Cornerstone Prep Thoughts

This trip was a definite eye-opener for me. Going in, I know these children would not be as literate as normal  2nd graders; however, I had no idea that they would be as illiterate as they were. When the men talked with us initially, they mentioned that Lester had the worst scores in the whole state. I was blown away; yet I continued to be ignorant to the minimal extent of their learning. When we entered the classroom, a somewhat timid boy of 7 greeted me, book in hand. He proceeded to read to me, stopping every other line to question the pronunciation of a word. I asked him comprehension questions and directed him as I would a child in kindergarten - he was at that level grade level mentally. The next child was slightly more literate but still not at his age-level.  Both children were insanely sweet regardless. We then viewed a house re-constructed by binghampton development corporation. It was actually a very nice house, which was a great sight to see compared to the surrounding houses that were obviously very neglected. The woman, a recent graduate from UNC, told us that the BDC employed people from around that area and later gave them the connections they needed to have a permanent job, either in construction or in another field.


After that, we traveled to the Urban Farms where the gardener gave us a tour. The area around the farms is a food desert, there is no fresh produce being grown; staples in the community diet are cheetos and candy apples.

 



Finally, we went to the Art Garden. The woman who started it, a local artist, told us that in that area there is no safe place for the kids to simply hang out - the park is infested with drunks & drug deals. They apparently love coming to the garden and doing crafts. Unfortunately both Lester & Cornerstone Prep had to cut out their art programs so the art garden is a great outlet for the kids.

                                     

In conclusion, I am so happy I went on this trip. It really opened my eyes to how rough life is for some children in Memphis. I hope that someday I can go to the Tuesday craft nights at the Art Garden.

Anna Johnson