SL Leading

When I was talking to the teachers about what type of activity I could lead, we decided to do something a little more fun and something the kids would enjoy.  I helped them all get ready for the project they were doing to make bags for Easter eggs.  I worked with them to make decorations, spell their names, and decide how they were going to decorate everything.  I personally got a lot of the project prepared and then worked with the students.  This activity was not the most educational thing, but the teachers thought it would be a great way to get all of the students involved and have fun with them.  It went really well and the kids really loved it.  They had a fun time choosing how to decorate their bags and deciding how they were going to do it.  While we were doing it we talked about Easter and why it is so important.  The students got the chance to learn a lot about the history of everything that happened.  One thing that was really good was that they all asked a lot of questions and we talked through them together.  We had a lot of really good discussion while they were still having a lot of fun.  This is how I hope my classroom will be one day.  I love the concept of including fun activities with meaningful discussions. The students also really helped each other out.  If one of them had a hard time cutting or tracing, someone always volunteered to help, which I thought was great.  I really enjoyed doing this project with the kids because I felt like they were really happy. 

SL Interactions

During the time I spent at the YWCA, I spent a majority of my time with two of the older students, Jocelyn and Christopher.  They were ten and eleven years old, so we had a lot of good discussions during the time we spent together.  Christopher and I played games like connect four and UNO a lot and we got to talk about certain things.  I found out that he had a younger sister in Miss Nancy's room and that they both go to the YWCA a lot.  He has fun there, but he wishes he could spend more time at home.  Hearing him talk about some of the things he had going on in his life made me feel for him and I always felt sad after I left.  He is Mexican and he said that even though most of the children there are African-American, he never feels like an oddball out or anything.  I learned that he really likes math and he is a quick thinker.  He also really enjoys the book series, Diary of A Wimpy Kid.  He likes to read books that are funny, but he hates to read the stuff he has to read for school.  I also spent a lot of time with Jocelyn and had fun with her.  One day we spent a lot of time just the two of us and she taught me how to make a keychain by braiding the string in this really cool way.  We made those together and talked.  She has three younger sisters that also go there and her family dynamic seems to be kind of chaotic.  By the stories she told, I feel that she has a lot more responsibility than a normal 11 year old should have.  Her sisters seemed to be constantly coming to her for something and I could tell that she is in charge and probably watches them a lot at home.  She really likes school, but she feels like kind of a loner there.  She is very quiet and kind of sticks to herself.  I felt that she did not really have a companion at the YWCA, she kind of just drifted.  I think this is probably what happens to her at school and I think it will probably end up affecting her school work.  Both of these kids were so nice and so welcoming to me that it made me appreciate them so much.  I think one thing that is different about the students that go there is that they seem to be willing to talk to anyone.  It is almost as if they need the human interaction and attention, which makes me feel very sad for them.  I don't think either Christopher or Jocelyn gets what they need from their homes. 

SL Observations

The first time I went to the YWCA I was really shocked.  I had no clue that this place even existed and I had no idea what the requirements to go there were.  Every time I went, I felt that it just made me very sad and I felt bad for all of the kids.  I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but the environment at the YWCA was very sketchy to me at first and I felt like I would never be able to leave my kids there if I had any.  I was surprised by the teachers there and felt like I did judge them.  After observing there for a few hours though, I realized that the teachers really care about the kids and they are truly trying to help them as much as they can.  I think that what everyone at the YWCA does is just really cool and I love the mission they have.  Every time I observed the kids they seemed like they were having a blast and that they were actually pretty happy.  I expected them to be sad and kind of different from the kids I am used to seeing, but they really seem to enjoy spending time there.  I am glad they have this safe place to go.  I feel really bad that I made so many initial judgments about it because it is so totally different than what I am used to.  I think the most important thing about the YWCA is that they really always have something going on for the kids and a lot of the time they work educational lessons into the activities.  I was also really surprised to see how pretty much all of the kids got along really well with each other.  I never saw anyone pick on another kid or bully anyone.  I was really surprised because I feel like there are clicks at any age and there seemed to be none.  All of the girls and boys treated each other well and all seemed to get along.  I think that really says something for the YWCA that everyone there shows respect for each other.