Thursday Takes an Unexpected Turn

As I woke up at 6:15 on Thursday, I was expecting a long day ahead of me because Mr. May had warned us to expect a later night. But, I was still definitely excited for the second to last day left at KIPP, we still had much to do and many goals to fulfill.
When we first arrived at school, we were told to ignore the buzz of the oncoming snowstorm- it tends to take the focus off of learning. We went about the usual business of making bulletin boards, grading papers, and interacting with the students and staff at KIPP GCP. I was able to begin the day by tutoring a ninth grade student in Algebra as he had missed the last two days. I enjoyed seeing him actually complete the skill and solve problems using the distance formula by himself. But more than that, I learned a lot about him and how he is dealing adjusting to KIPP and the workload there. I later worked with Ya and Nicole grading Algebra quizzes that were quite tedious. Mr. Bills told us that they usually take him five hours to grade... only two class periods!!!!
I then went to eat lunch with the middle school students and sat with the eighth grade for the first time. Correy and I were a little nervous, but we sat down with a group of students and ended up really connecting with them! They were all excited to get to go to the high school next year, because apparently it's less strict compared to the middle school. My favorite part was, once again, having them interact with us normally and comfortably, and also see them act very respectfully and ask a lot of good, thoughtful questions- even though we had been surrounded by this behavior for a week, it continues to impress me every time! When I told them I was majoring in Journalism, one of the boys at the table freaked out and got so excited and told me he wanted to do that too, and we discussed that for a while, which was really so cool.
And then, as many of us were planning to take on the next task, we had a quick meeting where Meghan and our Trip Leaders informed us of the oncoming snowstorm (100% snow with 3-5 inches expected) that was supposed to hit Gaston that night. There was worry about getting snowed in at the Landers house and it was very likely that school was going to be cancelled for Friday. After discussions and calls back to the AB office in College Park, it was decided that it would be safest to leave ASAP... :(
We quickly finished a Spanish bulletin board and tried to squeeze in all our goodbyes. The teachers had been planning a surprise dinner for us- that's why we were supposed to plan for a late night- which was so sweet, ESPECIALLY considering all they do already. The fact that they were going to take the time to thank us and spend time outside of school with us really meant a lot (even though it ended up that we couldn't go). We each received our very own KIPP shirt as we unexpectedly headed out.

Back at the Landers house we packed and cleaned up, after Ann Marie and I put some brownies in the oven. Turns out, it was Rachel's birthday, so we celebrated and sang with the brownies before we said our goodbyes. The Landers were so hospitable and loving and giving, they could not have been better hosts and I think we all will miss them!
We stopped off at KIPP one more time to drop off some thank you brownies to the teachers, and then hit the road.

It was definitely a shock and disappointment to leave early, but the snow did end up coming, so that made the decision a little easier to settle on Friday morning. I am still in awe of the commitment and dedication of the teachers at KIPP, the drive, maturity, and motivation of the students at KIPP, and the family community that they together have established. It was amazing to be able to talk college with seventh graders and seniors, and watch the students appreciate their education and be proud of their work. There were so many highlights throughout the week- I had a fabulous time getting to know my fellow AB-ers, but also learning and engaging with the Gaston community. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and were a part of it, MUCH LOVE (I'm waggling my fingers at you all)!!! I hope to be back in May for the 5k run for KIPP!
<3 Grace