The Neighborhood House
My first experience of education was in preschool at The Neighborhood House. Although there were many other more polished preschools in my hometown, I attended The Neighborhood House because it was across the street from my great grandmother's house, so my parents wouldn't have to worry about after care while they worked. Plainfield is divided into four sections, West End, East End, Southside and Northside. The Neighborhood House was located on the West End and every preschooler that lived on the West end would have to attend.The school is smack in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas in the town, but somehow feels like a safe haven. Even though, the Neighborhood House wasn't a rich school, the teachers that worked at the school had so much compassion and care for the students that it made the school feel like a home away from home. The school opened my mind to reading, writing, music, and art. Behind those colorful walls, I got a chance to use my imagination and creative skills. At times you would not even realize all the chaos that was taking place behind the doors. It was like we built a world inside of a world. Most of the teachers that taught at the school during the time I attended, didn't even live in the neighborhood, but traveled just to help cultivate our minds. The classrooms were filled with minorities, but the majority of teachers where Caucasian and treated us like we were their very own. My first friendships were established there and till this day many still exist. When it came time for my son to attend preschool, I gladly walked him into the colorful building and even stopped and said hello to some of the old staff that is still there to this day. The fact that the school posses teachers that have been there for over decades let me know just how dedicated they are to what they do. To me The Neighborhood House is the heart of the West End of Plainfield.
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