Instead of a final for First Year Seminar we had the
opportunity to teach elementary school students about the fairy tales we had
learned about in class. Every Friday,
for four total weeks, we went and volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of
Westminster. My class was divided up
into four groups. My group members were
Laura Maurer, Christine DeClue, and Katelyn Chewning. Each
week we were given a small group of kids to teach. We came up with a lesson plan several days in
advance, and each plan consisted of a story, several activities, and a lot of
fun.
There were
many advantages to having this project as our final instead of an exam. First, I did not have to start studying for
an exam several weeks prior. I have
never been a strong test taker and I do not particularly enjoy sitting in a
classroom for several hours to take a test that could impact my grade quite a
lot. Second, I got to work with kids as
a part of the exam. I plan on becoming
an elementary educator, so this was a great experience. I really enjoyed working with the kids,
teaching them about fairy tales, and seeing their reactions to what we were
teaching them. I have never enjoyed a
final so much! The final advantage to
having this project as my final was that I got to work with an amazing group of
people for several weeks. We had a lot
of fun planning out the lessons, working together to make the lessons and
activities work, and finally putting together this project. This project, I believe, was much better than
a final exam. Not only did I learn more
than I would have if I had just taken an exam, but I also was given a first
world experience that I could not have had if I were to have taken an exam.
I learned a
lot from this project. I learned more
about patience. I have had many
experiences working with children in classroom settings and have always been
extremely patient. However, working in a
setting where the students knew they did not have to pay attention like they
did in school was very different for me.
I learned of a new type of patience and I believe this will definitely
help me in the future. I also learned
more about lesson planning. I have never
had first hand experiences with lesson planning, so learning how to plan my own
lessons was a bit of a challenge at first, but in the end it added to the fun
of the entire project. Finally, I
learned that bribery is not always a bad thing.
Its understandable how teachers in actual schools think that bribery is
a negative reinforcer. However when you
are given a group of kids that you know will work better with an incentive,
than bribery is not the worst thing you could do.
There were
a couple of large obstacles or problems that my group encountered. We dealt with them to the best of our ability
and I believe that everything turned out very well in the end. Overall, the first week was great. The only problem we encountered in the first
week was the fact that we had one boy in a group of all girls. This not exactly did not excite him, nor was
he happy when he found out he would be learning about Cinderella. The second week was definitely our most
challenging week of volunteering. To
start we were given ten kids. Only
having a group of five the previous we, we were not expecting this at all. Second, the book we had been provided with by
Dr. Esa did not have the story we were planning on teaching in it. This was a problem because we could not
continue with the lesson without the most important aspect missing. So Katelyn quickly looked up the Grimm’s
version on her phone and we were set to go.
The most difficult part of this week was the fact that the kids were not
very well behaved. It took a lot of
prodding, but eventually we got them to settle down and listen. The third week was a major change from the
second week. Not only had we planned a
lesson for more than five kids, but we had also come up with a couple ideas to
help them pay attention and listen more if they became rowdy at any point. When we arrived however, we were only given
three girls. We definitely liked the
small group size because we could keep them more under control, however we
planned activities that were supposed to involve more than just three children. We had to improvise a lot more than what we
would have liked, but it all worked out and it was a fun week. The final week I was unable to attend due to
a prior commitment. But from what I
heard it was our most successful week.
My group used everything we had learned from the previous three weeks
and made sure to put it all into consideration as we made the lesson plan.
There a few
things I would advise the new generation of first year students on about
community service. First, over
plan! I cannot put enough emphasis on
how important it is to over plan activities.
My group was fortunate enough to realize this before the first week, so
we were able to come up with several activities incase another activity was too
short or did not work as well as planned.
Second, be sure that what you are teaching the children is gender
neutral. Going in with the plan to teach
Sleeping Beauty and learning that you have to teach five boys is not going to
turn out the way you hope. Almost every
activity you do, should appeal to both boys and girls. Otherwise, you will loose their attention
fast and it will not be fun for either party.
Next, plan your lesson for groups of all sizes. Anywhere from one person to twenty if you
have to. Showing up prepared to only have
five children is not showing up prepared.
You at that point are extremely ill prepared. It’s never a bad thing to be a little over
prepared! And finally, do not be afraid
to bribe the kids. Most children these
days need some sort of incentive. Anything
from candy, to playing a fun game works.
They need something to be excited about.
If they are not excited, why pay attention?
If I were
to ever do this project or something similar again I would change the length of
time spent at the Boys and Girls Club, the number of times we went to the club,
and finally the students we were grouped with.
Although we were only given an hour I would have liked to have spent a
little more time with the kids. The hour
went by so quickly sometimes that when we ended, it didn’t feel quite
right. Also, I would have liked to have
spent a couple more days with the children.
I really enjoyed this project and I looked forward to going to the Boys
and Girls Club every Friday afternoon.
Finally, I would change the group of students we worked with. As much as I liked working with different
students every week, I would have much rather liked working with the same group
of students every week. This would have
made it easier to get to know the students and we would have been able to make
the necessary connection with them so they themselves would feel more
comfortable with us.
This truly
was a great experience. I recommend this
to every First Year Seminar professor. I
learned more through this experience than I would have sitting in a
classroom. It only made me realize how
much I really do want to teach elementary school children and it made me
excited for what I have coming in the next four years. This project was most definitely the best
final exam replacement I have ever had!
