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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: September 22, 2003
Latest Update: September 22, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Normative Expectations and their Violation

Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, September 2003.
"Fair use" encouraged.

On Thursday, September 4, 2003, Adrienne Ordorica, CSUDH, wrote:

Dear Professor Jeanne, I am in your Theory class on Wendesday nights.My name is Adrienne Ordorica. It is my first semester in the graduate program.I went to Long Beach State for my Bachelor's which was in Psychology.

I think I already experienced, or actually just realized that I experienced a violation of a norm(s). This is the reason that I am writing to you. I work for Youth Services. It is funded by Los Angeles Unified School District. I have been there for six years. Six of these years were spent at one school and those years are very dear to me. For the first time in six school years and summers, I did not return to "my school" for the (free) after school program. My co-worker of two years was there, so I was a bit less anxious. I knew the principal would be furious, not to boast, but I had created many programs and helped the school/community out tremendously. It feels like a death in the family. I didn't even get to say goodbye to the faculty or the kids. I grew especially close to the residents of the apartments adjacent to the school. In all honesty, they are not apartments, well they literally are, but they are government funded housing projects. I was and still consider myself family to these citizens. I plan on going back next week. I will hide my tears, for the purpose of the children, and take some more pictures of them and maybe borrow a video camera to record their ever so amusing antics.

Consider starting a visual essay. You could ask them to help you plan it, and maybe even to shoot some. Some of the parents would be glad to help, I'll bet. jeanne

Let's get to the violation of norms. I had been offered a promotion three times. Each time I turned it down for a few different reasons. I was comfortable in my work environment and with my coworkers. I was trying to make a difference in the community and I finally saw results. Whether it was a smile from a shy kid or an increase in sports/academic participation, I was proud of the kids--and even the adult gang members. Sometimes I forgot that I was getting paid. Well this last time that I was offered a promotion I accepted the two interviews. I was awarded the job and started training three days before the infamous "first day of school." It hit me on the third day. I felt so guilty--guilty for leaving my playground.

Okay, now I will really get to the point. I was assigned to visit a middle school in Watts. To some this might feel like a sentence rather than a job. I was told to meet my immediate supervisor at three o' clock. He and I were going to attempt to recruit adolescents for the afterschool program. We set up in front of the gym. He then told me to go stand by one of the gates so that when the kids left after dismissal that they would be easily reached. I had a clipboard and a piece of scratch paper. I was just asking kids if they were interested in joining or if they would like to be on the flag football team. I also informed them of the field trips, such as Magic Mountain, Raging Waters, and Disneyland. To my surprise, I had a full sheet filled with names. Some did not want to participate and were polite about it, others had to get permission from their parents or caretakers. I have to admit that I have been in this area before. I have been to South Central, and many other areas that people cringe at because I was in charge of traveling programs when my school was closed for the summer. I was not scared of them, I just approached them like I would have wanted to be talked to at that age.

My boss signed up a good number of children himself. He attended Middle school at this exact location. I showed him the paper and he was so excited to show me his sheet also.I told him that the students were polite and that I thought we, with the help of the worker assigned to this school site,who was on his first day of the job, had a good chance of building up a decent program. My boss said that I was making him too happy and that he could not believe that the kids were nice. I think he expected that since this area and the normal attitudes of the students would equal no results. My boss painted this picture of a horrible school with horrid students. I took that into account and was wrong to do so. The students were receptive and well mannered. I thought they were going to throw their cell phones at me or cuss me out. My normative expectation for the behavior of this middle school and the people that inhabit it were both violated.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to class next week.
Adrienne Ordorica

On Monday, September 22, 2003, jeanne responded:

Adrienne, this is a wonderful story of lived experience. You've made me want to know your students and their families at the apartments next door. Please turn this into a visual essay. jeanne

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