The Paraclete Academy

Intern

June - August 2019 • Boston, MA

What I liked

I really liked how much independence I was given as an intern--the AmeriCorps teacher that I worked under was very receptive to my ideas and let me have a lot of control over designing our lesson plans and leading class.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Summer Teaching Intern

June - August 2019 • South Boston, MA

What I liked

I think about the kids that I worked with every single day. This program lets you build such meaningful relationships with your students. You're not only in the classroom but also all around Boston chaperoning field trips. I learned so much about how to be a better teacher, and I got great experience in lesson planning. It's hard to beat the location-- 10-minute walk to a T stop and the beach. Interns are provided with housing, an unlimited T pass, and some food.

What I wish was different

I wish that I and the other interns had been better trained in trauma sensitivity, or that there had been at least one person on staff whose job it was to step in and help us help the kids. The students that Paraclete serves deserve better than underqualified college interns (some of my coworkers had never even worked with children before). I think there is work to be done around decentering the focus from the adults and onto the children. That being said, I would go back in an instant if the position was paid. While there's work to be done, I think that Paraclete's mission is really special, and the kids are amazing.

Advice

This job was really hard for me at first. It was difficult for me to see how I was helping the kids; it didn't seem like I was making progress. It took me a little while to realize that I wasn't there to fix their problems or change their lives--I was there to love them and to be a safe and dependable person for them. Many of the kids I encountered in this program acted out because they were hurting; it took me some time to figure out that it was most effective to just love and support them unconditionally, while still encouraging accountability.

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