My capstone is working with students at South End Elementary School on all different subjects, as well as working with them on self-esteem. I worked with both third and fourth graders on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 1:30-3:00 pm, and how I worked with them was switched up a few times. At first I was pulling the students from class and doing activities with them, but as the year went on, I transitioned with them back into the classroom because I was more needed in there. Before I had officially decided what I wanted to do, I took a couple weeks to go in and observe the classes so that I could get to know the community.
Through the research that I had done, I learned that children learn much better when they are in small groups because they get more individual attention. It allows them to feel as though they are being heard and that what they say in the group will not affect what goes on in the classroom. Each time we met when I was pulling them from class, we would do a different lesson or project. Sometimes it would carry over for a few days, but, often times I would try to make sure that the student’s learned a different aspect of being confident.
This experience allowed me to grow in ways that I would have never imagined. I learned how natural an ability I have when it comes to working with others and what can happen when I get an idea for an activity and put it in action. It allowed me to get outside of my comfort zone and meet new people, which is something that I am always nervous about. As I was pulling the students from the small groups, I was able to learn what that meant to them knowing that they were part of that small group, and how that had a positive effect on them. Each day that I was going in, they knew that I was meant to take them and they really looked forward to that each time. Since I have began to transition back into the classroom, they ask when I will take them again, so that is a hard question to answer. I believe that working with certain kids, however, has allowed me to grow and improve as a person overall.
As I was conducting my research at the beginning of the project, I found the major benefits of working with younger children in smaller groups. I was applying many of the different techniques that I have learned over time while working with the students. Some may include trying to refocus students from negative thoughts or having to change up a lesson plan quickly. It is all about being able to adapt to what the kids need and making sure that the lesson plans go along with how they learn. I was able to learn that I really enjoy working with kids more than I had originally thought I did, which was an important realization for me.
I was able to see how well I connect with kids and the impact that I can make on them over time. Being allowed to meet with them every week and getting to teach them different ways to look at themselves was important for me. I wanted to be able to give them the opportunity to learn about something I was never able to in elementary school. I only wish that I got to learn about what self esteem is and how it can have an affect on someone when it is not very high.
There were times when this project, made more of an impact on me than it did at other times. There was one student in particular who holds a very special place in my heart. There were times when he would not take the activities seriously, but when I talked to him one-on-one, he really opened up to me and let me in on some of his experiences. The time that I can remember the most clearly is when Mrs. Boutilier came in and at the end of the group we were playing the dice game. He had rolled the dice and it landed on the side that read “I am special because…”. At first, he was giving me silly answers that he thought I would accept, but I was not letting up on him. It took a few minutes, but after a little while, he did give me an answer that I will never forget. He said, “I’m special because I’m adopted.” As soon as he said it, I had goosebumps, as did Mrs. Boutilier. It was something I never would have expected him to say, and it made me see how much he meant to me and that he trusted me enough to share that.
Being able to go back to Southington where my education started is such a powerful experience. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with kids and that being somewhere in Southington would be very important for me. It would allow me to give back to the town I live in and show my appreciation for all they did for me. I had originally wanted to go back to my elementary school, because I knew many of the staff members and I would be able to work with some of my former teachers. Unfortunately, there were already students from Southington High School working there and volunteering, so the principal did not want to mix everything up. I understood that completely, and thankfully she was kind enough to put me in contact with another principal who I emailed and set a meeting up with immediately. It meant more to me that I can explain, and being able to carry this out in Southington was very important to me.
Some of the most difficult parts of this were making lesson plans and when the kids weren’t focussed and I had to really try to bring them back to what we were doing. I have not been to school to handle situations like this, and I had never had to create a lesson plan as detailed as this one, so it was hard for me to do something like that, but I did what I could with what I was knowledgeable of. I was able to often use my mentor, who have me excellent resources to gather lessons and activities from. I was also able to get advice from her on how to hold the focus of the students and how to handle a situation when they were affected by negative thoughts. It took time, but I became more comfortable working with the kids and they came to know what I expect of them and what should happen when we are together. There were of course some difficulties, but I feel as though I handled them as best I could and I created an unbreakable bond with these students.
This year overall has made a huge impact on my life. I learned how reliable one needs to be, especially working with kids. Once you begin to be there so often, they become reliant on you being around and you can’t just up and leave them all of a sudden. I never planned to, but I was able to see how much they grow on you and how they look forward to seeing you every week. It was the same for me after a couple days, seeing them was the highlight of my day, and sometimes my week. It made me understand my natural ability when it comes to working with others and how I can help someone out in a major way. That is something that I am always passionate about, and being able to do so at this point in my life is important to me.
Through the research that I had done, I learned that children learn much better when they are in small groups because they get more individual attention. It allows them to feel as though they are being heard and that what they say in the group will not affect what goes on in the classroom. Each time we met when I was pulling them from class, we would do a different lesson or project. Sometimes it would carry over for a few days, but, often times I would try to make sure that the student’s learned a different aspect of being confident.
This experience allowed me to grow in ways that I would have never imagined. I learned how natural an ability I have when it comes to working with others and what can happen when I get an idea for an activity and put it in action. It allowed me to get outside of my comfort zone and meet new people, which is something that I am always nervous about. As I was pulling the students from the small groups, I was able to learn what that meant to them knowing that they were part of that small group, and how that had a positive effect on them. Each day that I was going in, they knew that I was meant to take them and they really looked forward to that each time. Since I have began to transition back into the classroom, they ask when I will take them again, so that is a hard question to answer. I believe that working with certain kids, however, has allowed me to grow and improve as a person overall.
As I was conducting my research at the beginning of the project, I found the major benefits of working with younger children in smaller groups. I was applying many of the different techniques that I have learned over time while working with the students. Some may include trying to refocus students from negative thoughts or having to change up a lesson plan quickly. It is all about being able to adapt to what the kids need and making sure that the lesson plans go along with how they learn. I was able to learn that I really enjoy working with kids more than I had originally thought I did, which was an important realization for me.
I was able to see how well I connect with kids and the impact that I can make on them over time. Being allowed to meet with them every week and getting to teach them different ways to look at themselves was important for me. I wanted to be able to give them the opportunity to learn about something I was never able to in elementary school. I only wish that I got to learn about what self esteem is and how it can have an affect on someone when it is not very high.
There were times when this project, made more of an impact on me than it did at other times. There was one student in particular who holds a very special place in my heart. There were times when he would not take the activities seriously, but when I talked to him one-on-one, he really opened up to me and let me in on some of his experiences. The time that I can remember the most clearly is when Mrs. Boutilier came in and at the end of the group we were playing the dice game. He had rolled the dice and it landed on the side that read “I am special because…”. At first, he was giving me silly answers that he thought I would accept, but I was not letting up on him. It took a few minutes, but after a little while, he did give me an answer that I will never forget. He said, “I’m special because I’m adopted.” As soon as he said it, I had goosebumps, as did Mrs. Boutilier. It was something I never would have expected him to say, and it made me see how much he meant to me and that he trusted me enough to share that.
Being able to go back to Southington where my education started is such a powerful experience. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with kids and that being somewhere in Southington would be very important for me. It would allow me to give back to the town I live in and show my appreciation for all they did for me. I had originally wanted to go back to my elementary school, because I knew many of the staff members and I would be able to work with some of my former teachers. Unfortunately, there were already students from Southington High School working there and volunteering, so the principal did not want to mix everything up. I understood that completely, and thankfully she was kind enough to put me in contact with another principal who I emailed and set a meeting up with immediately. It meant more to me that I can explain, and being able to carry this out in Southington was very important to me.
Some of the most difficult parts of this were making lesson plans and when the kids weren’t focussed and I had to really try to bring them back to what we were doing. I have not been to school to handle situations like this, and I had never had to create a lesson plan as detailed as this one, so it was hard for me to do something like that, but I did what I could with what I was knowledgeable of. I was able to often use my mentor, who have me excellent resources to gather lessons and activities from. I was also able to get advice from her on how to hold the focus of the students and how to handle a situation when they were affected by negative thoughts. It took time, but I became more comfortable working with the kids and they came to know what I expect of them and what should happen when we are together. There were of course some difficulties, but I feel as though I handled them as best I could and I created an unbreakable bond with these students.
This year overall has made a huge impact on my life. I learned how reliable one needs to be, especially working with kids. Once you begin to be there so often, they become reliant on you being around and you can’t just up and leave them all of a sudden. I never planned to, but I was able to see how much they grow on you and how they look forward to seeing you every week. It was the same for me after a couple days, seeing them was the highlight of my day, and sometimes my week. It made me understand my natural ability when it comes to working with others and how I can help someone out in a major way. That is something that I am always passionate about, and being able to do so at this point in my life is important to me.