If you drive past the United States Capitol, head fifteen minutes down South Capitol Street, cross the bridge over the Anacostia River, and take a left on Atlantic Street, you'll find Hendley Elementary School.
Like thousands of idealistic kids across the country, I dedicated my first year out of college to service. I enrolled in the AmeriCorps City Year program in July of 2017 and was assigned to work as a teacher's assistant in one of Hendley's third grade classrooms, working with the talented Ms. Barbour. I spent my days managing class behavior, tutoring and mentoring struggling students, and, of course, playing my heart out at kickball during recess.
My students changed my life. They taught me something new every single day. They showed me what true toughness and genuine compassion look like. And, most of all, they welcomed me into their community and opened me up to a new world, one that I knew existed in theory but had no real experience with.
This world, their world, is close by. It's only a short drive away and sits in the shadow of some of the most powerful buildings in the United States, and the world. Nonetheless, despite its proximity, it is still very much a "different" world.
But I don't think it should be that way.
I want to introduce you to a few of my students. I wrote these stories to give you a small window into their world, and provide a sense at what it feels like to work there. I hope they can help bring their world and yours a little closer together.
Thank you,
Jesse Remedios, Creator and Writer
Illustrations by Dellil Mohammed
***All student names have been changed to protect each child's privacy. These stories are based completely off my personal experience working with them at school. ***
“Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.”
― Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
