Just like always, when I stepped into the classroom a bunch if kids said hi and welcomed me. I wish I could go back to the time when my whole class were kids. It would be more of a welcoming entrance than an awkward one! They were all in the reading corner reading a book. I could tell it must have been funny because the kids were all giggling.
I remember being that little first grader listening to my teacher read stories. Our whole class would read "Captain Underpants" (I know shocker!), but it was so funny and we really loved it. It was such a big hit, we made our own versions of "Captain Underpants" stories and drew our own illustrations. Old memories... REAL old!
After the story was finished, I worked with a kid on their spelling words. I noticed how all the kids were faster than before. A few kids still got they and there mixed up but I was so grateful that I didn't have to explain to them why the L is silent in walk (Thank you Mrs. Teacher for making my work a little bit easier! It must be like that for the teachers; they'd sure want the parents to make their job a little bit easier!). There were new words too but overall three out if the four kids I worked with had no trouble. I still decided to play that game where I would flash the cards they got wrong back and forth and then have them point to the words I said (it became a favorite game, I guess), but I barely had to do it. It seems as if Mrs. Teacher has taught them well!I always thought that my help wasn't really needed because I only did flashcards and stuff, but the teacher is always so grateful.
We used to have a peer tutoring program at my school where NJHS would help kids but I was always so hesitant to help because...well... they were my peers! Now I love tutoring these little kids and each week I know them a bit more than I did the last. Now it's finally not weird when a middle schooler walks down the halls of an elementratry school. I no longer have little eyes looking my way probably thinking "What is she doing here?!? Now whenever I pass the kids in hallways, they always smile, say hi, and tell me they'll see me in class. I apart of the class now ;)
I'm really glad I got assigned to this class. Even though I don't learn like they do, I learn simple lessons about friends, teaching, and being a leader.
-WRITTEN 1/18/2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Math Buddies
Today as I walked in the classroom, all the kids were busy with their math worksheets. I was asked by Mrs. Teacher to use flashcards with the kids, but this time it wasn't for spelling words. They were math facts of addition and subtraction. As she sent me each student, I would tally up how many facts they got right, and the facts they needed to improve on.
It was actually very fun being in the position of saying whether their answers were correct or not! I'm used to the opposite! Before coming to the school to volunteer, I was in my last class (math) doing everything algebra for an hour straight.Although my mind was worn out due to a days worth of cramming information, in my mind I was pleased to be given these simple facts!
All the students I practiced with seemed to get 0+0 write and 2+2... subtraction was another thing, though. Two of the boys I worked with were so fast, they said the answer before I even picked up the card. I was trying to tell them to slow down because sometimes they would misread the sign. One boy got all 49 cards correct. I asked if he liked math and sure enough he exclaimed that it was his favorite subject. Interesting how those who were the best at math loved that subject the most. If I were that kid years ago, I would have probably replied that I hated it so much and would count on my fingers the whole time!
After practicing with the students, I found myself giving them advice. Advice that I never wanted to listen to from my teachers or even my mother back then like, "Practice at home! It will make a difference!" and "You will use these later on so you'll want to be quick with the facts!". I never even realized it until it popped out of my mouth!
A few of the girls in the class drew me some pictures. One was a decorated Christmas tree and another was a heart that was colored and had my name on it. Ok, so I knew that when my NJHS advisor told me that teh kids would appreciate my help it would be true. But I never had an idea how much they actually would appreciate it!
Coming to help out at the elementary school has been so much fun and its become such a daily routine that it forgets it even counts as service hours. Maybe volunteering doesn't have to be such a difficult task after all. It doesn't have to be time consuming either. Just 30 minutes of your life can impact another's.
- WRITTEN 1/4/2012
It was actually very fun being in the position of saying whether their answers were correct or not! I'm used to the opposite! Before coming to the school to volunteer, I was in my last class (math) doing everything algebra for an hour straight.Although my mind was worn out due to a days worth of cramming information, in my mind I was pleased to be given these simple facts!
All the students I practiced with seemed to get 0+0 write and 2+2... subtraction was another thing, though. Two of the boys I worked with were so fast, they said the answer before I even picked up the card. I was trying to tell them to slow down because sometimes they would misread the sign. One boy got all 49 cards correct. I asked if he liked math and sure enough he exclaimed that it was his favorite subject. Interesting how those who were the best at math loved that subject the most. If I were that kid years ago, I would have probably replied that I hated it so much and would count on my fingers the whole time!
After practicing with the students, I found myself giving them advice. Advice that I never wanted to listen to from my teachers or even my mother back then like, "Practice at home! It will make a difference!" and "You will use these later on so you'll want to be quick with the facts!". I never even realized it until it popped out of my mouth!
A few of the girls in the class drew me some pictures. One was a decorated Christmas tree and another was a heart that was colored and had my name on it. Ok, so I knew that when my NJHS advisor told me that teh kids would appreciate my help it would be true. But I never had an idea how much they actually would appreciate it!
Coming to help out at the elementary school has been so much fun and its become such a daily routine that it forgets it even counts as service hours. Maybe volunteering doesn't have to be such a difficult task after all. It doesn't have to be time consuming either. Just 30 minutes of your life can impact another's.
- WRITTEN 1/4/2012
My Somewhat "Extended Family"
Warm smiles, welcoming embraces, and a friendship that can never be torn apart- does that remind you of a family? Well that thought occurred to me when I entered classroom 8 of the school. As soon as I stepped in the classroom the children, who were then in story time, turned in my direction. Even though it was only my second visit, I felt as if they had known me for a lifetime! They waved their flamboyant hands to say hi and a few even called out, "Hi Karina!".
As I sat at the same table I had put my belongings at last time, Mrs. Teacher had resumed back to reading the story (It had something to do with a porcupine and an elf, although I can't quite recall). I looked around the classroom for a few moments, only to find myself eyeing a project that the students had completed. On the wall next to me, the class had drawn pictures with descriptions below them of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
A few said police officers (except they spelled it like peles ofcr in scrawly hand writing!). I managed to catch a glimpse of another project saying she wanted to be a hair dresser. I was laughing at the spelling, but i had to remind myself that I made the same mistakes when I was in first grade. It was nice to see their dreams for the future. If their dreams became true, prepare to have a nation full of great police officers and excellent hair dressers!
After the story, several kids came up to me to say hi. It's funny that I didn't know half of them yet they still were friendly and remembered me. They didn't seem to judge me at all, but they were happy for the fact that was there. This time Mrs. Teacher assigned me to do some word flashcards, but to keep a 5 minute timer on so that the student would say their words more abruptly.The kid I worked with was probably the most enthusiastic of them all! Right as he approached me he said, "Hi Karina!" and was ready to start. He always had a smile on his face and never the slightest hint of a frown. I kept reminding him how good he did at saying the words when he was done and his reply was, "Are you going to tell my teacher how well I did?". Only later did he say "Please don't tell my teacher I did bad!". Mrs. Teacher heard him at that moment and laughed!
To be quite honest, throughout the time I was there I was talking to the kids as if they were my friends at school. I started picturing my class little again...it was a distant memory so long ago. It was that thought that left me referring to the class as my "extended family".
-WRITTEN 12/14/11
As I sat at the same table I had put my belongings at last time, Mrs. Teacher had resumed back to reading the story (It had something to do with a porcupine and an elf, although I can't quite recall). I looked around the classroom for a few moments, only to find myself eyeing a project that the students had completed. On the wall next to me, the class had drawn pictures with descriptions below them of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
A few said police officers (except they spelled it like peles ofcr in scrawly hand writing!). I managed to catch a glimpse of another project saying she wanted to be a hair dresser. I was laughing at the spelling, but i had to remind myself that I made the same mistakes when I was in first grade. It was nice to see their dreams for the future. If their dreams became true, prepare to have a nation full of great police officers and excellent hair dressers!
After the story, several kids came up to me to say hi. It's funny that I didn't know half of them yet they still were friendly and remembered me. They didn't seem to judge me at all, but they were happy for the fact that was there. This time Mrs. Teacher assigned me to do some word flashcards, but to keep a 5 minute timer on so that the student would say their words more abruptly.The kid I worked with was probably the most enthusiastic of them all! Right as he approached me he said, "Hi Karina!" and was ready to start. He always had a smile on his face and never the slightest hint of a frown. I kept reminding him how good he did at saying the words when he was done and his reply was, "Are you going to tell my teacher how well I did?". Only later did he say "Please don't tell my teacher I did bad!". Mrs. Teacher heard him at that moment and laughed!
To be quite honest, throughout the time I was there I was talking to the kids as if they were my friends at school. I started picturing my class little again...it was a distant memory so long ago. It was that thought that left me referring to the class as my "extended family".
-WRITTEN 12/14/11
Monday, May 21, 2012
"What", "When", and "Where"? - The Top of the Story At The End Of This Page
It all started as I walked down the familiar halls of my old school. Each step brought to mind a fresh new memory that I must have forgotten had even existed. There was a group of us girls volunteering, and I was lucky to be one of them.
To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect since I never had seen the teacher I was to volunteer for. All the other people who were apart of this service project were eager to see their former teacher and were gushing with excitement. I guess it's the fact that they "grew up" and they wanted to hear what their teachers would say. The teachers would probably be telling them " Oh, how tall you've grown!" or better yet, "I didn't even recognize you!". The latter would be true for me because my assigned teacher didn't even know I existed until I stepped into her classroom!
As my friends departed our separate halls, I realized I was the only person assigned to help out a class in first grade. I walked into the classroom awkwardly when the teacher- let's call her Mrs. Teacher- greeted me with kindness. After introducing me to the class, the confused looks on the girls and boys faces seemed to disappear. Mrs. Teacher told me to practice spelling flashcards with a student (Ana). At first Ana was apprehensive about approaching me because, after all, I was just a stranger to her. I managed to tell her, however, that my mom was a volunteer at the school, and immediately her face lit up. (Good thing she knew my mom or she probably wouldn't have been as thrilled to work with me!!!).
As we went through her spelling words, I laid the correct cards in one pile and the ones that she had to improve on in another. The words she missed included "when", "what", and "where". I was trying to explain how to sound out words like where but the more I thought about it, how was I supposed to?!? I told her after that the "h" is silent. Also, for the ending sound of "where" I would point to my actual ear!
It's funny how the things in life so simple can be the hardest to explain. With the word "what" I had no explanation for the h being silent again because she stated with such confidence in her voice, "Wat!"
( Instead of saying it like wut).
Before she went to her teacher saying "The girl said to say wat because the H is silent! " I decided I'd have her just spell out the letters! Hopefully she would memorize the words by the letters!
To make it even more fun ( I mean how fun can spelling words get right?) I decided to play a game. I took the what, when, and where cards and flashed them back and forth repetitiously until she said them all correctly. She giggled when it was predictable what word would come next.
Later, I mixed up the cards in my hand and held them out. I told Ana to choose the word that spelled when and point to it. I kept shuffling all three flashcards until she mastered pointing to all the words I stated. She kept pleading me to have one more game of flashcards. I guess that was a sign it somewhat didn't bore her to death!
Mrs. Teacher thanked me for volunteering once it was time to leave. She told me it was not the easiest thing to teach kids those words. Especially when you know them so well. If I would have it my way, my reply to teaching them those words would be "Because that's the way it is!". But of course it's much more difficult than that! She said I did the right thing by "spelling out the words". (Phew, I'm happy I took that approach!"). I have a lot more respect for first grade teachers!
That day I learned that you can make a difference in someones life by just a simple deed. And yes- even if it is simply teaching the words what, when, and where!
-WRITTEN 12/7/2011
To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect since I never had seen the teacher I was to volunteer for. All the other people who were apart of this service project were eager to see their former teacher and were gushing with excitement. I guess it's the fact that they "grew up" and they wanted to hear what their teachers would say. The teachers would probably be telling them " Oh, how tall you've grown!" or better yet, "I didn't even recognize you!". The latter would be true for me because my assigned teacher didn't even know I existed until I stepped into her classroom!
As my friends departed our separate halls, I realized I was the only person assigned to help out a class in first grade. I walked into the classroom awkwardly when the teacher- let's call her Mrs. Teacher- greeted me with kindness. After introducing me to the class, the confused looks on the girls and boys faces seemed to disappear. Mrs. Teacher told me to practice spelling flashcards with a student (Ana). At first Ana was apprehensive about approaching me because, after all, I was just a stranger to her. I managed to tell her, however, that my mom was a volunteer at the school, and immediately her face lit up. (Good thing she knew my mom or she probably wouldn't have been as thrilled to work with me!!!).
As we went through her spelling words, I laid the correct cards in one pile and the ones that she had to improve on in another. The words she missed included "when", "what", and "where". I was trying to explain how to sound out words like where but the more I thought about it, how was I supposed to?!? I told her after that the "h" is silent. Also, for the ending sound of "where" I would point to my actual ear!
It's funny how the things in life so simple can be the hardest to explain. With the word "what" I had no explanation for the h being silent again because she stated with such confidence in her voice, "Wat!"
( Instead of saying it like wut).
Before she went to her teacher saying "The girl said to say wat because the H is silent! " I decided I'd have her just spell out the letters! Hopefully she would memorize the words by the letters!
To make it even more fun ( I mean how fun can spelling words get right?) I decided to play a game. I took the what, when, and where cards and flashed them back and forth repetitiously until she said them all correctly. She giggled when it was predictable what word would come next.
Later, I mixed up the cards in my hand and held them out. I told Ana to choose the word that spelled when and point to it. I kept shuffling all three flashcards until she mastered pointing to all the words I stated. She kept pleading me to have one more game of flashcards. I guess that was a sign it somewhat didn't bore her to death!
Mrs. Teacher thanked me for volunteering once it was time to leave. She told me it was not the easiest thing to teach kids those words. Especially when you know them so well. If I would have it my way, my reply to teaching them those words would be "Because that's the way it is!". But of course it's much more difficult than that! She said I did the right thing by "spelling out the words". (Phew, I'm happy I took that approach!"). I have a lot more respect for first grade teachers!
That day I learned that you can make a difference in someones life by just a simple deed. And yes- even if it is simply teaching the words what, when, and where!
-WRITTEN 12/7/2011
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