Essay 1: Creating Windows Through Words

Early in my career in Out-of-School Time (OST), one day Ursula presented me with a drawing she had made. It was mostly red bricks drawn on a white sheet of construction paper, and at the center, there was a window which opened to a vast blueish-white sky. “Wow, I love it!” I exclaimed, as the fifthgrade student smiled modestly. “But what does it mean?” Ursula explained that I had “created windows” where brick walls existed. I had introduced her to possibilities beyond those walls that she felt surrounded her. It was a revelation to me.

Ursula watched as her artwork was prominently displayed on the wall of my supply cabinet. As I studied the drawing in the days and weeks to follow, I recognized that it symbolized so much more for me than Ursula could possibly know. The image on the paper gave representation to who and what I continued to aspire to be as a youth worker.