I decided to stay in Yellow Springs for my fourth co-op because I wanted to have a chance to more fully integrate into the Antioch and village community, and get to know the town a little better. My new teenager-oriented lens through which to view the village is fascinating and eye-opening. I’ve found that Yellow Springs, the village known for being different, is pretty average when you get right down to it. I’ve also found that average high schoolers can also be quite awe-inspiring.
My job as a math tutor at Yellow Springs High School has me interacting with these teenagers in what is not their brightest moments. They are often lethargic and angry. Sometimes their anger accidentally becomes directed at me. I relate to the feeling of not being able to control the direction of frustration. Besides, the time when a student apologized to me for “being so mean,” was one of the most magical I’ve had at the high school.
Most of the students hate school and spend much time complaining about it. I felt the same way, and I still think it’s a highly flawed and illogical system. For these reasons, I can’t imagine being involved in this type of institution in a long-term way, but I would love to be able to be around high school-age students in some capacity in the future.
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