First April Post

April was the beginning of the end of this project! During two weeks this month, I visited RISSE twice, on both Wednesday, my regular day, and Friday. What I’ve been learning as I wrap up this project, and specifically as I start to write, is that meticulous notes are crucial. I’ve taken notes after almost every visit since I started volunteering at RISSE in 2016, but I’ve noticed as I look back at some of them that they aren’t as detailed as they could be. It’s frustrating to read the beginning of what could be a really cool detail about the after school center or a particular kid but not have any really specific pieces of information that could ground it for a reader.

What has been pretty cool about this period of throwing writing into the mix of my normal routine of observing and note-taking is that I can write something I find interesting and then go back to RISSE and fill in more details, ask more questions—or sometimes, miraculously, beautiful little details that are perfect additions to something I’ve already written come to me at RISSE utterly of their own accord. I just find that place so special and I really hope it comes through in the final piece. 

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