Are You Being Called to Urban Education?

I have always been interested in helping people.  I have done loads of missionary projects and service projects with different organizations that I belong to.   I did not realize how much kids were going through in urban areas though until I was in the 8th grade when the new youth pastor started at my church.  He had been doing youth outreach programs in different cities like Pittsburgh and he told us stories about things he saw there.  We went on a trip to Pittsburgh ourselves and helped rebuild/repair homes for those who could not do it themselves, usually the disabled or the elderly.  That was the first time I helped out an urban community.  

After I started college I was looking for another group to help out with.  I had been  a young adult youth leader when I was growing up.  I met this girl who was helping out at an urban church's youth group and started to get involved.  Here I started to realize my calling.     

So the reason I am writing this is to inform those of you reading it about how much great, caring people are needed in the urban setting.  Believe me its not for everyone but I really think that some of you could do it!  Right now I doing pro-sem at an urban school and I am so surprised by what those 8th grade students are going through and what their siblings and parents are doing/have done.  I have also observed teachers who I am not sure are necessarily meant to be there because they are so hostile towards the students, but only a few.  

Urban schools aren't really as scary as people make them out to be.  Definitely not the middle school.  Those kids are great.  Yeah they have their issues but nothing to bad yet.  I am just hoping to spark some interest in someone so that maybe one student will be helped.   

Jenna : ) 

P.S.-  If you haven't watched Freedom Writers its a really great movie, and its very inspiring.   

Urban Education... HELP ME! =:o

Last week I started my Pro-Sem for the next two weeks at a middle school in an urban area.   Considering I came from a rural school and I have no idea how to entertain those kids!  They always seem really bored.  They talk to each other all the time and they swear.  I also am very intimidated, not by them, but by the lives they are living.  They have gone through so much more than I ever went through or that any of my peers went through when I was even in high school.  So I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me?  Perhaps if you were in an urban setting for school or if you have friends/family who were you know something that they would like to do with social studies.  They just made posters, and they seemed to enjoy them, but I still think that there might be something that could work even better, though I don't know what that is.  

Jenna : )