11-30

Friday at my service learning I worked one on one with one of the boys who has yet to be placed into special education because as the teacher told me his parents don't want him to be placed into special ed. It was so sad working with him because it was so clear that he needed the extra help. We worked on reading and it was evident that he also has a speech impendement. He struggled so much to read basic books. I ended up reading the story and had him read the words that he knew. After reading we worked on math which was such a struggle. He just simply couldn't understand it, we ended up doing basic kindergarten math and he barely understood that. When we finished the math we went to art class and he was so happy. Art class was his favorite he told me and I understood why. He drew some great pictures. I found it so sad though that this little kid has to struggle so much because of the selfishness of his parents. When I went to leave he came up to me and handed me a picture that he drew for me and thanked me for helping him.

I found it interesting reading Mollie's blog about how she felt she would have to understand all the students in her classrooms background to help reach them and teach them. I think that sometimes in the younger grades that teachers don't feel that it matters as much with little kids but it certainly does and she made a great point to bring it up.

service learning 11-16

Friday at my service learning I went for four hours so I could make up the time that I'll miss next week. I worked with a group of kids on math. I find it a challenge to find ways to explain it it terms that they'll understand, but when they finally understand it its such a great feeling. After math we worked on spelling. One of the second graders is at a preschool reading level so this was a challenge. We had to work on writing sentences and he was struggling so much that it was heartbreaking. Finally we got through the assingments and he was so frustrated that he started to get upset. So on the fly I thought of pulling out a work sheet that he had completed earlier and showed him that he had gotten a sticker and he was so smart. He asked me if I really meant it and I said of course and it was so happy. We had an inside recess later and he brought me his favorite game which was Connect Four. He beat me twice and he was so happy it made me happy. When it was finally time for me to leave he gave me a big hug and thanked me for playing with him and I found myself a bit choked up. I think that he helped me more than I helped him that day.

Service Learning Novemeber 9

Friday in class we worked on math and reading. I worked with a girl who was having a really bad day because as she told me her dad and mom got into another big fight the night before and didn't get much sleep. I tried to tell her that things would work out and she said she just didn't think so anymore. It was so heartbreaking to have a second grader sound so dejected and sad. As I work with these kids I'm learning that teaching a lesson plan is going to be the least of my problems somedays and I going to have to learn how to connect to kids that getting a math problem wrong is the last thing their going to worry about. I am grateful for this opportunity to gain the experience of encountering these problems now and I am grateful that Mrs. Eby is there to help show me how to deal with them. Teaching is defiently a proffesion that takes a lot of different approaches to be a good teacher. And you have to be able to connect with twenty some different emotions and different backgrounds that all have an effect on each students day.

Service Learning November 2

Friday during my service learning there was an akward moment that really hit me hard. The teacher was reading a story about the first Thanksgiving and one of the little African American boys raised his hand and asked where all the black people were at. The teacher looked at me first and I had a blank stare on my face. I was amazed how this little boy could see that and understand that was unsual. The teacher told him that they were still in Africa and would come over on a later ship. What she left out was the horrid story of how they did end up coming here. It was a sad moment because it made me realize that never have I ever wondered where my race was in a children's book. The Color of Fear came to my mind and this was a wake up call and a kinda pinch on the arm to show me that I truly have benefited from the "White Privilege". After this happend I thought to myself, what are some of the things I can do to make sure that I incorporate stories that have non-whites as the lead characters and also show the students in my classroom a story on their heritage. This truly was a wake up call and a kick in the behind that I feel I needed to learn how to deal with this issue that is not going to go anywhere soon.

service learning October 26

Today I was assinged to work with Quinton on math. We had to work on greater than, less than, and equal to problems. It was quite a challenge, and I found myself using the comparison of me having a certain amount cookies and if he had a certain amount who had more cookies and it seemed to click with him. We worked on math for half of the time, and in the middle of it he told me that he liked working with me because I was a lot of fun and I was cool. Suprisingly the approval of a 1st grader meant a lot to me. The kids made Halloween masks for their party next week and it was really interesting to see the different masks that they made. They were so creative and were all yelling "Mr.Brown, come here do you like mine?" I find myself wanting more and more to have my own class. I think that this service learning has reassured me that teaching is what I want to do. I am learning so much from these kids and it just amazes me how they all work together and help each other out. When one of the students would run into a problem with their masks there would be a flock of other kids right there to help them. It was such a sight to see them all helping each other. Mrs. Eby is a good teacher and I find myself learning from her as well. This has been such a great experience so far.

service learning

This week at service learning something scary happend. Everett High School is across the street from Cavanaugh Elementary and one of the high schoolers made a death threat and it was supposed to happend on Cavanaugh's playground. The announcement came over the PA that there was a code red. I was amazed at how the children didn't even pick up on the words "code red" meant anything bad. Mrs. Eby took me outside the classroom and told me what was going on and the procedure to follow. We closed all the window shades and moved to the center of the room and read aloud as a group. After about an hour the situation was diffused and everything went back to normal. I guess this just startled me a little because it showed me how real school violence was. Although nothing happend, the threat was there and real and it just opened up my naive eyes once again.

service learning

Friday when I went to service learning I walked in the class room and saw that there was a sub in the room. The kids were being loud and out of control but as soon as I walked in the settled down quite a bit. I found it interesting that already I'm a familar face and I feel that little kids act out of line when there isn't a familiar face around but when one shows up they know they better behave. When I got there there was a note for me to work with one of the students. I helped him with his math and it was a struggle. He was not cooperative at all in the beginning. I stuck with it and was firm with him but at the same time careful not to be too mean and finally got through to him. We got all of his math done and then the directions said for me to just have him color so we colored and talked. He told me about his family which consisted of his mom and sister. He never mentioned his dad so I assumed that his father wasn't around much. After he was done coloring and it was time for me to go I took him back to the room and told him I had to leave. He put his arms around me and told me he couldn't wait for me to go back.