Lafayette High School Community Analysis

I was placed at Lafayette High School for my off-campus service project this semester. Lafayette was established in 1903 and was the third school built in Buffalo, New York. Due to this, Lafayette is full of history such as the fall-out shelters located in the basement. However, along with this impressive history come outdated supplies such as desks and chalkboards. In 2011 Lafayette closed and reopened as a multi-cultural school. In fact over 75% of the students at Lafayette are refugees with less than 45% speaking English (Welcome to our World). Due to the large amount of students that speak little to no English and have no previous history of an education, Lafayette is seen as a failing school. They are faced with the challenge of helping

They are providing these young adults an education that they wouldn’t have gotten at home, and with that, a future. This semester I am expected to work with and help these students with homework. Not only will the student have to overcome challenges but I will as well. The presence of the language barrier will prove to be difficult when trying to communicate with the student. I also must remember to be patient and encouraging when working with these students, as this will prove to be hard for them not only due to their lack of education and lack of English, but due to their situations. They’ve left their homes and have had to deal with so much in order to receive an education and better future. I will keep this in mind as I work with these students throughout this semester. I also aim to not only help them academically but on a personal level as well. I hope to get the privilege of knowing them and making a positive impact on their lives. In Chapter 1 of Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam, the topic of reciprocity is discussed. Reciprocity can be broken down into specific reciprocity where it’s seen

We toured the school while learning about its extensive history. We were able to go into fallout shelter as well as view the many artifacts they had collected from that time period such as the medical supplies. We were also able to see how the school makes do with what they have. It’s unfortunate that most of the supplies in the school are hand-me-downs from schools getting newer supplies. While on tour we visited the gym and got to meet a few of the students. They were playing volleyball and were very polite to us. We also met a lot of faculty who raved about how good these students are and how much effort they put towards learning. All of which made me more eager to work with the