For an eight-year old living in Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood, summer vacation does not mean all-day visits to the zoo or aquarium -- it means unsupervised idleness, allowing exposure to drugs and violence.
With the Teach Baltimore program, one of many programs funded by the Center for Summer Learning, however, interns like Hopkins senior Simon Gao are trained to teach Baltimore students at inner city public schools over their idle times in summer. Working with an experienced mentor teacher, Gao taught nine-year-olds elementary math and helped them with various social issues experienced in an ordinary classroom.
According to a 1994 Carnegie Council study, unsupervised idle time leads to increased chances of drug use, gang participation and school failure. The Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning has also found that low-income students lose three months of knowledge over the summer, nearly three times the average amount for middle class youth.
Gao, having previously helped third grade students write their own novels as community service, felt confident enough working with kids in the Teach Baltimore program.
"We basically helped them write their own novels and they went on display in the public library," he said. "This served as an important teaching experience for me because it showed how flexible you have to be with kids. You need to be able to explain something several different ways for each child to understand."
Gao said that the anxiety of being the sole authority over children from poor backgrounds did not faze him.
"I think my family and friends were more nervous for me. I grew up in a similar situation. My family started out very poor when we first immigrated. That gave me the confidence to help these kids rise out of their situation as I did for myself."
Although there were obvious cultural and socioeconomic differences, Gao was able to find some common ground.
"They may be from the inner city, but they are no different than you or me as people. They watch the same shows, like the same stuff and play the same games," he said. "The most rewarding part of the experience was getting to know the kids and seeing how my efforts would make progress for the short term."
Gao remembers counseling one of his students during a class field trip and seeing how his influence could effect children in the short term. However, he said he is not sure whether his guidance will make a lasting impact.
"I took one of my boys aside during a field trip and started talking to him about being a good leader. He seemed to understand immediately when I told him that a good leader will get others to follow," Gao said. "Although it seemed like he got it, I don't know if it will stick. There are more influences in his life that may change that."
Gao's experiences showed him clear reasons why the youth of Baltimore and inner city America face dangerous futures.
"I would stay with the kids until they got picked up in the evening by their parents. It seemed like what they were missing most was a role model," he said. "Some parents would not even hug or embrace their kids at the end of the day. That's really sad. We need parents and teachers to care about the future of their children."
