Bina spends year in New York City
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Nikki Bina, formerly of rural Lincolnville, is spending a year working with inner city youth in New York City.
Bina, who has a degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas, is employed by Good Shepherd Services, a social service agency. She receives free room and board and $100 per month.
Work days run from 1:30 to 9 p.m.
She teaches 25 second grade students in an after-school program at a public school in the borough of Brooklyn. Evenings are spent supervising parents and children in various activities. In addition, Bina is part of a leadership group which establishes and carries out community service projects and promotes team building and trust.
Most of Bina's students live in public housing projects. She said they are not materially deprived but do not have a good home life.
"They're just like our kids, but they have bigger problems," she said, noting they are surrounded by fighting and violence in their homes and on the street.
Many of the children spend all day, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at their school, Red Hook Community Center. In addition to regular school, they participate in before-school and after-school programs. It's hard for them to sit still after so many hours. However, Bina acknowledges the after-school program is a good thing.
"Being in the center is better than being on the streets," she said.
She and other volunteers help students with their homework, do arts and crafts, play games, and use the gym.
It took a while to establish a trusting relationship between herself and her students.
"Some days I thought, 'What am I doing here?'" she said. "Then some kid would give me a hug or a note, and I was OK."
She said she has grown to love each one.
The school year ends at the end of June. It will be followed by summer camp, which lasts through August 15. Bina will serve as aquatic director.
"New York City is a whole different world," Bina said, noting the fast-paced life, with people everywhere, each doing their own thing. Just observing the various kinds of people is fascinating, she said.
"There's always something to do," she added.
She lives in a multi-storied building, a former convent on church grounds. She and seven other girls live dorm style on one floor. A subway station is just across the street.
Bina has no car but said she wouldn't want a car in New York City. Public transportation is readily available. She rides two trains and a bus to get to work every school day.
There's not much green grass in the city, but Prospect Park is just two blocks from Bina's boarding house. She goes there almost every morning to walk and run along a three and one-half mile path.
She runs various foot races on weekends, usually in Central Park. On occasion, as many as 10,000 people are involved.
"Sometimes it takes three minutes just to get to the starting line," Bina noted. Electronic chips attached to her shoes track the time from the starting line to the finish line.
One time, she won a one-week membership to an exclusive gym club. She enjoyed trying out the sophisticated equipment. She discovered she could send emails from a stationery bicycle.
Bina said she wouldn't trade her experience in the inner city for anything in the world, but she plans to find a regular teaching job in another area of New York City and stay there for another year.
"I will be back to the Midwest someday. It's home," she said.
Bina is the daughter of Raymond and Denice Bina of Marion.
