Journal Entry - 01/10/07 (Headstart, Explore Denver, Movie)
HC395 Service Learning Trip

Today we visited a nearby school that housed a Headstart program for low-income and working poor families, and explored the 16th street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Denver.

The goal of the Headstart program is to inspire and educate children to enable them to transcend their current situation and succeed in a career, education, etc. by instilling a set of 40 values identified by the Search Institute and providing them with an environment and activities that stimulate healthy social interaction.

We walked from First Mennonite Church to Headstart and attended a brief orientation before entering the classroom. We immediately jumped into a rousing rendition of "The Freeze Song', in which we periodically were required to freeze in our current positions. Then we did the "Ri-Chi-Cha" song, and split into pairs to read Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed, after which we let the children reign until "Arts and Crafts" - making penguins from toilet paper rolls and construction paper - and then more free time until lunch. After lunch we went back to the classroom and said our goodbyes.

I learned during that period just how much all the skills we identified in class are mandatory when working with children (of any age). Especially with my child, who was shy and slow to warm up at first, patience and flexibility were key. It was even suggested as part of the program to make a few mistakes and let the child correct you. It is also immediately apparent with these kids how effect your being there is, at least for the short period that you are in their lives. The kids talk animatedly, laugh, smile, and are so excited.....and that makes it even sadder when you leave them - especially for me because my child buddy kind of "shutdown" - no more smiles and laughter, as he realized I was leaving. On the other hand, it was nice to know that our interaction meant so much to them.

The best part about exploring Denver, even beyond the stores at the Pedestrian Mall, was the light rail system. Cars ran almost continuously on a line that starts downtown and ends all the way near Littleton quite a few miles away. Running at 45 mph in some places, it was only 5-10 minutes to downtown and then another few minutes to ride part of the way down the free MallRide bus. The whole thing made me feel like I was in the Space Age.

The movie we watched - called Crash - portrayed racial and class tensions in Los Angeles using car crashes and car-jackings as context. The two most powerful events for me were a quote recited at the beginning, and a miracle near the end of the movie. The quote basically says, "People in L.A. don't touch each other anymore - they don't have connections to each other anymore. And yet, they need and reach out for that connection, and sometimes they crash into each other just for the sense of touch". This reminded me of all the social capital/relationships/social glue we talked about in class - that Putnam reference. The scene that spoke to me was quite heartbreaking...and yet miraculous. The Persian owner of a store that gets vandalized because he didn't fix the door is infuriated because he had paid a locksmith already to fix the lock on the door, but didn't fix the door itself because it wasn't his job to do so - suggesting the owner call somebody to fix the door instead. After the insurance adjuster denies his claim because of "negligence" - not fixing the door - the owner flies into a rage, locates the name of the locksmith on the receipt, grabs his newly purchased gun, and prepares to find and get his money back or kill him. After finding his house, he waits until the locksmith returns home, then confronts him, demanding his money back at gunpoint. The locksmith's daughter, recently having been given a "invisible cloak" by her father to protect her from the monsters and gunshots in the window, calls to her mother to come...and then runs out the door into her fathers arms to protect him from death. The gun fires....and the locksmith and his wife, believing their daughter has been shot dead, cry and scream in grief.....while the Persian just stands in shock, staring first at his gun, then the daughter and father, then back at his gun, not believing he could have done such a thing. After the movie accurately portraying the parent's grief, the daughter surprises everybody by saying, "it's ok daddy - I protected you - I have the cloak"....and she's not hurt, not even a scratch. The parents, after a few moments of disbelief, joyously celebrate and take their daughter back inside, locking the door and demanding the Persian go away. While it turns out that the Persian's daughter bought him a box of "blanks" when she bought the gun for him, he doesn't know that, and thinks that the little girl is an angel sent to him, and changes his ways completely. What is so powerful about this scene....despite the actual circumstances....is the idea of redemption, a second chance, and the idea that words and community go a lot farther than a bullet in resolving conflicts and racism, other social issues.