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 was named after 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
been 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 prestudent 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 are 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.