An Epic Journey, Every Monday

My Monday evenings begin with a bus ride. Right after my Exercises in Biblical Theology class I jump on the #3 bus on Como Ave and head towards St. Paul. I love riding the bus for many reasons. My love affair with public transportation actually began the summer I did CPE at the San Francisco Veterans Hospital. In order to get from the apartment we were subletting in the Mission district to the hospital which overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge, I had an hour long bus commute through the city. After awhile, the commute became the most therapeutic of ways to begin and end my day at CPE. That's fodder for another posting, so back to St. Paul.

The bus is the way that I begin my epic journey into another world, from the classrooms and theories and intellectual debates at the seminary to the dimly lit basement of the Riverside Branch of the St. Paul Public Libraries and the life of immigrant teenagers. This year, I have been volunteering as a tutor for the Homework Centers. From the hours of 5-7 on Monday evenings you can find me in the SHAC (Students Homework and Activities Center) in the basement of the Riverside Public Library in the Districto del Sol in St. Paul. I mostly work with new immigrants to the US and the children of first generation immigrants to the US on their math or english homework. Pretty much every student I work with is fluently bilingual, slipping easily between English and Spanish or English and Swahili as we work our way through fractions and 5 paragraph essays and cover letters and even chemistry.

It's a humbling experience in many ways. First of all, it makes me realize just how much I have forgotten since high school. I know that at some point I knew the equation for velocity, but I sure don't anymore, at least not off the top of my head. Second of all, try explaining a ratio to someone who barely speaks English. Or how about helping a 16 year old immigrant from Ethiopia write an essay on the ramifications of transcendentalism in the US. It's a challenge every time I come. Tutoring is a grounding experience because I am asked to put theory into practice--part of my job is to try and connect with teenagers who are struggling with poverty and gangs and teen pregnancy and drug use and life in the US and finishing their homework. It's not the world I grew up in, that's for sure.

Some days are more difficult than others. Some days I feel totally useless. Other days, the smiles of Andrea and Pedro and Hakim and Ali- when they actually understand something new- might as well be the smiles of angels. In all honesty I don't do that much for them. Most of the time, they already know the answers, they are just looking for some reassurance that they are on the right track. That's why I keep going, even though sometimes I know that it might be more time-effective to finish my own homework or get the errands run. Even those days I convince myself ahead of time that I'm not going to make it to the east side of the river that day, I still always seem to end up there, struggling through their homework with them, learning a lot in the process, and being reminded of just what a gift a smile can be. If you are interested in learning more about tutoring in St. Paul, visit www.sppl.org/homework.