Henry Mahegan: Student Profile (Part 1)

When I think of “superstars” in my Civics for Boston Youth class, the first student that comes to mind is Ian. He is a senior and is new to Charlestown High School this year. He is passionate about the justice system and had an incredible internship last summer where he got to work at the Joseph Moakley Courthouse on the South Boston waterfront. He brings a ton of outside knowledge into class every day and is eager to share his experience with the class.

In addition to his internship, he also took a government class at his previous school. On more than one occasion this year he has said, “we covered this at my old school.” In fact, when talking about freedom of speech and search and seizure he remembered almost all the details of cases like Tinker v. Des Moines and New Jersey v. T.L.O.

While some students may disengage when covering material for a second time, Ian takes on a leadership role in the classroom, helping other students to understand difficult topics. He has become a student that I can rely on to answer challenging questions when most of the class is silent. When we are covering a topic with which he is familiar I usually engage him by asking him to share his prior knowledge with the class, or by partnering him with students who I know will benefit from his help. I have also made sure to build in extension activities for Ian and other students who finish their work early.

Ian seems to be very well respected by his classmates. He is talkative with those who sit around him and gets along well with everyone. He is modest about his prior knowledge and generally soft spoken, which I think endears him to the other students in class.

Looking ahead toward the PAR process, I plan to lean heavily on Ian’s experience. In addition to his internship, he has also worked with the Dorchester Bay Youth Force in the past. I know he has gone through several trainings with them. When I mentioned that they may be visiting class next week, Ian was excited and said that he would be willing to act as a student leader during the trainings.

Ian has been an asset in my class all year long. It is clear, not only from his resume, but also from his participation in class, that he is passionate about civics and has a desire to pursue a career in government or law. I hope that I can continue to foster his excitement about the subject and provide him opportunities not only to explore his interest, but also to improve the learning experience of the students around him.