Reflections

Reflection 1: Observation

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this project. My strength resides in working with high school aged students so I was hesitant about working with younger ages. Meeting them for the first time left me very intimidated because I wasn’t sure how to start. Immediately though, I was pulled into their activities as they invited me to start playing house. It didn’t matter who I was, my name, or why I was there; all that mattered was whether or not I wanted plastic ketchup with my plastic burger and how tall we could make a tower of blocks. My short time each day for the first week was filled with these fun games, reading books, and marching like dinosaurs to flatten the world.

I can see from the first few days that the workers are devoted to these kids. Even in the frustrating moments, they find something to smile about; the kids are hilarious. Some of them are so young that each little achievement, no matter how insignificant it may be to an adult, was the greatest discovery to befall mankind. The toddler age children on the main level always stop what they are doing to wave at us. I don’t understand what is so exciting about us, but it warms my heart every time. Even though they can’t read yet, the preschool children were always eager to look through books. They were so smart; they could already interpret what the books were conveying, making up their own storylines based on the picture. I’m looking forward to learning more about them with these fun activities. Even though the first day was somewhat confusing as to what I should be doing, I had fun observing their routine.

Reflection Two: Interaction

            As week two begins, I find myself becoming more involved in the kids’ activities. They’re engaging in more conversation, asking me questions and allowing me to be an active part in their secret society. The school-age kids reminded me of my students in Korea from last summer. They were always asking questions and wanting me to run around with them from activity to activity. Without even trying, I became privy to their world. It was amazing how quickly I could find my place amongst them, despite being older and more or less a stranger to them.

Working with the preschool teacher has been a great experience so far. Her enthusiasm has encouraged me to stay energetic even when I’m tired. I only have a brief time with the kids and want to make the most of it. Sometimes it seems like we aren’t doing much for the

One of the things I enjoyed most about the preschool class was the pre-lunch activities the teacher had as a piece of their routine. Reading stories and dancing to music, despite being repetitive each day, has been a fun way to get the students occupied and entertained simultaneously. Watching them dance around, laugh at silly lyrics, and grab the other Olivet helpers to join in was such a fun moment to experience. There seems to be an unspoken opinion that if the students aren’t doing instructional work that they aren’t learning. Watching them interact and develop social skills through self-directed playtime and dancing to music has helped me see that there are more ways to teach a lesson than traditional classroom settings. Hours of practicum, ESL camp and volunteer hours have shown me that any place can serve as a classroom. The center of the basement play area becomes a classroom every time the teacher gathers her students to hear a story or dance to songs about dinosaurs and bubblegum.

Reflection Three: Lesson

Literacy was the reason we started this project. Forming friendships with these kids to begin with and then taking this interaction to apply to a lesson of sorts. Unable to think of h

Since the age variation is so different for the school age students and the limited time between learning that they would be present in the last week and my last day, I hadn’t given thought to what I would do for a lesson. Having spent more time with the preschool kids, I wanted to end the project by doing an activity with them. Knowing they are still learning letters, I couldn’t do anything too demanding from them with language or reading, but I wanted to share my love of reading with them.

I chose the Very Hungry Caterpillar to read to my students during the transition period between playtime and lunch. The hope for reading this book right before lunch was to stimulate some conversation among the kids. Many were distracted by the call for bathroom visits, but we got a chance to talk about what we would eat that the caterpillar ate in the book. Most said the cake and pizza. I was pleased that many of the kids recognized the book and were excited to hear me read it to them.

The greatest concern I have as a teacher is being unable to maintain control of my students. Staring the education program three years ago, I wasn’t sure if I could handle the necessary assertive behavior required of teachers. Since then, projects such as these have helped me grow in my ability to be a leader in the classroom. Getting the chance for individual interaction, regardless of the age group and conversation topic, was the greatest gift this project could give me. While I am uncomfortable at times with maintaining a conversation as the sole provider of discussion, I enjoyed the practice. Once the students got interested in a topic, I found myself having a hard time adding my own part to the conversation.They loved talking about their favorite foods! I'm glad we did this project. and I wish I could keep going as a volunteer.