The first day I walked into Central Falls High School, I wasn't 100%
sure what to expect. I was nervous because when I told my parents
that I would be taking a class in the high school and working directly with
students and teachers the look on their face was rather unpleasant. They asked
me to switch out of the class and avoid Central Falls altogether. I told them
that this would be an extraordinary learning experience as a teacher candidate
that I would not be able to get anywhere else sitting in a college campus
classroom.
As I drove from RIC campus to
Central Falls I began to get nervous and worrisome about where the GPS was
taking me. After seeing my parents reactions to where I would be spending a few
hours a week got me thinking about what I was about to get myself into. I
pictured driving up to a run-down, unappealing building. I was pleasantly
surprised to drive up to a building that truly looked like a school. I was also
very nervous about finding a safe parking spot, but again, I was able to park next
to the school with no trouble at all.
Walking up the front steps and
ringing the bell to be let in by the office staff, I wondered if I would have
to walk through a metal detector or have my bag searched. But this was not the
case at all. After I signed in with the secretary, I went into the hall and
waited with the class for everyone to show. While I waited, I looked around the
hall and noticed several things that caught my eye. A sign about how to behave
in the halls were located on the walls everywhere you turned. This made me
think that maybe the school had an issue with proper behavior in the halls.
Another cool piece of signage on the wall was an award from the NSTA
recognizing two science teachers. As a science content major, this award made
me feel like I would be able to learn something from two credible teachers. I
hope to be able to meet and observe their classes one day.
I think growing up in North
Kingstown I thought of Central Falls as a scary place; the complete opposite of
what I had grown up with. When Mr. Cirelli (Louis) came in and talked about how
great CFHS was and that he knew he made the right decision switching from the
NK school system into CFHS really made me reconsider where I may want to end
up. I always thought I wanted to be in a suburban school system and to stay as
far away from urban schools, like Central Falls, as possible. As I listened to
Mr. Cirelli say that “NK students don’t know what they have, and CFHS students
know what they don’t have.” This statement really hit me hard because I can
attest to that and even say that I am guilty of it myself. Since entering this
education program at RIC, the experiences I have had have truly inspired me and
changed the way I thought education was. I am excited to take this journey
through Central Falls High School and get everything out of this experience as
I can.
