"Shane! Come back, Shane!" - Child Study

This may be raggedy as my Child Study kid left me with a parting present, a bad cold that rapidly tuned into sinus infection that is kicking my behind.  I had a bad feeling when he told me he was sick on the last day.  But I'm going to push on through and try to get it done.

The first week I had difficulty choosing a kid to get to know.  The boys were active and ran around.  They didn't sit still long enough to strike up a conversation.  However, there were two girls, Jennifer and Destiny, in the program that were in the 3rd grade class that I teachscaped(teachkicked?) the math lesson.  I remembered that they actively participated in the lesson and wanted to answer every question.  Through conversations that first week, I found out that they were also very socially/emotionally advanced.  I thought about doing this study on them.  However, I started to feel creepy.  Like I was an old man stalking little girls.  So I decided to back off.  I didn't want them going home and tell their parents about the some guy asking them questions about their family.  I did witness an incident with these two girls.  They usually left and went home at 2pm.  On the day that Deborah make the names, they stayed until 3pm.  We were in the cafeteria due to rain.  These two girls were done and started to leave the cafeteria, so I started to follow to make sure they made it through the gym to the playground OK.  Suddenly a lady appeared and started yelling a Destiny in Spanish. She then popped Destiny in the head with what looked like a thin, rolled up magazine. Then she started to drag Destiny out a side door. Luckily, Mrs. Wallace and Ms. Lilly the Security Guard came running up at this point and I pointed where she was going.  They caught her.  Turned out it was Destiny's mom who had somehow got into the building almost without being noticed.  Thankfully, they did notice because I would not have known what to do.  They made the lady go out on the playground and sign Destiny out.  And told her that she can't go into the building.  

The second week, a kid "claimed" me.  His name is Matthew.  One day he asked me to play cars with him.  I did and from then on, he wanted my attention.  At first I thought he was just an average kid.  I asked how old he was.  He said seven.  Then I asked him what grade he was in.  He asked me what grade came after 2nd grade.  I said 3rd and he replied, "Yeah.  That one."  Mrs. Wallace had informed us that seven was minimum age for the program, and that sometimes parents lied about age in order to get their kids into the program.  So I was never sure what his actual grade level was.  I did know that he attended Park Ave school and that he attended summer school there.  He liked summer school.  I found out from Mrs. Wallace that usually his mother picked him up, but sometimes it was a babysitter.  So unlike other kids, I was not able to see or talk with parents.

As time went by, I found that Matthew can not tell time nor did he have a good grasp of time passing.  "In a few minutes" was too abstract for him.  He can count to 8.  Sometimes he could get to 12.  He can read small words.  One day,  I pointed to a poster in the cafeteria and asked him what it said. He replied, "Pass It On."  I asked him if he knew what that meant.  He started moving around me and said it's when you pass someone.  So he can read and can comprehend through contextual guesses.  However, he is cognitively delayed in some manner.  I spoke with Mrs. Wallace and she agreed.  One day when I took some kids in for bathroom break a girl in the bathroom was having a problem. (turned out Katy/Marie had wet herself and was crying.  Would have been much easier a problem if a female teacher had come inside.)  So Matthew asks me what's going on.  I say, "A girl in the bathroom has a problem."  He looks at me and says, "What's a problem?"  I reply, "You see this ball that I'm holding for you while we're inside the building?"  "Yes"  "You want to hold this ball really badly don't you."  "Yes"  "But I'm not going to give it to you until we're outside.  That means you have a problem.  You want the ball now but you can't have it until we're outside.  So you have to accept this problem and wait until we're outside."  "OK".  And he settled down and waited until we were outside to get the ball.

Matthew was also socially/emotionally delayed.  He would disregulate easily and would usually cry, though he did witness him get violent once.  This was the Bic Backpack Day, the second to last day.  The kids had received their backpacks and were told not to take the boxes pens, etc out of the backpack.  Of course, most of kids started to immediately take everything out and start going through the items.  Matthew included.  As a result, he left a box of pens on the table and wondered off and someone else had claimed them.  Simple mistake as there were many boxes on the table.  Matthew then inventories his backpack and realizes he is short one box.  Then he tells me that someone swiped his box and he begins to run around seeking the perpetrator.   He accuses on girl and leads me over to her.  I ask if that box belonged to her.  She said yes and I could see that it was the right box but I could also see in her backpack that she did not have two of those boxes.  So I explained to Matthew that she did not steal his box of pens. He was inconsolable.  It was extremely hot and I was desperate.  So I asked him if I bought an icey would that make up for losing his box of pens.  He said yes.  But then he insisted that he would go to the store with me.  I knew that he did not have permission to leave the school grounds and go to the store down the street(although many kids did and Matthew wanted to be one of those kids).  At this point, Leonardo walks up and tells Matthew that he can't go to the store.  Matthew replies that he can.  Leonardo escalates by yelling that he can't he's too young.  Matthew yells back that he is 7 and can go to the store.  At which point, Leonardo slaps Matthew hard with both hand on both of Matthew's cheeks.  We're all a bit stunned at this point, including Leonardo.  He quickly sort of snaps out of it and says he's sorry.  I'm thinking OK we can work this out and have a teachable moment, when Matthew pushes Leonardo so hard he lands on his back.  Matthew starts crying and walking away (luckily towards the Teacher Table)  I pick up Leonardo and guide him to Mrs. Wallace and explain the situation.  She takes Leonardo.  I go to Matthew who is now heaving like he is going to throw up.  I ask him if he feels sick.  He affirms.  So I say, "Take a deep breath in.  1, 2, 3.  Now let it out."  He seemed to have done this before as he followed my lead exactly.  After a bit he settled down.  We talked about what happened.  He seemed to understand that he should not have pushed Leonard but should have sought out an adult.  By now I dying for a bottle of water.  So I say I'm going to the store.  He asked if I'm still buying him and icey.  I say, "Yes.  If you promise me you won't fight anymore."  He agrees.  I go to the store.  By two iceys.  One for me and one for him.  As I return, Leonardo runs up to the fence and sakes if the iceys are for him and Matthew.  So I began to think.  Do I say it's only for Matthew and punish Leonard for starting the fight.  Or do I give it to him and try to resolve the issue and get them to make up.  So I said, "Yes they are for you and Matthew."  Matthew was waiting at the gate and Leonardo ran up.  I told them that they had to apologize and mean it and not fight anymore.  Leonardo stuck out his hand and said he was sorry.  I had to slightly encourage Matthew but he did shake and apologize.  By giving it to both of them, I didn't put one child's well being over anthers.  I did not reinforce Leonardo's self-image as a bad kid.  And they didn't fight again while I was there at Abington.  I think I made the right decision.  Although, the first thing out of Matthew's mouth the next day was, "Will you buy me an icey?"

I don't know how well I really got to know Matthew's life context.  He was a very imaginative child.  So it was difficult to judge what was accurate and what was fabricated.  He told me some stories that were obviously not true, such as him crashing his motorcycle into his sister's car.  This came out after he asked me what being stuck in traffic meant and we talked about traffic accidents.  Though this did lead to my learning he had two younger sisters.  We were talking about jobs and careers and he asked me if I had a lawsuit.  He then told me his dad had a lawsuit and that I needed a lawsuit.  He then told me how when his dad didn't have any money to buy him Gushers, he got a job making pizzas.  He told me one day that he was going to his dad's house to go swimming in his dad's pool.  Once told me that his mom had her own house.  But he also sometimes spoke of his parents together.  So it seemed there might be family issues.  Matthew definitely needed a male presence.  He always wanted to hold my hand(that's how he got me sick on the last day).  Even when he wasn't with me, he would gravitate to one of the other male teachers for adult interaction.  Even one of the subs.  

When it came time to leave(after Leonardo was almost hit by a car), I wasn't sure how to approach departing from Matthew's life.  He wasn't an Abington student, so I wasn't going to see him in the Fall.  I took him aside and explained that I was leaving and I would not be back next week.  I told him to work hard in Summer School.  He agreed.  He then asked if I'd be back tomorrow(Saturday).  I explained that he nor I would not be there tomorrow as it was Saturday. Then he asked if I would be there on Monday (hmm, he seems to know his days of the week).  I replied that my time there was over and I had to leave.  He said OK and followed me to the gate.  He kept saying, "Bye, Mr. Dellinger."  He had just finally remembered my name two days before.  "Bye, Mr. Dellinger"  I turned and waved and said, "Bye, Matthew" a few times until I reached my car across the street.  I got in and looked back.  Matthew was standing at the gate.  I was scared he was going to follow me and walk off the school grounds into the street. So I waited in the car about 3 or 4 minutes until he had safely wandered off back into the playground.  I felt like Shane riding off into the sunset with the little boy calling out, "Shane!  Come back, Shane!"

Reflecting on my interaction with Matthew, Leonardo, Jennifer, and Destiny made me really think about differentiation.  How am I going to engage advanced students  like Jennifer and Destiny while also engaging delayed students like Leonardo and Matthew?  Mrs. Parisi did inform me that a few students did have I.E. Ps.  I plan to really pay attention and study differentiation techniques in Mrs. Parisi's class this coming year.

Final Week of Internship/s

On Monday Keshia, Nicole, and I went with La Casa classes 4a & 4b to the lake at Wawayanda State Park.  We took two short buses and were seated comfortably.  The kids weren't jammed into the seats as they would be on Wednesday on the movie trip.  It was a long journey but very scenic.  The park is northwest of Newark and the area reminded me of eastern PA.  The only negative was the bus driver was taking some very fast turns that made it feel like the bus was almost tipping over.  As Nicole mentioned in her blog, Keshia told us about the history of Newark's water system and Echo Lake Park, which we passed.  Echo Lake Park is owned by Newark and Newark residents and organizations can enter the park for free.  However, Keshia added that very few Newark residents are actually aware of its existence.  We all wondered why aloud why did La Casa go all the way Wawayanda, especially since Nicole happened to notice that each bus paid $200 for entrance to Wawayanda State Park.  The only reason I could think of was that the beach area was very constrained and it was very easy to to keep track of the kids.  I had imagined a tree line going up to the beach and we could sit in the shade.  However, there was a cleared picnic field bordering the beach.  So there was little chance of a kid wandering off unseen into the woods.  However, we got to sit in the hot sun.  The kids had a blast.  I found it really interesting that some kids came out of the water and drew out a football field in the sand and proceeded to play four on four.  I was exhausted when I got home that night and fell asleep on the couch.

Tuesday at La Casa, Deborah was on a trip.  Neither Evan nor I had been able to plan a  lesson.  Evan couldn't really speak due to illness and I had zonked out on the couch the night before.  Evan came up with the great idea of playing Scategories.  I had never played before, yet I had to MC the game.   So Evan quickly explained the game and off we went.  At first I wasn't actually playing the game correctly, but the kids didn't know since they were also learning as we went.  After a bit, I got the rules, how to manage the game, and give all the kids a chance to call out their answers.

Tuesday at Abington was hectic because we were understaffed.  I was the only one of the cohort there due to trips. Prior, we took bathroom breaks once per hour.  That day after lunch, kids kept coming up to me asking when bathroom break was going to happen.  It was close to 2pm, so I said in a few minutes at 2pm.  2pm came and went.  Finally I went to Mrs. Mitchell and asked about bathroom break.  She said "Sure, you can take them in."  Usually a woman and a man teacher goes into the building with the kids.  This time it was just me and about 25 kids.  The boys and girls rooms and water fountain are far apart at the three opposite ends of the L shaped hall.  So it was pretty stressful trying to keep track of everybody.  Also, this day I was in charge of Arts & Crafts.  We colored templates (that Deborah e-mailed me) of backpacks for the Bic Backpack welcome banner.  I asked Mrs. Wallace for 50 copies thinking better to have more.  I was right.  At first, about 9 kids sat down to color.  Then more came.  Then the first group finished and wanted to do more.  So I handed out more copies of the template.  Then more students wanted to color.  It was a pretty consistent 60/40 split between boys and girls.

Wednesday at La Casa, we went to the movie theater to see Happy Feet II.  We took the K-1 classes.  Newark CityPlex shows free movies every Wed morning.  We piled on the short bus and took off.  I literally did not have a seat.  Then two little girls scrunched over and offered me seat.  I thought it was such a nice gesture that  I couldn't refuse.  So I put one half-cheek on the sliver of seat and held on for dear life because the bus driver was running and gunning.  It would have been easier to stand but these little girls smiled and insisted.  So I bit the bullet and was stiff as a board by the time we got to the theater.  

Wednesday at Abington, the lead teacher and one regular teacher were out.  There were subs for both.  I had met The sub lead teacher before when she subbed for the regular teacher.  Her name is Mrs. Mitchell and she teaches at Abington.  She was really nice but all the routines were out the door.  Again, I was taking kids in for bathroom breaks by myself.  Not fun.  I kept thinking about how at the Lead Teacher Orientation, teachers had been told to never leave kids alone with a volunteer.  There always had to be an NPS teacher present.  And here I was, alone, in charge of 20+ kids INSIDE THE BUILDING.  Anyway, that day I got a chance to try out some techniques learned at Ben Samuel.  I was sitting next to Leonardo, the little guy that fights a lot, at the game table.  He was playing with what remained of a Connect Four game but he didn't want anyone else to play with it.  Justin, who I assumed was an older kid due to his size, came up and started picking up pieces and dropping them into the game.  This was provoking Leonardo and I asked Justin to stop.  He did not and Leonardo loudly and physically disregulated.  So I put my arm over the holes so Justin couldn't drop anymore. I asked him why he was trying to make Leonardo mad.  He didn't say anything. At this point, Leonardo is about to bust out crying.  So I thought of the Ben Samuels "How do you think he feels?" technique.  Justin didn't answer.  He just stood there.  Then he started to bawl up.  So I asked him, "How do you feel?"  He still did not say anything.  At this point Sebastian, a boy going into 5th or 6th grade walked up and started to set up the board for a game between him and myself.  This triggered Leonardo.  He jumped up screaming.  Grabbed Sebastian's by the arms and started kicking him and then ran off.  I was actually impressed with Leonardo's technique.  He had locked up his much, much larger opponent's arm and was kicking him in the shins.  I know fighting is wrong, but I really think this kid needs to get into a martial arts program in order to learn discipline and channel his agression positively.  I plan on researching free martial arts classes in Newark as I'm sure I'll be seeing Leonardo in the hall in the Fall.  I informed Mrs. Wallace and she acknowledged again that Leonardo had anger management issues.  About 15 minutes later I found him hiding behind the dumpster where the kids are not allowed.  I told him that he couldn't be there.  He looked at me and continued to peel paint off the building.  After a few more failed attempts, I leaned in and raised my voice and yelled at him to move.  He responded to this and ran off.  However, I felt bad.  I wondered what would have happened if I had tried to talk with him, instead of talk to him.  More thoughts on this in the Friday paragraph.

Thursday, Bic Backpack day.  I'll write about this in Child Study post.

I fading right now from being sick.  So I going to skip to the final day, Friday.  I asked Justin what grade he was going into.  He told me 3rd grade.  So he is big for his age.  I thought he would be going into 4th or 5th.  This knowledge would have changed how I interacted with him.  I should have asked sooner.  Deborah and Chamara bought the kids iceys.  Initially they went nuts and mobbed Chamara and the box. Some were even climbing onto the table.  So we had shut it down and get them to line up.  Everybody that wanted one got one.  There were even leftovers for the kids who went on the swimming trip.  I was very impressed that Deborah and Chamara had thought of this.  Honestly, it would not have crossed my mind.  But perhaps now it would.  So I learned something from my fellow cohort members.

This program made me very aware of possibilities for accidents and litigation.  As a teacher you have to protect yourself by protecting the kids… at all times, even if they don't want you to protect them.  Mrs. Wallace repeatedly reminded my that, "They told us that this part-time job could cost us our full time job."  Which made me afraid of losing this job before even starting it.  She also stated that next year she was going to teach summer school and that she never was doing this program again.  I fully understood.  We made it through with no major injuries.  A few scrapes and bruises.   The worst I witnessed was a kid land on his head on the concrete floor of the gym(who in their right mind has a concrete floor in a gym?) playing basketball during one of the storms.  That was scary.  But after a few minutes, he seemed OK.  I kept a close eye on him the rest of the day.  Even though there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, It made my realize that I need to be hyper aware and vigilant.  At the end of that day, Deborah, Chamara, and I went out to put stuff in our cars and were coming back to say final farewells.  We hear people screaming and see Leonardo squeeze out of the gates and run to the edge of the street to pick up a ball that had gone through the closed (but loose) gates.  And there was oncoming traffic.  He was just two or three feet from getting hit as the car passed.  My heart literally jumped into my throat and I screamed also.  Mrs. Wallace ran out and grabbed him up and started yelling at him.  She sat him down near the Teacher Table, where he sat crying.  After a few minutes, she picked him up and began to calmly explain to him why he was in trouble.  First, she asked if he knew why he was in trouble.  He didn't respond.  She stated that, "I told you not to go after that ball and you just smiled at me and ran out anyway. And you almost got hit by a car."  It was indeed a frightening way to end our time in this internship.  But I learned something in that final moment.  If you yell at a kid, later you have to calmly explain to that kid why you yelled at them and make sure they understand why they are in trouble.

The Last Hoorah....!!!!

La Casa.....Final Days.....   

    My final days at La Casa included an excursion to Camel Beach, Pa.  Octavio and I had the pleasure of being the NMUTRP leaders on this trip, (my second). Only 16 children went to the water park, which made it so much more enjoyable.  On the ride to the park we played the alphabet game, i.e. A my name is Anna and I come from Alabama and I love to eat apples, B my name is.....etc. A lovable young man named Landon, actually introdeced me to a game which I am sure I will utilize in my classroom, to increase literacy. The game entails each person contributing 2-3 wordsof a continuous story. For instance: Person #1-Once upon, Person#2- a time, Person#3, there was, Person#4, a humongous, Person#5, fire breathing, Person#6 dragon who.....etc.etc....etc...On the way back, we played math games, which the children enjoyed as well. One student, Pedro, offered to help another, Kylie with her math for the rest of the summer. Scaffolding at its Best!!!

     Also, at La Casa, since Ms. Hazel stressed the importance of decorations for the Pajama Party that was scheduled for Friday, July 27th, and the fact that there was a copious amount of wall space that needed to be covered, I requested large rolls of paper, and had a group of students lay down on the paper, be outlined by me and another student, and then decorate the life sized cut-outs with tissue paper pajamas and cotton ball slippers! The results were fantastic....I just hope they were used. The children were ecstatic about their efforts! 

     La Casa, for me was enlightening and enjoyable!  The relationships I established with most of the students were awesome. When the students were told that Thursday was my last day, they YELLED...NO, MS. ASHE....DON'T LEAVE....WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO???..I explained to them, again, that my time with them was sooo enjoyable, yet only temporary.  Hennessey, a sweet, Latina-American young lady, one of my favorites...(Yes, I'm Human...I do have favorites!!!)   hugged me tightly around the waist and said, I Love You So Much, sometimes I just feel like you're my mother....Without question, I will MISS MY LA CASA KIDS!!!! 


Bragaw...Final Days

     At Bragaw, the students and I completed our Acrostic "Cory Booker" Poems, that I have promised to compile into book form and present to him.....hopefully, some type of "formal" presentation will be arranged by/with the NMUTRP. Regrettably, both the students and I said good-bye, yet we know that our lives have been forever altered due to our meeting.

      Additionally, I initiated a conversation with the head teacher, Ms.  Oswuegi, who I felt harbored resentment towards me because I dared to question her decision to expel a student from the program. She proclaimed that she thought I had an attitude with her. She proceeded to expound further about her decision to remove the young man, and although I still do not agree with her course of action, our conversation helped clear the air between us.

      My experience at Bragaw has proven to be heartwarming, enlightening and most beneficial.  It is helping me to gradually adjust to the fact that it is O.K. to Love your kids, but not O.K.take "them" home with you. A healthy seperation must occur for there to be ample room for the next group of "heartstealers"!

The girl with no name

Playing is a natural thing for children. They are designed to wonder, imagine, create and dream. While I agree that teaching students math and science is absolutely necessary, when delivered in the traditional classroom setting, I feel like it almost goes against what young minds are programmed to do. Watching them play, I can watch the natural lessons of life unfold and be received with greater inquiry, deep thought, and attention that I’ve seen in the classroom to date. Watching them play is watching them discover the world at their fingertips. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

Although we were assigned to follow one child, I realized quickly that one; I would be limiting myself to the intricate play of only the “chosen one” and essentially missing out on other children’s life learning experiences, and two;  children tend to navigate toward the activities that they are passionate about and are good at. While I didn’t want to limit myself to one child, I didn’t want to limit myself to one activity either. So I will begin with a discussion of the child that I chose at NPS, but would also like to include experiences of other children at both placements that I found to be notable.

Maria/Katy is a tiny girl…smaller than any other girl on the blacktop this summer. She is quiet and shy, and always has her hair hanging in her face. While her registration sheet says Maria, she calls herself Katy, and the rest of the students follow her lead. I first met Maria/Katy when she was brought into the office to call her parents because she had wet herself. It didn’t seem to bother her a great deal, and her parents didn’t answer the phone, so I waited a little while wither while her pants dried and sent her back outside to play. During the time we sat together, she never made eye contact and spoke very softly while staring out in to space. Every question I asked her (including how old she was) seemed to baffle her, and she was cautious about the way she responded to me. It didn’t seem to occur to her that her answers and stories often contradicted what she had said previously. Over the next few days, I kept an eye on Maria/Katy closely, and watched her navigate the social scene at Abington. Most of the time, she kept to herself, and often engaged in parallel play with the other girls. During the second week, there was a massive storm brewing over Newark, and the temperature dropped down into the low 60’s. She arrived in a short skirt and tank top, and was immediately freezing. We were able to provide her a sweatshirt for the day, but it made me wonder about the care she was receiving at home. Why does this tiny, young girl not have a definitive name in this program? Why is she so hesitant to answer questions about who she is and where she’s from? Why is her hair always hanging over her eyes so no one can see her pretty, vulnerable face? These questions plagued me during my final week, and will continue to plague me in the future. I hope to see Maria/Katy again in my journey as a teacher. She made me realize how intricate and important our roles are in a young child’s life. If Maria/Katy was in my classroom, I would seek out answers to all my previous questions.  I would become someone that she could trust and depend on. I would guide her to overcome whatever obstacles she was facing at home, and help her to navigate a positive path for herself. But the very first thing I would do, is brush her short hair back off of her face, and give her a brighter, clearer view of the road before her.

On a trip to the Newark Bears game in Newark, there was an 8 year old, very quiet girl named Delia. She didn’t partake in the craziness on the bus, and followed every direction that I and the other counselors gave. She was pleasant the entire game and was enthused when they announced face painting on the upper deck. I took the children that wanted to go, including her, and just as she became next in line, and the last of the group to go, they shut down the booth.  I was devastated. But she smiled and said it was okay. Later, after the game, the ball players were coming to sign autographs, and were swarmed by ecstatic children, Delia being one of them. Long story short, she was unable to get an autograph, and the disappointment on her face hurt. Despite these injustices, as we were walking to get on the bus, she took my hand, and said “This was the best day of my life”. Her ability to find the good when many kids would have focused on the negatives made me realize how important and magnificent this day was for her. Once the kids were loaded on the bus, and we were waiting for the other camp to come out and board, I ran back to the stadium, grabbed a ticket stub, and scribbled a name on it. I brought it back to her and told her that I ran into one of the players on the way out and got an autograph for her. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, I don’t know. But, her positivity and appreciation for what she had is something I will always remember about her and that day. I wanted to give her something to remember the day as well.

On another day at NPS, the (what seem to be) popular girls were horsing around, showing off dancing and talking smack to each other. Whenever I watch them I wonder where they get some of the stuff they say from…television? Parenting? Either way, in my mind, they gained the personas of “tough girls”…the girls that I remember from school that no one wanted to mess with, but everyone wanted to be close to. They laughed and giggled and tossed their hair around while the other girls pretended not to watch. And then one day one of them fell. She hurt herself pretty badly and was crying hard. I walked over to her and pulled her aside where I was able to ice her wound and calm her down. We chatted for awhile about school and home and dance, and when she felt better she got up, began walking away, and came back to give me a hug. She said that I reminded her of her mother when she was still alive. She said “she always took care of me like you did”. Despite the tough girl attitude and the cool girl façade, deep down she was still a baby that wanted her mom…even typing this I am tearing up. Sure, sometimes these kids need academics and teachers, but others they simply need a mom…someone to make them feel safe and taken care of. That is just as important as learning their ABC’s and 123’s. Without that feeling of being loved, those other pieces will never flourish to their full potential.

When I think about my time at Abington Avenue School and La Casa de Don Pedro this summer, I am reminded of Randall Pinkett, the keynote speaker at the Counselor orientation. He said that “What happens after school, matters”. What I learned in my experience is that what happens outside of the classroom fuels what happens inside the classroom. The life lessons we learn and the people that we model ourselves after will significantly impact who we become in life. To be trailblazing and successful educators, we must not only know how to teach the materials that are given to us, but how to teach kids to continue their learning outside of the traditional classroom. Whether it be through play, field trips, or even simple conversations, children need a variety of opportunity to learn and grow. As future educators, it is out task to provide those opportunities, and ensure that every child takes them.

Final Days: Yearbook Debut and Backpacks for all

Another amazing fun filled week that has left me absolutely sunburnt and exhausted. Monday began with more yearbook activities at La Casa and preparing for the BIC backpack delivery later in the week at NPS. The lead teacher at NPS asked that we help lead the development of a welcome banner for the event, so arts and crafts has been our focus for most of our final week. The yearbook committee at La Casa is enthused and focused…they are coming up with great ideas and have a lot of energy that they are pouring in to it. Its really nice to see them happy about an activity like this, being that its those types of things that will set them apart from their peers in middle and high school.

Tuesday was another trip to Hurricane Harbor with 30 1^st graders. Many lessons learned on the first trip left me feeling prepared and things went much more smoothly. I was able to assist the teachers in organizing the trip based on my previous experience in the park. We were also able to get two kids over their fear of heights by taking them on the tallest waterslide. They were terrified  but begging for more by the time the reached the bottom. Wednesday was a field trip to the Jackals game with NPS, which was a repeat of the Newark Bears game I chaperoned in the beginning of our internship experience. A lot of running up and down the stairs, back and forth trips to the bathroom/snack bar/gift shop. All in all a great day for the kids. I think they were in awe of the stadium and appreciative of the opportunity to see such a sight.  They were also able to snag autographs at the end of the game, which left them feeling like they had just met celebrities.

Thursday we wrapped up yearbook activities at La Casa and worked diligently to ensure that we had a final product to deliver at the PJ Party on Friday. The goal was to have the kids watch the video during the party. Mission completed….they loved it. And the sense of pride and accomplishment on the yearbook committees faces was priceless. BIC Backpack Day was adventurous, with 500 kiddies showing up from multiple schools to receive backpacks filled with school supplies that had been donated by BIC. The kids were ecstatic, and couldn’t wait to get their supplies opened and organized in to the different compartments of the bag. What an amazing feeling to assist with the delivery. One girl told me she had the same backpack since Kindergarten (still had Barbie on it). She was extremely grateful for the gift.

Friday, Friday, Friday. Final hours.  La Casa’s pajama party was slightly disorganized with Ms. Hazel absent, but the teachers showed movies and had goodies for the kids to snack on. We were able to showcase the video yearbook for all three classes, and although incomplete, the students loved it. Octavio and I agreed to stop in once a week for the remainder of the summer to help the kids finish it. I look forward to the final product. The hours at Abington seemed to fly because of Seminar cutting into our time there.  I had any students that didn’t finish their name signs to do so…it amazes me how much seeing their name on paper, bold and colorful, invokes such a positive response. I will laminate them all over the weekend and deliver them on Monday. The on to our final surprise of icies for all the kids. We had placed the order with the bodega the day before to ensure they would have 100+ in stock. The kids were floored. It awesome to see what a quarter can do J

I will miss my time in both placements. In the beginning, I was unsure of how I would fit in in both schools. Will the kids like me? Will I make a difference? Will I get along with the teachers? Will I be able to withstand the heat? I soon realized that I worry too much. Working with kids is a very natural thing for me, and they seem, to like just about anyone who is willing to invest the time and effort into getting to know them. They are easy to talk to and fun to listen to. It was a joy and an honor to be a part of both summer experiences. I would like to look into working for the programs in the years to come.

Now on to  sand, sun, sleep and time with my family...

Arivaderche.

Final Reflection: Survival of the Fittest

La Casa

This week at La Casa, I went on my first field trip with them. On Tuesday, Deb and I went to Hurricane Harbor with 24 1st and 2nd graders. After hearing stories about previous Hurricane Harbor trips, I did not know what to expect except for chaos, but it was not like that at all. Aside from one incident in which we got separated from one group and Ms. Norma did not have her cell phone and we had to send one of the teen helpers to go find them, it seemed pretty organized and well run. The biggest downfall of the day was that the       section of the park that is specifically for smaller children was closed all day due to sanitary issues, so they basically had to stay in the wave pool and lazy river the entire time. However, some of the kids were taller so we took a group of them on the water slides. On one particular slide, Deb went down first to stand at the bottom to wait for them and I stayed up at the top to go down last. The kids were excited until it was time for them to go down. All but two decided that they did not want to go, but I explained to them that they could not walk down the steps so they closed their eyes and down they went! When I made it to the bottom, they all wanted to go again, but we had to meet back up with the group. During this trip, I learned about the importance about staying hydrated as I became lightheaded, dizzy and nauseous as a result of not drinking anything. I almost left early and went home, but I stuck it out and had a great time with the kids!


On our last day at La Casa, we set up for the PJ party and somehow Nicole, Camille and I got thrown into a group of screaming, pillow-fighting girls and had to figure out something for them to do. When saying goodbye to all the teachers and staff, almost all of them opened the doors of La Casa and said that we were always welcome and thanked us for all of our help. Although we got off to somewhat of a rocky start there, it was a good feeling to know that us being there was actually appreciated. I am glad that I finally got to get to know the kids and I am sad that I will not be there to see their talent show. 

Abington

The highlight at Abington this week was BIC Backpack Day. Nicole, Deb and I made a banner in order to welcome them and Joe helped the kids make backpacks to go on the sign. It came out a lot better than we ever expected it would and the kids loved finding the backpacks that they had made on the banner when they came in. On Thursday, the BIC bus came to Abington and supplied all the Abingtons backpacks filled with white-out, markers, highlighters, pens and pencils. The kids were so excited and could not wait to see what was in their bags. The SYDP sites from Ridge and First Ave. came as well. I can't find my camera cord so I can't upload the pictures I took that day [ =( ]. When I do find it, I will upload them. Hopefully Deb or Joe will upload theirs on their posts so that you will be able to see what took place.

On the final day at NPS, we went to our favorite corner store and bought all of the kids icys. They loved it and were so excited. They were sad that we are not coming back (although some tried to act like they were not), but I'm glad that I will be able to see most of them them at Abington during the school year.

What I have learned these past three weeks in Newark is that being a teacher is not the weak-hearted or weak-minded. As cliche as it sounds, that is the absolute truth. It takes someone who truly cares and who can withstand all of the frustrations and difficulties that may arise in order to connect the kids. It really is "survival of the fittest."

From Mecca to Medina: A True Journey/A Real Trip!!!

     My child study project was also very difficult to initiate because I, too, faced the dilemma of deciding which of the multitude of children that I met and fell in love with at Bragaw, should I select as my candidate.

Humm.....would it be Deyona, a beautiful young lady, both spiritually and physically, who loves to write and gave me a red and white "Teddy Bear" and a note of thanks, on my last day, which read: Dear Ms. Ashs...For all the time I have known you, it's been great and I was lucky to have you for my last year. I Love You for helping me learn a new way how to express myself.  From, Deyona....

Or, would it be Amari, a wonderfully sensitive young man who actually clapped his hands in front of  my face, once, when he felt I was dozing off during a checkers game!!!!  I LOVE that kid!!!

SO MANY KIDS....SO LITTLE TIME!!!!!!

Ultimately, I narrowed it down and decided to expound upon twin sisters, Mecca and Medina Lockett.(Named for the two Holy Cities to which each Muslim is requied to traverse, at least once, in their lifetime...the journey is referred to as the Hajj)
The sisters live with their Dad and Stepmom on Schley St., around the corner from Bragaw Elementary. (Tragically, their mom died when they were 5years old, therefore, memories of her are either vague or non-existent.) However, their relationship with their Stepmom is great!

The twins have 8 siblings, 5 girls and 3 boys! Smaisha..(grown with 4 kids; 3 boys, Ralph, Jacques, and Kwasim and 1 girl Kyona), Aisha... grown with twin boys: Amiri and Ahmad, Taisha... grown with no children and Kamilla...grown with 2 girls: Shanashia and Yannah, and Assata who is currently enrolled in Kean Univerrsity. The adult male siblings are Shakur (twin of Assata) also a college student, Khalil father of 1 girl, Kayla.  Their youngest brother, Amadou, is a student at Bragaw.

Every holiday the entire family, Mecca, Medina, their parents, grandmother, siblings, neices, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles congregate in thier "Big House" on Schley Street for family time. As an only child, I too, can recall, vividly, the special times spent in my aunt's home (she had 6 kids), where our entire family merged to partake of meals, laughter and Love!!!

The girls are both very tall and somewhat self-conscious of their size and developing body parts. I explained to them that it is natural to feel somewhat awkward...(I know I did,) when you have "boobs" at 13!...I reassured them both, that they were beautiful, and smart and could accomplish ANYTHING!!! (Hopefully this positive re-inforcement helped to counteract their being told that one or the other was "ugly," by the head teacher!)

Both sisters are excellent writers, although their other interests were more diverse; Mecca loves math and writing, while Medina (the more athletic of the 2) adores basketball and math. Medina is the ONLY person to beat me at checkers, the entire Summer!!!  Their Acrostic Poems (see below) will be included in the compilation of poetic works that Bragaw Students and myself have written in honor of Mayor Booker. We hope to present it to him in the near future!

Mecca Lockett's poem:
Courageous
Outstanding
Ready and on time
You work hard

Bringing more activities to school
Obsevant
Overcoming problems
Keeping danger away from people
Engaged in our community
Relate you life to your city

Medina Lockett's poem:

Inspires my heart

Love the way you write poetry
Outstanding at school
Valuable to others
Enjoy how you help people

You love the city you own
Overwhelming pride in your town
Unwilling to compromise

Cute and funny
Obstacles fade when you're here
Really easy to give you...xoxoxo's
Youth is important

Best Mayor
Only the sweetest thing on earth
Outspoken person
Keep people out of trouble
Engaged in your community
Restoring all good things

Obviously, these sisters are creative and funny and gifted and I hope to remain in contact with them ( I've promised to come to Bragaw during the school year, to check on them). They are also extremly honest and reflective: Medina will actually say, I know that I am "bad" sometimes, but I'm getting better. I offered the suggestion,  that when she "feels" the negative behaviors developing, maybe she could turn-away and take a deep breath. She promised to try.

All in all, my experience at Bragaw was fruitful, pleasurable, and HOT!!! (in more ways than one).  All of the students hold a special place in my heart and as I expressed most days...I expect GREAT things from them!!! From all that I've been privy to; from their writing, to their athletic ability, to their ability to articulate their thoughts, I don't think that my expectations are too grandiose!!!

A Look at One Child in Particular

I took almost immediate notice of Joshua on our first day at La Casa. It was morning circle time, and the class was singing the ‘name song’. A student is asked his/her name, and in response the class sings the refrain, “His name is Joshua. Joshua. Joshua. His name is Joshua.” Then the class moves on to the next student and sings the question, “What’s YOUR name?” As we went around the circle singing the names of all those present, it turned out that one of the teen volunteers was also named Joshua. That’s when I took particular notice of  (little) Josh. As the class noted the similarity, a grin break out across his face and you could see him visibly puff a little bit with pride at having an older, cooler namesake in the classroom.

When the class split into the older and younger students, I found out that Josh was one of the older kids in my and Camille’s group. It wasn’t long until I could see how bright he was. The students were given a ‘d’ word spelling worksheets. Josh quickly finished his worksheet, and so we told him that he could write one word and draw a picture of it on the back, but Josh said he wanted to draw a picture of a dinosaur (one of the ‘d’ words). The picture led to a discussion among some of the students as to what color dinosaurs were. Sensing an opportunity, I jumped right in and began to ask how we know the things that we think we know about dinosaurs in the first place. Josh kept right up with me… and rightly concluded that we don’t really know what colors dinosaurs were since we’ve only found their bones. As we concluded that dinosaurs are usually drawn as green or brown because those colors would help them blend in with their environment, he was so excited. You could tell that he was a kid who loved to learn.

            A day or so later, all of the girls in the classroom went to a session with the Girl Scouts, and so I found myself in a classroom full of boys left loose for free play. Somehow I found myself at a table with Joshua and a game of Connect 4. So we began to play. Red chip. Yellow chip. Red chip. Yellow chip. I went to put in the winning piece to connect a horizontal row of four of my pieces when suddenly Joshua grabbed and kept pushing my hand. I was taken aback by his roughness and about to chastise him when I realized, he wasn’t grabbing my hand to keep me from winning. He had already won, and I hadn’t noticed. We needed a rematch.

As we played I started to ask Josh about his life. At first, he was a bit suspicious, like, “Why do you want to know?” but then we started to talk. He shared that had two much older brothers whom he didn’t live with. His parents were not together. He lived with his mom and step-dad. His dad lived farther away. He didn’t know the exact name of the town, but it sounded like in the suburbs as he played outside in the woods, etc. He loves playing video games and his DS, movies, Bay Blades. He is going into 2^nd grade at First Avenue. Then one of the youngest kids in the class, Isaiah wanted to play with us. So we started a game of candy land. It was during this game that I started to see a Joshua rambunctious, mischievous side that often gets him into trouble. So, he jokingly tried to cheat by moving his pieces up and skipping other people’s turn. He had hands on everything and everyone and was very loud and overbearing. This may have been fine with some of the other kids, but Isaiah is still quite immature and very emotional. After he got bumped back to the start, Isaiah started to sulk and Joshua kept antagonizing him. Finally, Isaiah had enough hit the pieces and put his head on his arms and cried. I pulled them both outside into the hallway to resolve their conflict. I had Isaiah express how he felt and asked Joshua what he thought about that. Joshua was contrite and immediately recognized his culpability. He apologized and then resolved to make up for it, and the boys went back to playing.

Over the coming weeks, I could see these two sides of Joshua:  the mischievous imp who liked to buck authority and push boundaries and the sweet caring boy who needed affection. If Joshua isn’t classified with ADD/ADHD, I’m sure a teacher will try to get him classified. He was a boy in motion. Even more so, his mouth was in constant motion as he constantly calling out and interrupting students and teachers alike. A few times, during lessons, when I had to ask Joshua that we needed to move on or no more comments, he’d sulk and get upset. Once he even had tears in his eyes, as I pulled him aside and spoke to him afterwards. I let him make the comment that he kept interrupting all of us to say, and then he felt better. He just wants to be heard.

One day, I witnessed Joshua being given a time-out for this behavior during circle time and went over to talk to him. I found out that he often gets in trouble in school for talking too much. As we discussed what he should do in the future, he said, “Don’t talk during circle time.” I shared with Joshua that I thought that was a very ambitious goal. That maybe he should start with smaller ones, like I’m not going to interrupt during the next 5 minutes of this lesson to build up his strength and stamina. Of course then he, contrarian that he is, started to tell how strong he was. I agreed that he was strong; what he needed was focus—which is not easy to come by.

I worry about Joshua. Ms. Norma told me that he had gotten in trouble one afternoon for hitting a girl on the behind.  This the same boy who drew – unprovoked – drew a picture of a heart with the word family in it under the needs – an act that showed both warmth and insight. I wanted to do more to encourage that side of him, but I didn’t know how and our time was so short. I hope his teacher in the fall sees beyond the smart Alec retorts and interruptions. Joshua definitely has a lot to offer the world.

Child Study

Prior to beginning my summer placements at La Casa de Don Pedro and Ridge Street School, I thought the prospect of getting to know a child and writing about how our relationship evolved over time seemed like an interesting task. I assumed I would make a connection with a child at Ridge, since I will be there in the fall. Once I started going to both sites, however, the assignment of selecting a child became more challenging.

At Ridge, the first student I thought I wanted to write about suddenly stopped coming to the program. Others were running around all afternoon and going on the daily field trips. I wondered when I would get a chance to get to know one of these children. At La Casa de Don Pedro, the children in my classroom are 5, 6 and 7-year-olds. Engaging them in conversations that would lend insight to their lives outside of camp was not as easy as I initially thought it would be.

Things sometimes happen organically when you are not forcing the issue, and that is exactly how I came to connect with Damian, and ultimately decided to make him the focus of my Child Study. I first noticed Damian on my second day at La Casa. The high energy and noise in the bustling room made it difficult for me to focus in on one specific child before I started learning their names, but he was one of the first children I could readily identify because of his ubiquitous blue Crocs. When I came in the next day, he greeted me warmly and started talking about his brother returning from a trip to Puerto Rico without prompting. No other students had initiated conversation with me that early on, unless it was to ask a question or for permission to do something. From that day forward, I observed him and how he interacted with others on a daily basis, simply because his desire to share information about himself piqued my interest in him.

Damian is entering the second grade at McKinley, which he attends with his sister. She also attends La Casa, but is in the third grade classroom. Over the last few weeks, I have learned that Damian loves to play his Nintendo DSI XL. Every morning before the students go up to their classroom, and during play time, he can be found in a corner playing his video game intently, completely unaware of what is happening around him. He loves to draw pictures, and he is extremely bright. Often during lessons when I would ask questions to extend the students' understanding of a concept, he would impress me with his philosophical breakdown of topics like the difference between a need and a want.

Damian has helped quell more than one argument, but one particular moment that comes to mind when he displayed great maturity. One student's nose was running profusely, and the consistency and color made me think he had a cold. I went to grab a tissue for him when one of the boys sitting at the table yelled, "Gross! That's disgusting!" Damian calmly replied, "It's no big deal. Everyone has snot." It put everyone at the table at ease. The little boy whose nose was running looked relieved, and the other student realized his outburst was unnecessary. That was an example of a teaching moment through peer modeling. It was clearly not a good idea to make fun of something that is a natural part of being a human being.

I assumed Damian was always this way, but one of his teachers informed me that she has seen a lot of growth in him since last year. Apparently, he would get up from his seat all the time, talk while the teachers were talking, and disrupt the class on a daily basis. His teacher told me she thought his teacher at school played a pivotal role in the change. That made me hopeful about the kind of growth in children I can play a role in.

I have realized that forming relationships with children is not the same process as with adults. You might pursue a connection with another adult for various reasons, but nothing will come of it if both parties are not interested in having a relationship. With children, however, I find it to be far different. They may have nothing to say to you one day and then be sitting in your lap the next, begging you not to leave them at the end of the day. Since most of their interactions with adults occur because of necessity rather than choice, their decision to connect with an adult in an informal setting has real meaning.

Over the last few days, I have learned more about several children at Ridge than I had since the program began a few weeks ago. Students who came some days and not others, and were always preoccupied with other things have suddenly become talkative. I am not sure if seeing me over a period of time made them feel more comfortable talking to me, or if there was something I was doing differently, but I am going to think about that over break. I want to have meaningful connections with all my students, and I need to figure out how to do that while navigating all the personalities I will soon encounter.

Week 3 at La Casa

Week 3 at La Casa

Adynelis drawing and painting on the computer

The final week at La Casa went well.  The lessons continued, as did the children's ability to amaze me.  

One task I worked on was trying to recover the defunct computer in the classroom.  A prior teacher left without leaving the code to enter the computer, so the computer's days were numbered. 

I didn't quite fix it, but I was able to get through the back door of the computer to operate it in safe mode.  It limits what you can do, but the kids were able to use it for some puzzles and games.

Jadira counting money

After reading my final story for the financial component of La Casa, I had the students write a story like an author and draw pictures like an illustrator.  The story was going to be about something that they saved up for that they wanted to buy.  This was similar to the last story I read aloud.

Elenise putting putting creative money skills in her story

After the assignment, Jadira proudly wanted to show me how she was saving money in a small jar.  She had some of the value of the coins mixed up, but it provided an opportunity to relearn coin values and count how much money she had saved.


Elenise was happy to share a picture of her story.  On it she wrote, "Hears 25 cents" and "About money".  She also labeled a character "mom".  She was adamant in telling me that even though the coins are brown, they are worth 5 cents each, so they would equal twenty five cents.

I loved how colorful she made her picture, and I was impressed with her reasoning to make the coins that looked like pennies worth 5 cents.  She was the kind of student that doesn't always raise her hand, doesn't cause trouble, and stays relatively quiet.  In my last days at La Casa, I saw her open up more, and it was so great to see how much she had to share.

Over all it was a great experience.  Working with the kids at La Casa, and also Bragaw, further let me know that I made the right choice for a profession.  I love teaching, and I really like to work with the younger kids.  Their hearts are so wonderful!

Final Reflection: Reality Check

My final week at La Casa de Don Pedro and Ridge was, at times, a preview to some of the challenges I will experience while teaching in the Newark Public Schools. As of now, all of my teacher training experiences have involved me taking courses, observing, helping out, and often having fun with students. Even on those occasions where I have taught lessons, I was able to walk out the door and say my goodbyes without having any real responsibility for all the children's subsequent learning or their well being. The last several days of the program, however, have given me some insight on what people actually mean when they refer to teaching as "hard work."

On Tuesday, I went with my mentor teacher and twenty-one students from Ridge to Sterling Mill. I arrived at the school at 9:15 a.m., as my mentor and I had discussed. When I got there, I could immediately tell something was wrong. One of the teachers from the program who was not going on the trip was there. I could tell she had rushed over to the school without being able to get ready, and I heard her say to my mentor teacher, "No problem. I'll see you this afternoon." When I walked over to where my mentor teacher was sitting on the front steps, I could see she had already had a tough morning. Students without permission slips were at the school planning to attend the trip, and a couple of students had handed in permission slips but were not at school. I asked her if everything was all right, and she told me that a parent had called downtown to report that there was no one at the school at 8:30 a.m. when he attempted to drop his daughter off for the trip. The permission slip included the time that students should arrive at school, and the teacher verbally reminded students what time we would be leaving. It was clear that there are times when the moment you arrive at school, problem after problem occurs, and you have to go into action to deal with everything.

La Casa has had to cancel a few trips because of the persistent rain over the last week or so. Several children have been disappointed because they could not go on their trips, and this often manifested as temper tantrums, the silent treatment, and apathetic behavior toward everything. I realized that teachers really have to have a toolbox of activities, games, and engaging lessons that they can quickly transition to in times like this. As I noted before, even in a camp setting where the main focus is fun, organization and preparation are still key.

One day last week when a gust of wind came out of nowhere at Ride, two of our canopies were knocked over and are now unusable. Now those coveted areas of shade in front of the school are gone, and the open area on the side of the school has been closed off for the majority of the last week or so because of the heat. Having all the students congregated in the area in front of the school with limited space to move and play has caused several arguments and accidents.

All the issues I witnessed and disagreements I stepped in to prevent/stop have not changed any of my views, they have just given me first-hand experience with a broader picture of the day-to-day ups and downs of being a teacher. I actually feel very comfortable at Ridge, and am excited I will be there in the fall. I have had the opportunity to interact with several students and get to know a few staff members. I have seen kids during moments of bliss and anger, and I look forward to seeing those smiling faces in September when school starts. I've also been really fortunate to have time with my mentor teacher. I have seen how dedicated she is to the students, and the time, effort, and money she gives to enrich their experiences.

I believe this summer program has played an important role in my preparation as a teacher. Although there were days when I was tired and felt overwhelmed by the heat, this time will be part of the story I will tell when I explain how I came to be a teacher in Newark.

Week 3 Wrap-Up

This week began unpleasantly for me, as I was still sick from a sinus and throat infection I developed at the end of last week. Even upon returning, I was not 100% myself, unable to speak on Tuesday. This made conducting any activities difficult, so Joe and I had to brainstorm a good way to kill some time with the students that involved minimal vocal activity on my part. We decided to try out Scattergories, and wow, did that ever go over well!

The students were uncertain about the game at first, but after a practice round, most of them quickly got the hang of it. Since there was a limited number of boards, we broke the class into teams of two or three (plus usually a student aide). We let each team pick a name, and after only one hiccup (one team wanted to be "The Blood," which was in fairness intended to be a reference to a video game rather than the unfortunate gang reference it could be interpreted to mean; they renamed themselves "Red Fire"), the game was on! The students interacted, and although they frequently were not able to come up with all the categories for any given letter, they had a great time challenging other team's answers and having their answers thwarted by duplicates from their classmates. The activity showed me that when students are allowed to collaborate, just about anything can be fun for them. They even started getting more clever and shooting for sneakier answers and double points for categories like "company names: 'Dunkin Donuts.'" It was a lot of fun.

Things after that were pretty smooth. The class at La Casa really started getting excited about their yearbook project, and even though their teachers didn't do much with them in the way of actual instruction this week, I was able to spend many valuable moments with my students observing their natural interactions. One thing I've noticed is how much more I look at the everyday actions of students as genuine moments of learning than I used to. I have a much greater appreciation for how even little things, like Gabrielys' desire to read aloud a familiar text to me, are powerful teaching moments for me and learning moments for students like her.

Child Study- Amalgam

The goal of this project was to become more familiar with the various ways that I come to establish relationships with my students, the different ways they communicate with me, and how relationships grow. Unfortunately, the student pool at my placements was very inconsistent, and twice my intended child for study stopped coming to the program. So, in this blog I will outline three students and how each has taught me something different about the above topics.

The first student is Bilma. Bilma was the student with whom I interacted most consistently. She took an early interest in approaching me when she realized that when I threw a football around with students, I made no distinction between male and female students and would allow anyone to throw with me. I think she appreciated that she could pursue an interest in sports she had that was frequently quashed by other male students, so she sought me out every day I was at Ridge to ask me to throw around with her. She even expressed an interest in developing a broader skill set in football: after she felt comfortable with normal tosses, she started asking for throws that would make her run in or run back to catch.

Working with Bilma helped remind me of some lessons I once learned about play. She helped me engage a younger student named Abigail who had a delicate medical condition and tossed the ball gently to Abby anytime she wanted to join our game, clearly putting into practice the inclusive ideal I claim to always want to embrace. I would have to say that of the students I interacted with, she was the most consistently energetic, sincere, and fun to play sports with. She didn't get mad or competitive and she enjoyed playing for its own sake. Unlike some other students, particularly boys, who got very competitive and even mean during playground games, all Bilma ever wanted to do was just have a catch. It was very honest and very sweet, and Bilma was a great example of how unexpected friendships begin between students and teachers when the student engages first.

The second student I interacted with was another girl, Juleissa, who was actually one of my students in Mrs. Morales' classroom in my GenEd placement. Juleissa was always sweet and eager to impress; when I asked a classmate of hers during the school year if he would do some additional math practice for me, she asked if she could do extra math practice as well. So I knew that talking to her would be easy and very natural. Juleissa is a good example of how an existing relationship of understanding between a teacher and student can be built upon.

I started talking to Juleissa more in Week 2 when she was coming to the program more regularly, and she was very eager to share information about her interests and home. She loves art and math, is OK with computers, and doesn't much care for science. She's not coming back to Ridge in the fall unless she decides she wants to, because she moved over the summer and her mother was planning to enroll her in a closer school to her new home. She has an older brother, and older sister, and a younger sister. She thinks her older siblings are too mean to her mom. She and her mom apparently have a great relationship and she thinks of herself as the only one of her siblings whom her mom would consider a really good friend outside of being just a family member. She sometimes gets mad at boys for excluding girls, especially her, from activities, and will sometimes just abandon an activity and sulk if she feels the boys are being mean to her. I expanded on our relationship from earlier in the year by talking about more serious topics with her and she was very open and willing to share. I was impressed with how introspective she was at such a young age, and she taught me more than anything else that sometimes students can be really deep thinkers about society even when they are only just looking at their own lives.

The last student who showed me that student honesty and confidence can come even at unexpected moments is Alexis from La Casa. Alexis was a really sweet boy who was in my classroom during my time there. He has an adopted sibling, which prompted him to bring up the topic of adoption unexpectedly during one of my finance lectures at La Casa. I halted the lesson to emphasize the importance and weight of the topic he suggested, in no small part due to the fact that I was personally affected by adoption. He mentioned it again to me on my final day, saying, "That must really be sad for you." I was a bit surprised by his answer, because my adoption story is not tumultuous or sad at all, but I knew why he might think that, so I engaged him in a serious and intelligent conversation about being in a family that loved me.

What I didn't expect from the exchange was how saying that I was so happy to end up in a family that loved me led him to directly start talking about his father. His father does not live with him. Alexis also has two siblings from his father who live with him and his mother, while Alexis' father lives with his ex-wife and his other three children. Alexis expressed sadness that he never sees his dad, even on his dad's day off (Sunday), and that although his dad said he would try to get him a Nintendo DS for his birthday (which is today), he doesn't believe he'll get one because his dad doesn't pay him much attention or seem to act like he is happy to have Alexis around. The story was quite heartbreaking, quite unexpected, and again was prompted by a an unforeseen and unintended departure by Alexis from a conversation into another serious topic that he felt comfortable enough to share about. I had a couple of really great exchanges with him, and I learned a lot about how important an ear can be to a student who may just appear to be expressing random or innocuous thoughts, but who may in fact have some burning concerns, sadness, or issues that he or she really needs to get out. So I learned from Alexis to always be mindful of what may be causing a student to engage randomly and/or energetically in a discussion that in ways that express connections they might be making that I cannot see in the moment.

From my students, I learned a great deal about how students approach teachers they think they can trust or respect, how existing relationships of friendship can build into deeper relationships of trust, and how students say a lot without saying anything sometimes or how they may be saying so much more than I think, which I can find out by allowing them access to more sensitive areas of my own life. I hope that I can continue to carry these lessons, and the children who taught them to me, in my heart as I progress through my career. These are lessons I would not soon choose to easily forget. These children were wonderful, and getting to know them through some of these less academic avenues enabled me to form bonds with them in different ways than I would normally have thought to try in a classroom, but in ways that I would now feel much more comfortable trying.

Child Study at Bragaw: Volleyball and Jared

Child Study at Bragaw:  Volleyball and Jared

So many lessons have been coming through games in my short time at Bragaw.  My latest reflections have had to do with the modeling of yelling that have permeated the lives of the children I’m working with.  It seems to be that way with many children.  There is an innate, primal way of being that would have them push, take, and yell.  However, I’ve seen it modeled by the head instructor of the program as a way of keeping control of the children.

It is known that whatever is modeled to children will be copied, and so in playing games with the kids, they yell to control things to their favor.  I’ve been working to change this way of being, and though it’s been exhausting, I’m seeing a lot of positive results.

We’ve played many games, but volleyball has been a primary interest for many of the students.  This began with me just bringing in a small ball from that I borrowed from my neighbors.  I began to bounce, kick, and hit it around.  This developed into hitting it to keep it up, and eventually evolved into teaching some proper forms of hitting a volleyball.  Yesterday, I brought in a 50 foot rope and used that as our net.  It made the game more real.  Now it has grown into further complex lessons in playing volley ball such as serving styles, keeping score, playing as a team, playing zones, and rotating positions.   It also has branched out into other lessons such as tying a quick release knot and self-regulation.

There are so many moments when the kids all want the ball at the same time, or they all want to serve, or they’re all clustered at the front of the net.  It’s comical sometimes, but other times it gets so tiring intervening.  Now, it’s gotten to the point where I’ve developed a relationship with the children that allows them to respond really well to “the power of my words”. 

I’ve learned that when there is an argument over a turn, or possession of the ball, I’ll take the ball, pause the game, kneel down on the ball, and have everyone circle around me.  I’ll talk sincerely, yet authoritatively, about ground rules for participating in a game with me.  It is more eloquent that I can right in this moment because it is coming from my heart at that moment.  I wish it was able to be captured so that I can see it.  Anyhow, today for instance, I alluded to the fact that outside of the fences of the playground, there was so much war, so much violence, so much fighting, and arguing, and pain, and I didn’t want that at the playground.  I wouldn’t tolerate it.  I would pack up the game and go sit somewhere with people who wouldn’t fight.  I want to choose to be around people who would be supportive. 

I’m most often surprised at the children’s vestment in their own growth and desire for well-being.  They could say “fine”, and test me to my word, and see if I would pack the game, but they stay and work to resolve the issue.  If it can’t be fully resolved in the moment, I don’t force anything.  I get to a space where we can continue, and when it arises again, we address it.  The next time, and the next, it continues to get better. 

This growth has been happening in so many children in many different ways.  Since I’ve been focusing on one particular child, Jared, it’s been really evident in him.  From early on I was intrigued by a mannerism that Jared has where he’ll get upset in a situation, voice his frustration, and then walk away.  Sometimes this comes through an injustice on someone else’s part, but just as often, at least, it comes by way of him being unreasonable or unfair in a situation.

Though he usually walks away on his own and comes back, today, for the first time, I sent him away to sit for one minute and think about why I had asked him to sit away.  I wasn’t sure how it would work.  After about 30 seconds, I sat by him and asked him if he would hear me.  I said that I could only talk to him if he would hear me, but that if he needed more time alone that would be okay.  He didn’t say anything, but his body language was receptive, so I told him I had sent him away because we had recently had the conversation about what was acceptable as far as working as a team and not arguing or bullying and then he was initiating that very behavior.  It was in terminology that was easier to digest for his 8 year old mind, and he responded positively and joined the game. 

In the time that I’ve worked with him, I’ve seen so much growth in Jared.  He is a natural athlete, and his volleyball game has gotten so much better.  He had never officially played before.  He loves the encouragement and the genuine compliments that I give him.  Where he was one who would kick or throw the ball, he does well in rolling it under the net as I have requested and models this well for others.  He also loves when I ask him to demonstrate how to serve, hit, or dig a volleyball to another student.

I have a main group that usually plays with Jared and me.  They are Crystal, Tyreese, Pharell, Shamir, and Armani (and a few others whom I cannot quite recall at this moment) but many other students are beginning to take interest in learning the lessons of life and volleyball.  It is wonderful, and as Keisha note, “It’s amazing what you can do with a rope and a ball.” 

Farrell Williams

Student Name:             Farrell Williams

Age:                             6

Birthday:                      July 15

School:                        Bragraw Elementary School

Grade in Fall:               1^st Grade

Ward:                          South

Over the course of my summer placement, I decided to observe a young child named Farrell Williams.  Farrell is an amazing 6 year old male student who attends Bragraw Elementary School.  In the Fall of 2012, Farrell will be going into first grade.  I am not sure how I picked Farrell as I formed relationships with many students and was amazed by them all.  However, Farrell seemed to peak my interest.

Farrell has a speech impediment.  The challenge with his speech is very noticeable and often results in his words coming out very jumbled and with a high pitched sound.  I noticed that when he talked many of the other students and even adults would make fun of him or dismiss him because it was hard to understand him and/or took too long to decipher what he wanted or needed.

One of my interests is how children acquire language skills.  My personal desire for all children is for them to be able to read well and to speak articulately.  This personal interest led me to take extra time to work with Farrell each day I was at Bragraw.  I truly believe that if a child can read and write they can accomplish any goal.

Each day I was at Bragraw, I purposely carved out time to speak with Farrell. I engaged him in basic conversation about his weekend, his likes and dislikes, his family, and/or any topic he chose to share with me.  I learned that Farrell was born on July 15, he had an older brother, he liked playing outside, and he liked to play basketball and to swim.  Farrell was a typical 6 year old boy.  As Farrell would share parts of his life with me he would get so excited that his words would become very jumbled and difficult to understand.  It was at those times, I would “grant being” to Farrell and ask him to take a deep breath, to slow down and repeat what he said.  I did not want to miss any words my small friend wanted to share with me.

Our interactions always began with Farrell taking a deep breath.  After the deep breath, I would repeat his words back to him. Then I would remind Farrell to look at me (eye-contact), and then repeat the words or phrases that he had just said to me. I would then ask Farrell to repeat the words or phrase correcting any words that needed correcting. I taught him the words annunciate and articulate and I explained that I wanted him to take his time and articulate and annunciate his words.  Farrell always rose to the occasion.  I placed the expectation of excellence in front of Farrell and he demonstrated to me that when given time and the space that he could and would speak clearly.

I cannot say with any certainty that my two half week interaction with Farrell had any long term impact.  For me personally taking time to listen to Farrell and to meet Farrell where he was and then expect him to do better was important to me.  Farrell had a lot to share and because his words are not always clear does not give a person the right to ignore or rush him.  We all want to be valued for who we are and for the gifts we bring to the table and this is especially true of our students.  I just hope that my short time interacting with Farrell has shown him that he is valued and that his words do matter.