It was the day before Valentine’s Day. A girl wanted to write poems, but struggled with the fact that she didn’t like anyone enough to write a poem for them. That’s a vibe. I helped her spell “compliment.” You’re welcome, Ithaca community.

There was a yet another volunteer in the room this time. To be clear, there’s me, Mr. Vitucci (the main teacher), Mr. Patel, and this fourth person, all supervising a group of less than fifteen kids. Needless to say, I contributed very little beyond the spelling of “compliment.” (But I did look at the context in the poem to make sure she wasn’t trying to spell “complement,” so I was still putting in the effort.)

The fourth volunteer was talking about how in Texas they allow corporal punishment in schools. After further research, it turns out this is true and actually pretty common. The fourth volunteer didn’t seem to denounce the practice, but fortunately, didn’t seem to need it either. Instead she threatened to call this kid’s parents. In my head, I was thinking oooooh, you’re in trooooouble. 

After possibly a record low level of contribution, I inquired about switching from the makerspace to the math/science program. It seems that I can switch whenever I want, but my class schedule doesn’t allow it. It’s a shame because I’m actually really good at adding fractions.

– Hartek