The more I visit the Boys and Girls Clubs, the more I learn about after school programs. I feel very fortunate to have spent time at the Chandler Club. I witnessed a program that is focused on the children that it serves. I was amazed at the high quality technical equipment that the children are allowed to use. I saw students using digital movie cameras, sound booth recording equipment, the internet and a huge variety of creative and educational software on state of the art computers. I was able to help a student with a PowerPoint slide show. When I first sat down to help, he told me that he already knew how to use PowerPoint, but I was welcome to watch. He was very creative, and had great ideas. I suggested that he put an animation on one of his clips and he informed me that he did not know how. I showed him how to do a variety of animations with clip art and text, and he was then very welcoming of my help. It was rewarding for me to help this student learn new techniques, and to watch as his I-know-it-all attitude was broken down to a desire to learn more. The students who attend the Boys and Girls Clubs after school programs are fortunate to receive such quality experiences that keep them occupied during the critical after school hours.
During my service learning time at
The Boys and Girls Clubs are known for providing wonderful opportunities for students. I was fortunate to participate in the 2004 Techatholon. The students were invited in for a day of workshops to teach them more about technology. There were classes for students to build a computer and some students were working in PowerPoint to create logos. I sat in on a presentation by House Representative Terry Goddard to hear him talk about the steps he is taking to protect children from dangers on the internet. Overall the event was a very positive learning experience for the children and for me.
The service learning time I spent at
The fifth grade class that I worked with at Longfellow Elementary School provided me wonderful opportunities to teach lessons that I created. I taught a math lesson where the children added up words that had numbers assigned to each letter. The goal was to find words that added up to 100. It was encouraging to watch the students as they eagerly added up different words, and watchng as they did a math activity that was exciting for them. I also taught a lesson on the history of the American vote. After the students watched the PowerPoint presentation that I created, they participated in a discussion on suffrage and wrote letters to historical figures. The opportunity to teach lessons that I created was thrilling and a great learning experience, one that I will take with me through my career.
I was fortunate to do service learning at the Williams Community School Fall Festival. I worked at the popcorn booth and helped to run a game where children threw balls at milk bottles in order to knock them down. I was able to interact with the children during the games by giving high fives and encouragement. The children from the community school came dressed in their Halloween costumes and they were excited to be there. I learned it only takes a few people who are willing to give of their time to provide a great environment for children. I saw how important it is for a community to come together to provide safe entertainment for the children.
My service learning experience at the Williams Boys and Girls Club’s Halloween Craft Party was exciting. I worked together with three of my classmates to create a hands-on wacky spider web project for the elementary grade students. Seeing the children approach our table excited to participate in the project, and walking away with their very own creations was rewarding. I saw that an activity as simple as a craft party can be a worthwhile event, allowing children to enjoy holiday festivities in a safe, familiar atmosphere.
The 13 hours I spent at Johnson Elementary School, I did an array of activities with third-grade students. I was able to see first hand how different learning styles can be taught. I worked with students who had learning disabilities on their math facts by using blocks and flash card games. The hands on activity helped them to grasp the material in a tactile way. I observed the teacher using different techniques to help the students understand word problems through songs, acting out the problem and writing it on the board. I was able to work one on one with students in math and reading and saw how valuable individual time can be. I taught the entire class how to draw caricatures of themselves and incorporated a literature lesson with their drawings. The pride on the students faces when they were done with the project fortified my desire to be a teacher.
My first teaching experience in a Junior High School was in an eighth grade English class at Gilbert Junior High. It was a great service learning experience. I worked with groups of three to five students, helping them write limericks. It was wonderful to watch as the students developed their thoughts into poetry. I saw what a time challenge it is to teach a lesson and allow the student’s time to work in class. Because each class period is only 50 minutes long, keeping students on task and teaching the curriculum with clear, efficient methods is essential to having a productive classroom. I saw how time restrictions can hinder the education of a child, making daily planning of material and time an essential element of classroom management.
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