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I thought maybe I had pulled up to the wrong building or had incorrectly jotted down the address of my Scientists for Tomorrow after-school observation site. Students couldn’t be learning in this building, could they? It looks… burned out. Boarded up. At the very least, in transition and in desperate need of renovation.

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I entered the Union League Boys and Girls club to find a darkened lodge room. It immediately recalled upon my childhood – running around the well-worn, historical YMCA in  my urban home town of Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Okay, I thought. This reflects something of my own past, something that I once loved. A dark but cavernous space with lots of room to explore and play. A place that inspires some sort of nostalgia or pride in its community members.

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I walked upstairs to find a bright, somewhat sterile space. Florescent lights and folding tables and lots of middle school students hoping to either go home or be engaged.

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In an hour and a half I observed students figuring out how to measure, saw, and drill their boards for their eventual monochords. The curriculum content is challenging for their age range, but it also calls for hands on learning. I have questions about how much of the knowledge will be transferred. I see a lot of challenge in the program, but also a lot of room for growth and for learning. I’m curious to see what new findings I’ll have to report on as I return to the Union League each week.

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