticed was the general socioeconomic status of the
community. According to NeighborhoodScout.com, the percentage of children in the immediate
area of UP Science & Math High School (E. Jefferson Ave. to Mount Elliott St.) who live in
poverty is 65.5%, which is an extremely high percentage compared to other neighborhoods in the
country. Although not all of the students may be living in poverty, it is likely that a large
percentage may be. Living in poverty can affect the daily lives of children, such as causing
transportation issues to and from school, whether they can afford school supplies, and whether
they will be able to buy or bring lunches to school. Because UP Science & Math High School
does not have a bus system to pick up and drop students off at school, students are driven by
family members, drive themselves, or use public transit to make it to and from school. If they
live close enough to the school, some students will walk. After a few weeks, I began to notice
that many students often arrive late to school. This possibly may be because they are unable to
afford arriving to school on time, whether it be having to purchase a car, pay for gas, pay for
carpooling, or buy bus tickets. The teacher may communicate with these students to understand
their commuting situation, and then make accommodations or work with them one-on-one to
ensure that they understand the subject material, turn in homework assignments, and are
prepared for upcoming exams. Teachers can also help aid students with their access to school
supplies. In UP Science & Math High School, laptops are provided in each classroom. This gives
students the opportunity to use technology while in the classroom to complete tasks, such as
conduct research, complete assignments, and work on projects. This is essential because not all
students may have technological access at home. Teachers may also be able to supply certain

materials, like paper, pencils, pens, staplers, and craft supplies, through use of school funds or, if
willing to, through their own.
All the aspects that I previously discussed that concern a schools local community are all
topics to consider when planning for culturally responsive teaching and learning. Culturally
responsive teaching is a method of teaching that recognizes and addresses the importance of
including students cultural references in all aspects of learning. One characteristic of this
pedagogy is the learning within the context of culture. For example, in reference to the aspect of
a schools location and its proximity to certain public institutions in the community, a teacher
may be able to take a field trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts after teaching his or her Spanish
class about the significance of Diego Riveras art. Another example may be a teacher taking his
or her class on a field trip to see Romeo and Juliet at the Detroit Opera House after reading the
play in English class. Furthermore, another characteristic of culturally responsive teaching is
student-centered instruction. This beneficial type of learning is cooperative, collaborative, and
community-oriented. Students can direct their own learning by working with other students on
assignments and research projects that are culturally and socially relevant to them. As discussed
before, the aspects of population and socioeconomic status of the community may have effect on
this characteristic, which can be a good thing. Students can become more engaged by generating
their own research topics, which may relate to the surrounding community of the school. The
teacher can then share responsibility of instruction with their students, which in return gives the
class the opportunity to learn from their own peers. The teacher may learn something new about
their students and the community as well. These are just a few example of how certain aspects of
a schools community relates to the preparation of culturally responsive teaching. As I continue

to think about this, I ponder on what kind of role I would like to play as a teacher in an urban
community.
I would want my role as an educator to be one that represents an example of fairness,
concern, compassion, and love in whichever community I decide to teach in. Some teachers have
the incredible opportunity of living in the community in which they teach. However, some may
not. If I were a teacher who travels from my residential community to the community of my
students to teach, I would take it upon myself to have open communication with the families of
my students and other members of the community. I would do this through tasks like conducting
meetings or informal gatherings, planning field trips, and inviting community experts to visit and
lecture my class. These activities can help develop closer relationships with not only students and
their families, but with other individuals in the community as well. Additionally, I believe it is
important to make sure my curriculum is culturally relevant to both the community around the
school and the world as a whole. Extending learning through at-home activities with families, inclass participation, and volunteering in the school and community can create a more culturally
responsive classroom and curriculum.
After undergoing my service learning experiences and learning through the teachings of
Ms. Stephanie Gaines and her classes, I have learned more about how to be a more effective
urban educator as well as being further inspired in my commitment to teaching diverse bodies of
students. Throughout this project, I have learned about different aspects of the community, such
as its location, population, and general socioeconomic status, and how they might impact my
actions as an educator; how I can use specific assets of a community to prepare for culturally
responsive teaching in my curriculum; and I have thought about what I want my role to be as a

teacher in whichever community I choose to teach in the future. I have learned that although
learning more about your students on a personal level, including things such as their language,
culture, values, family, and home environment, is just as essential, learning about the community
in which they live can help me better support my students in the classroom. It can also help give
them the opportunity to receive support from other resources in the school and to possibly
receive more support from home. Now, as I reflect on the words of Marian Wright Edelman, I
can fully understand how education not only can help improve the lives of my students, but also
of the entire community as a whole.

Works Cited
"Detroit, MI (E Jefferson Ave / Mount Elliott St)." NeighborhoodScout. NeighborhoodScout,
2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016. <https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/mi/detroit/jeffersonmount/#overview>.