One thing that I really enjoyed was being able to talk one-on-one with some of the students from Tumulkin Center of Learning. Before our tour of the school, I spoke with two first year, female students. While we were talking to they shared with us some of the classes they were currently and what their favorite subjects were. I remember that one of the students said she enjoyed her math class and I jokingly asked her if she'd be my tutor but she declined. They also told us what role they played within the school outside of traditional education. The school has a garden that all of the first year students take care of and the food grown was then used in the kitchen to feed everyone. They explained to me how they woke up at 6am to tend to the garden. That just seemed absolutely crazy to me but to them, it was just their way of life. Even though looking after a garden is not considered a core subject it still teaches students important life lessons. These kids were learning how to provide for themselves and their families in the future. What these students are willing to do to receive an education is inspiring. It made me stop and think about how I might be taking some of my educational opportunities for granted. Without getting the chance to talk with the students I probably would have never realized how much the school relied on the participation and dedication of the students.
If I would have to pick my biggest take away from this trip it would have to be that the best way to learn about an area or place is to speak with the people who live there. They can provide you with information that you can't read in about online because you actually have to go there to find it.
Kryslynne is a sophomore in the Agriculture and Extension Education Major at Penn State
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