Posts

Day Fourteen

Image
  Tuesday 05/23 @1:45 p.m.  For the final bit of my project today I spent some time doing some research on Santa Elena, Ecuador, where I will be travelling this summer with my mom and her colleagues to work in elementary schools. For the bulk of my hours this past Saturday, I completed some orientation training through the organization the service trip is through. Most of the training talked about how to properly prepare for the trip as well as safety and how to be successful in traveling to a foreign country and experiencing a completely different culture. For the preparation aspect of the trip, the training suggested taking some time to research the country, the geography of the town we will be visiting, and some aspects of the culture. Santa Elena is a Spanish-speaking province on the west coast of Ecuador, right on the Pacific Ocean. I do not yet know the exact place we will be staying but after reading and looking at images of the area, it looks beautiful. The beaches are very p
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Thirteen

  Monday 05/22 @7:15 p.m.  Raiders on three: one, two, three, Raiders! Today I helped coach a practice for the Lebanon Rec seventh and eighth-grade girls’ lacrosse team. They started with a jogging warm-up lap around the field, followed by some dynamic stretches. We then hopped into shuttles and worked on some basic passing. Afterward, we spent the bulk of practice working on clears from the goalie and getting the ball up the field. Those on attack were working on cutting towards and away from the ball to aid in the transition while those on defense were working on their ride and doubling the ball. I hopped in and helped in this drill and it was actually a lot of fun! The girls have gotten a lot better at making cleaner and smarter passes, thus their transition upfield was a lot better. It was slightly hard to keep them motivated at times, as this drill did require a lot of running, but overall they all try really hard and seem to care a lot about the sport and one another, which is
Post a Comment
Read more

Week #2: Reflection

Coming off week two, with only two days remaining in my senior project, I am both relieved and sad. At no point did my project feel like a chore, but it was certainly exhausting having to interact with kids for five hours every day. I am definitely sad that I will not be able to see my elementary school friends every day and receive the reward of making a difference in their lives. With all of this being said, I wrote last week’s reflection on everything I have learned, and while I learned even more about myself and how to interact with kids this week, I am most surprised about my reaction and overall feelings toward my project. I entered my project with mediocre expectations, not really knowing how the project would play out. I was thinking that I wouldn’t be very helpful to the kids I was working with, nor would I be as impactful as I was in actuality. In regard to my personal feelings about my project, I was very nervous to interact with little kids every day, as I didn’t have a
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Twelve

Image
  Saturday 05/20 @1:00 p.m.  Though the hand-holding, high-fives, and hugs are truly amazing, the most rewarding part of my project has been how well the kids have remembered me. For example, Wednesday of last week I helped out in a kindergarten class for about 45 minutes one morning. They had some free time before their morning meeting so I simply sat on the floor with them and built blocks, played with puzzles, and talked with them. Fast forward a week and two days to yesterday, I stepped into the same kindergarten class to help out with their morning schedule, as their normal teacher was absent. Immediately upon my arrival, the kids began excitedly saying my name, wanting to come over to me. I was astonished the kids remembered me, but I was ecstatic to have been so important and memorable to them. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of being an important part of a kid’s day, or week. I helped one of the kindergarten boys with his spelling and writing, and though he was
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Eleven

  Friday 05/19 @1:30 p.m. I think that kindergarteners are my new best friends. I received about 8 million hugs today, and as my new friends would say, I am all hugged out! I spent the morning helping some kids with their letters and spelling which was really fun but also exhausting. With this being my last day working in one of the schools, the amount of gratitude and appreciation I have for teachers is inexplicable; their patience and dedication are beyond impressive. The little dude I worked with today kept getting frustrated, as he was struggling to write his letters and spell some words. I was doing my best to help him and keep him motivated but it was significantly harder than I would have thought. Thankfully, the class’s spelling and writing block came to a close shortly after. As someone who isn’t the best at comforting little kids, I was glad to move on to something else as I didn’t feel fully equipped to try and help him with his work and keep the kid from getting so upset.
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Ten

  Thursday 05/18 @7:30 p.m. Holy cow today was exhausting. I volunteered in the middle school for the last time today, which was bittersweet, but mostly sweet. I helped out in some gym classes and math classes as usual and felt extremely relieved when I was able to walk out of the school for the final time. The highlight of my day was helping out with my sister’s lacrosse practice. She plays on the seventh and eighth grade Lebanon Recreational team, so though the girls were not the most skilled, we still had a lot of fun. We focused on the basics; passing in shuttles, cutting towards and away from the ball, and placing shots in the corners of the net. I was able to help play some defense for a small drill and step in to work on clears and the full-field ride, as they were somewhat short on numbers. Again, like working in schools with educators, coaching requires significant patience and understanding. I found it a bit more challenging and frustrating than teaching, as sometimes the g
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Nine

  Wednesday 05/17 @11:00 p.m.  Hugs, high fives, and holding hands oh my! I was back in elementary school again today, which is a HUGE change from working in middle school. Yet, I think I prefer working with elementary students as opposed to middle schoolers, which is not at all how I expected to feel. I love how the smallest things bring them so much joy. The middle schoolers I have worked with are caught up on their phones, social media, and lots of senseless drama, whereas the younger kids have yet to succumb to the pressure of technology. Their happiness is so pure and I love experiencing their days with them, the happiness it brings me is inexplicable. My day was very short, so I helped out with a gym class, which was slightly brutal solely because it was outside. However, I got to spend time with my kindergarten friends which is always fun and they remembered me from the previous week. I feel this massive sense of accomplishment when they ask to hold my hand or for my help and
Post a Comment
Read more