Week 2

This week at my service learning I was mobbed by the children as the screamed "Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown you came back" I got a good laugh out of that, although being called Mr. Brown made me feel like my dad. Anyways, I worked with one of the boys in the classroom during reading. I was amazed at his reading ability. After that they had recess so I joined the kids outside. All of the boys sacrificed playing to talk to me. It was a conversation filled with questions about my favorite video games and what sport teams I cheer for. I was extremely concerned when they were talking about video games and movies. Some of the titles that they said they liked in both categories shocked me that they've been exposed to at such a young age. I brought this up to Mrs. Eby and she told me that I would only continue to be shocked when I got to know the students more. Mrs. Eby and I had the conversation about parents and the pressures that go along with dealing with them and how there are different types at each school. She told me that at the more affluent schools teachers have to deal with parents that are sold on the idea that their child is "the most gifted" and they deserve a 4.0 in everything they do. She also pointed out that at Cavanaugh, the school I go to, the socioeconomic scale is tipped in the other way so you have parents that are working so hard that they don't have time to take an interest in their child's education or some just plan don't care. I am finding myself taking many mental notes from Mrs. Eby and hope to learn much from her as well the children.

Service Learning Visit 1

I just got back from my first service learning visit and it was an amazing experience. I am assinged to Cavanaugh Elementary School in Mrs. Eby's first/second grade split class. There are so many different ethinicities in the room it was interesting to see. I observed that the children did not seem to pay any attention to race and all worked to help each other out. I brought this up to my teacher and she commented that it is around 6th and 7th grade that race becomes something they are aware of, but for right now the big difference is sex. I tried to think back to when I was their age and I recalled that girls still did have cooties. I really think that this classroom is exactly the environment I need to work in to grow as a teacher teaching different races, sexes, and financial backgrounds. The school is a very small school so I think that it well be easy to try and observe different grade levels as well. Next week I will hopefully be able to work one on one with some of the students so I can get a better feel for what I am working with, but as of now I feel excited about the challenge before me.