Elizabeth Bails

9/20/2014
TED 5150

Learning with Communities Assignment

Exploration of the Community:
Describe the people you see as you drive around.
As I drove around the community, I saw many children. Also,
when Melissa and I walked out of the school to our cars, an older

man was very friendly, said hi and asked how our day was.
Where do people live?
I saw many apartment complexes as well as ranch and bungalow
houses.
Describe any support you notice for specific diverse populations.
There is none in the city.
Describe public or other institutions that you see.
There were multiple churches; a Catholic church and a First
United Methodist church were a few that I saw while driving
around. So, it seems to be a Christian community. The schools
that I could find in Hazel Park were, United Oaks Elementary,
Hoover Elementary, Hazel Park High School, and Webster Early

Childhood Center. I saw one library in Hazel Park and it has wi-fi.
Are there health and social service agencies? What is the role of
these resources in the community?
There is no hospital in Hazel Park, but there is an urgent care. It
serves as the community doctor, because many people do not

have a doctor.
What commercial uses of land do you see?

I saw a Kroger, a race track, a CVS, many mom and pop stores,

and liquor stores. I also realized that there was no mall.

What transportation is available in the community?
In the community there are taxis, a smart bus, the public bus,
and cars that people own. Also, the smart bus will come to pick
you up at your house to take you to places such as the grocery

store or urgent care.

What recreation is available?
There is the Viking Hockey Arena, the race track, many parks, a
dog park, and playgrounds.
Describe any industry you may see.
There are collision shops and a used car lot.
Describe protective services in the community.
There is a police station and a fire department.
Describe billboards/signs that reflect the character of the
community.
There is a billboard on I-75 that says that 80% of high school

students graduate from college.

Describe the environmental factors that you noticed that may
impact learning at your school.
I noticed that there are crossing guards for safety.

1.) Using Artifacts and Documentary Evidence (Pictures, Sounds, and

Items) describe the community. You are not a tourist. Respect the
privacy of those you see in the community.
Hazel Park seemed to be a small city. Below I have placed some
pictures of the community. I have a picture of a gas station, an
apartment complex, and a picture of a church with a bus in front of it.

2.) Explore the history of this community (library, online resources,

informants, etc.). What sources did you use? Whats new in this
community? What sources did you use to find out more? Explore
changes over time in this community. What is its history? What is its
trajectory?
I went on the city data website for Hazel Park and on hazel park.org.
Hazel Park got its name because of the many hazelnut bushes that
used to be in the area. Some programs I believe are relatively new to
Hazel Park are Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest. Gleaners is a program
that sends food home with students on Friday so that they have food
for the weekend. Then, Forgotten Harvest is a program where families
can go and pick up food on Tuesdays. While looking around the Hazel
Park city data website I found that the estimated median income for a
household in 2012 was about $32,000. Also, about 50% of the
population over the age of 15 is single, which means they have mean
divorced, or have never been married.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Hazel-Park-Michigan.html
http://www.hazelpark.org/residents/history.php

3.) Reflect on what you have learned from this assignment. How might it
inform your future work with children? Use examples from your group
work with children and/or service learning experience. What assets
have you discovered in this community? What do you think are some of
the issues that the school(s) in this community must address?

From this assignment and even after working with the students three
times, it has made me realize how much the poverty level of the
community has made an impact on many of the families in Hazel Park.
I have been told by the teachers in the school, that some of the
students go home to an empty house at night and I believe that this
can have a large impact on the students emotionally as well as on their
learning. I know that if I was ten years old and did not have someone
home to guide me or help me with my homework, that it probably
would not have been done or turned in on time. Also, I have seen how
students view certain ideas or terms, based on the experience that
they have had. For example, I told one of the students that I was a
college student. The student related going to college with him being
left at home with a babysitter he does not like because mom cannot
stay home with him. To this student, he viewed college as a negative
word and did not think very highly of it.
I believe that Hoover has done its best to address the issue of
students not receiving enough to eat. I was very excited to hear about
the free breakfast in the morning, as well as the Gleaners food
program on Fridays. Another issue that schools in this community must
address is student behavior. Just in my second week of pre-student
teaching a student was asked to leave because of his behavior. I did
not know too much about the student, but to my knowledge it was in
the students best interest to go to a more specialized school so that

he could receive the services that he needed. My concern is that I do

not know of any schools in Hazel Park that fit that description.
4.) Reflection Narrative: Address 1, 2, and 3 above in your written
reflection. Looking forward, this assignment will help you consider the
following important questions. Address any of the questions below that
may be interesting to reflect upon.
What have you learned about the community that will impact

your actions as a teacher?

How can you use the assets of the community to plan curriculum

and support your teaching?

What could your role be as a teacher in this community?
How will you get to know your students and their families?
How will you use what you have learned from your observations

to build relationships with students and families?

How might you get to know more about this community?

After class on Wednesday, Melissa and I drove around Hazel Park to

get to know the area better. It was my first time in Hazel Park, but
Melissa has lived in Hazel Park for most of her life. I discovered that the
actual city is not very large. It is only about two square miles. Also,
from prior knowledge, I knew that Hazel Park is poverty stricken.
While driving around the city, Melissa and I took note of many
things. We saw a bus, which shows the type of public transportation
that is available. We also saw gas stations, a library, a few parks,
schools, a pharmacy, the police station, a Kroger, and an urgent care.
Melissa informed me that the city does not have a hospital and the

closest hospital is St. Johns, which is located off of Dequindre in

Madison Heights.
When it comes to the up keep of the buildings we saw, most of
the buildings seemed old and run down. But, there did seem to be a
fewer new buildings such as some restaurants like Subway. I actually
went to Subway to eat and all of the workers I encountered seemed
very friendly.
Throughout my exploration of the city, I have learned much that
will have an impact on how I teach in the classroom. First of all, I will
always try to be more patient with the students and take into account
what may be going on with them outside of the classroom. It also
makes me realize how important it is to be their teacher; someone that
they can depend on for the whole school year.
Some assets of the community that I could use to support my
teaching could be recreational places such as a park. Hazel Park has
many parks and if there is one within walking distance from the school,
it would be a great opportunity to use for educational purposes.
As a teacher in this community, I believe that I could have many
roles. Being a role model to my students and being a support to the
families in the community is just a few. This makes me think of the
teachers from Hoover who passed out popsicles in the neighborhood
when the power was out. It is not their job to do that, but it is a small

act of kindness that truly shows the community that the teachers care
and support the community.
To get to know my students and their families, I could have a
family night at the beginning of the school year. Also, I would keep in
touch with the families through e-mail or newsletters so that the
families know what is going on in the classroom. I think that it is very
important to keep in touch with the families and update them
frequently about their students progress.
Last but certainly not least, I could get to know more about the
community by making a point to go to at least one new place in Hazel
Park each week. For example, I could go to the race track to get more
experience in the community.