Central Falls Scavenger Hunt:
The scavenger hunt around Central
Falls was not something that I was really looking forward to; if I am being
completely honest. It had nothing to do with the city at all but it seemed like
a pointless assignment. However, after do the research about the city online
and then exploring on foot, I realized that there is a lot to learn about a
place just by exploring. As a teacher it is my responsibility to know my
students and part of that is understanding where they live. The environment a
child grows up in makes a huge difference in their academic life. The fact that
in many cases the students may live with multiple families in one small apartment
could affect their ability to do homework. The poverty level of a town
influences the resources a student has outside of school as well as inside. If
a student is hungry in class they will not be able to learn what you want them
to because all that is on their mind is how hungry they are. These facts all
play a major role inside the classroom and without the scavenger hunt I would
not have truly understood the city of Central Falls. Overall, it was a lot of
fun to explore and see exactly what is in the city and how small it really is.
We were not able to enter the
library this day because due to weather it was closed. However, there were
signs on the door about all the activities that were going on that week. February
Vacation activities…. Game Day and Super Hero Party. As well as, knitting
classes being available to the public.
After taking the pictures outside
the police and fire station we entered and spoke to a lieutenant. This was the
most informative visit of the day because he was extremely helpful. We asked
about how a fire emergency was handle but learned so much more. The bankruptcy
has been hard on the fire department because the city cut them down to one
station. There is only 3 old trucks and one ambulance for all of Central Falls.
Making fire fighters jobs much more difficult because now it is not about
putting out the fire but just getting everyone they can out of the house. As
the poverty in the town effecting their job because people are using
alternative heating methods that are very dangerous. In many homes the people are
heating with toaster oven after removing the doors. The lieutenant stated that
there is really no way to stop them because all that they are concerned about
is staying warm.
This looks like a normal house on
the street but in fact it is a market.
I found this extremely interesting
while we were out on the scavenger hunt. There was a question about markets and
food stores around Central Falls but this was different. The town is so small
that businesses are setting up shop in the houses too.
Hey Jodi,
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read on your blog post you got a perspective of the city that doesn't seem very appealing. It's tough that the fire department was cut to one station but there's a logic behind it. Why have more than one station for a city that is a square mile? I don't see a reason to spend more on the fire department. The poverty in the town effects everyone's jobs. Yes, the people's choice of heating their house might cause a fire but that's what the firefighters signed up for. If they were really concerned they would find they way to spread the word and educate the people that are finding clever ways to heat their home. I mean heating your house with a toaster over sounds okay to me, as long as you keep an eye on it. You do what you can with what you have. I believe that the most effected job is law enforcement. When poverty rises, crime increases.
I do really like the following: "The environment a child grows up in makes a huge difference in their academic life." I agree and teachers should really be aware of it. It must also be known that not everyone is bound to fail, there is hope for students that live in unpleasant environments.
-Adrián
I agree that I too was uneasy about the assignment at first, but I also found value with exploring CF. I agree that as teachers its essential for us to know where our students come from so that we know what challenges they may face in the classroom. I feel like its important to keep in mind that teachers and students are all human and we all have the same basic needs.
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