Sophia Mariani ’26
Chief Copy Editor
As a senior and an education minor, one of my favorite parts of my coursework has been the experiences I’ve had engaging in the Worcester Public Schools. A majority of my classes have had Community-Based Learning (CBL) components, which typically involve being immersed in classrooms at a school in the Worcester area. My roles in my CBL placements have varied—sometimes I am tutoring students and working alongside them, other times I am observing, and in my capstone class, I even taught a lesson to a class. In each of these positions I have gained valuable experience and have left feeling connected to the Worcester community, and especially the youth of our city. Worcester has a diverse school system with many passionate and supportive teachers and staff, and we are lucky that Holy Cross provides us with the opportunity to learn from what is happening in schools around us.
One of the highlights of being involved in the WPS community is the relationships built with the students that you get to tutor/mentor. The classrooms that I have been placed in range from third grade to high school level. I’ve learned from teachers how they manage classroom behavior, language development, and tending to the needs of each individual student. Sometimes you may not realize the impact that you are having until your last day in a classroom, when students are hugging and thanking you for spending time with them. Through these opportunities, I have also become more aware of many of the constraints that public schools in the area face, as teachers can often experience a lack of resources in their classrooms. This is a reality that many schools face, though it is important to not be overlooked. Overall, engaging in different school communities is when I have found the most meaning in my role as a Worcester resident. When living on the Hill, it can be easy to get caught up in the everyday hustle of being a student, while CBL provides a grounding to the greater city community that we are a part of.
For those who have not experienced the WPS, there are more opportunities than only CBL. These include work study, SPUD, after school programs, etc. I encourage you to go and observe what is happening in the schools around us. For those who are interested in a career in education, this role will offer you hands-on experience and insight into how young minds are being shaped. For those who are not interested in this career path, this exposure will still give context to the backbone of any community—public schools. Public schools and the students and staff in them are an integral part of Worcester and our community that we treasure here on the Hill—they are worth experiencing first-hand!
Featured image courtesy of Worcester Public Schools
Leave a Reply