Education majors learn about domestic violence, education in low-income schools on spring break trip

Over spring break, 16 students from the education department, as well as advisers Dean Beverley Bryde, Dr. Martha Ritter, Dr. Amber Gentile and Dr. Coleen Lelli, traveled to Naples, Fl for an immersion experience. This was the second year that the department offered this trip.

It was brought about after a planning phase, which included interaction between Bryde, Gentile and Kelly Bergey, a Cabrini alumna who is now a principal in the Collier County School District.

Collier County School District is in high need of teachers and has low teacher retention, with the annual turnover rate being 9.5 percent 

While there, the Cabrini students were able to assist teachers in the district, as well as learn about educational funding, domestic violence, community outreach and teacher shortages.

Most of the schools in Collier County are Title I schools, meaning that the majority of students that attend them come from low-income families, there are no school busses and the students all qualify for free or reduced lunch.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, high poverty districts spend 15.6 percent less per student than low-poverty districts do.

The Title I schools of Collier County are a large contrast to schools on the Main Line, where Cabrini students often have their field placements.

“Working with the schools in Collier County is just a whole different experience than working in the schools in the Radnor area, ” junior Gabrielle Case said. “A lot of the kids in these schools don’t have a great home life, so they really look forward to coming to school. All of the kids were so appreciative, eager to learn and happy to have me there to help them.” 

Since it was her second year attending this trip, Case had the opportunity to spend the whole week in one classroom, bonding with the students. Being able to take part in this experience for two years has made Case want to teach in Collier County after she graduates, as long as there is a job available for her.  

Students who had not previously attended the trip travelled to a different school each day. They were able to see how some schools were much more privileged than others.

“One of the schools was not a Title I school and the difference from that school compared to the others we went to was very noticeable in the academic and demographic aspects,” junior elementary education with special education major Juliana Longo said.

The goal of the trip was to open the students’ eyes to issues that communities face that they may have otherwise not noticed.

“This immersion experience can help teacher candidates foster a positive regard for student, familial and community differences such as cultural, native language, socio-economic and varying abilities,” Gentile said. “They are immersed in the culture of these Title I one schools and participate in community events to increase their awareness and appreciation of these school communities while witnessing the strategic use of technology and instructional practices.”

Between community engagement and the in-classroom experiences, the Cabrini students were able to learn a lot about schools with different demographics.

“One of the biggest things I still think about is how the students are really the heroes in the classroom when it comes to helping each other out,” Longo said. “In my first classroom, one of the students had just started that day and he did not speak any English. Seeing how much the students were willing to help him communicate to the teacher and vice versa was absolutely amazing. Towards the end of the day, they even listened to a recording of a story and had asked the teacher to play it in Spanish so the student would understand what it had said.”

While in Florida, the students were also able to visit an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence thanks to the work of the Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education. 

“Visiting the shelter made me realize that so many of the kids I worked with at the schools could have this going on at home or even be a part of the shelter,” Case said. 

This visit opened the students’ eyes to the reality of domestic violence.

“We were shown pictures that children had drawn of their home life while still living with an abusive parent and after coming to the shelter and receiving the help they needed,” Longo said. “The after pictures compared to the before pictures were so different. I never realized how much a child can be affected by the relationships of their parents until seeing those pictures.”

Attending this trip allowed Cabrini students to develop a larger understanding of social justice issues through personal experience.

“Students gain a positive regard for student, familial and community differences,” Gentile said. “They observe and take away the strategic use of instructional technologies and best practices for all learners. Students’ awareness of social justice issues is increased by being immersed in these school communities and by visiting an emergency women’s shelter and hearing from their professional staff.”

Editor’s Note: The faculty source for this story is Dr. Amber Gentile, not Dr. Colleen Lelli, as appeared in an earlier version.