Curious overlap, with lots of back story

I used to work at the SEED School in Washington, DC. I searched the blog here and it looks like I've never written about it. I went there after working at Habitat for Humanity. I was looking to work with kids. They were a public, charter, boarding school (not at all a typical boarding school) looking for someone who would be a house manager for incoming 7th grade girls. A house manager is someone who is with students while they're not in academic classrooms. Waking them up and ensuring they were showered, dressed in uniform and had their homework was my responsibility. After classes, I tutored them, monitored their computer activities, help work out the social snarls of being twelve, took them to dinner in the cafeteria, ensured they were in touch with home, hung out, and got them to sleep at a semi-reasonable hour. It was a pretty cool job. Except that the school was fairly isolated, we worked 6 days a week, 13 hour days, and there wasn't a lot of support from the school administration. Or the parents at home. It was trying, and when the founder of an organization in Baltimore called me to say the position I had applied for months ago was now open and she'd like to meet with me, I jumped on it.

I was only at the SEED School for 5 months. Leaving broke my heart. It hurt some of the girls. I made some real friends (as one does in the middle of a "battle"). It was this time of my life that drinking wine and roller skating in the parking lot on a Saturday night (when the kids weren't there) was really the only thing that made sense. I left DC and headed a little North for what turned out to be a disaster. That job that opened up? Was held by 8 other people in the past 3 years. Eight people who share a "whooooo.... she was kinda batty, eh?" story with me about our former boss.

Anyhow. That is all to say, I used to work at the SEED School.

I am a proud Americorps alum. I've written about that here.

Yesterday, a whole bunch of people for whom I would love to make grilled cheese sandwiches gathered at the SEED School to listen to and watch President Obama sign the SERVE act into law. Read Obama's speech here and then put on your work boots, pals. There's a lot to do.