Week 2

La Casa

This week was a difficult one for me, as I got very sick at the end of the week. This is the second time in the program I've come down with what appears to be a bad cold; I hope that I get better before next week. However, I am going to focus this post on my experiences at La Casa, because they were much more positive this week than during my initial interactions within the dynamics of that classroom.

This week at La Casa was more fun. I did one of the Finance Lessons with the students of Ms. Jennifer's and Ms. Cristina's class, and I think it went over very well. Many of the students were familiar with the materials, but I think the approach I took was my own and therefore different from what they saw before. Everyone was engaged and participating (which was great because I was struggling at first to find the curriculum interesting myself) and by the end of the lesson, I could tell they would be happy to have another one soon. I am worried that with all the trips, activities, and lessons planned for the students here that we might not finish all our finance lessons, but I'll continue working on finding a way to make it work. One thing that helped is that I figured out how amalgamate some of the lessons and convey multiple teaching objectives from different lessons into a single comprehensive lesson. The objectives in the packet are simple and concise, so combining them is still possible- an important take-away for me from this experience for when I will have to adjust lessons on the fly as a teacher.

Hurricane Harbor was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera for fear that it would get wet, but I wish I had because the students had a lot of fun. One thing that was stressful was that the adult chaperones would frequently turn the students loose in a particular area and they would go off in three or four directions in groups ranging from one to six or seven students. I can't imagine how the chaperones could keep track of all their whereabouts at any given moment, because I honestly could not. One student kept wandering away with this family and I kept thinking to myself "Um why is this random family stealing away our student?" But it turned out that it was the student's aunt, uncle, and cousins, who were also visiting on the same day. So that was another scare that was just a false alarm.

Getting sick at the end of this week was a bummer, but I did have an enjoyable week up until Thursday. I look forward to getting better over the weekend and starting a fresh new week with brand new experiences!

"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.