Last summer I participated as a counselor in a program from the National Inventors Hall of Fame called Camp Invention. This camp is created for children from kindergarten through sixth grade in order to explore STEM careers by participating in six different sessions each with their own curriculum. I worked with another girl counselor to keep track of the kindergarteners and first graders. Each session had it’s own teacher and curriculum, while the other counselor and I would set up the activity they would be doing during their time there. The kids were very amiable, however, there were some instances where the kids would start fighting with one another or get frustrated when their inventions would not work. The other counselor and I administered
When I walked into the school, I was greeted by the receptionist who kindly showed me where to sign in and then directed me to the teacher I would be observing for the day. The staff was dressed very appropriate for the day and on Friday they were able to wear pink because it was October. Although I did not see much interaction with factuality with each other, I was able to witness when the teachers of a certain grade would come to pick up their students. I saw how the teachers interacted with Mrs. Lee and they were very respectful. The student’s behavior varied from class to class. Most of the classes were well behaved with only a few students causing disruption. Mrs. Lee had warned me that the kindergarten class is normally noisier than other classes, but to her surprise the students were very quiet and did their work independently with no interruptions. Mrs. Lee did a wonderful job at keeping the students disciplined within the classroom. She would give positive re-enforcement and correct students when they would do something incorrectly. She worked really well with the students and they students responded in a respectful manner to Mrs.
Understandably, I had some doubt about carrying out this age group’s observation at the UCF Creative School, seeing as how I knew that the oldest kid in the school was about eleven. My backup plan if no volunteers in the proper age range were available or if I felt as if the data I gathered was not sufficient was to observe teenagers at a mall. However, after the first fifteen minutes I was hopeful. Of course, as mentioned before, during the third observational time the volunteer who was nineteen left the area I was allowed to observe in. So I stayed a little later in order to ensure I had the proper amount of time to observer. It was a bit different only being able to observe one person at a time, but I reasoned that it makes sense doing this as their may be a time in my future career as an educator where I will be asked to write a report about a particular student’s behavior for an IEP teacher or parents. During this additional fifteen minutes the class was still outside in the playground. Most of the kids finished their scavenger hunt, however it was very clear that most simply copped or traded answers about where they found certain things. Because of this, the daycare employees in this group decided to walk the kids around and have them explain where they found the items. While the two daycare ladies were doing this, the volunteer collected the sheets and pencils from the
It had been a year since the event and life at the Camp One near the main gate to United States Military post Camp Parks was tolerable. They had electricity twelve hours a day which was free of charge provided by the military. They had shelter which was also free of charge and also provided by the military with specific stipulations such as a home inspection once a quarter. This was to ensure cleanliness and functionality of the dwelling, they were all living in very close quarters and since the demise of modern medicine disease was a very real worry. To be fair the military had the same expectations of the military families on Camp Parks.
Sean has just been hired as an assistant in an after-school program for a group of 5-7 years old children. After his first day in the class, he was concerned about some of the activities the leader had set out for the children. Sean was familiar with the guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice and though some of the activities were not age appropriate. As an example, the children were expected to read and then follow the directions for a science project He wanted to say something to the group leader, but he thought that maybe he would just quit!
I created this specific kids summer camp, because I wanted every children to be included instead of having a cheerleader camp or karate camp. We are responsible for general safety and to have a great time. Our goal is to have the children learn in a fun,positive and respectful way.We’d like to try to incorporate educational subjects into camp and encourage them to learn in an enjoyment way.The lesson plans serves and helps children develop in all four areas of development. In physically, children are participating in fitness, soccer, running around. In this camp, physically is involved in so many ways- children are constantly are moving, using their muscle and strength. In emotionally, they can learn what emotion to put in camp. In the setting
As a camp counselor, I have worked during past summers with both 5 and 6 year olds. The job requires the supervision of the campers, creating activities that engage the participants with academics such as
I was fortunate enough to have spent my last two summers as a high school student actively engaged in numerous ways. Two summer ago, I decided to be a counselor of a wonderful enrichment program called Camp Invention, a renowned science camp for young children to explore and invent creatively. During this 40 hour volunteer service, I learned how to handle children with both care and responsibility in a subject I am greatly passionate about. In addition, I also was responsible for my employment as a cook at Hwy 55. During the most recent summer, I attended the NC Governor’s School for Natural Science, a six week residential program that focuses on integrating academic disciplines with the world around us. This was an enlightening experience,
For this project, I decided to volunteer as a facilitator for the 21st Century Program; a program that assists middle to high school refugee students to adequately understand and utilize the English language. As the program facilitator, one of my responsibilities is to help the students with their schoolwork and organize team building activities. The first week was challenging because I did not know what to expect from the students and I am also uncertain with what the students would think of me. As someone who the students see as their leader, it is important to show professionalism when dealing with younger children because most of them would look up to an older person as their role model. Being in a setting where everyone was accustomed
On the first day, I was lucky enough to go outside with them and see how their interactions outside of the classroom differed from inside the classroom. While outside I quickly noticed that the boys would all go play with each other and the girls just naturally gravitated to the other girls. But after timed has passed there were just kids running everywhere. I also observed these two boys who inside the classroom seemed to be the ones that when they were together something was up to no good. Around the play area outside there were a couple of slides placed around the perimeter. The two same boys were the only ones not going on the slides. I asked the teachers why they never wanted to go down the slides, and she told me that while on the slides the boys would be rough with each other and it never ended with something good. Since the boys did not know how to properly act on the slides they were not allowed to use them. I thought that not allowing them on the slide was a good idea but, I feel that they should have had specific time they were not allowed to go on them and then re visit the situation to see if it still happens. For this type of behavior, the two boys should realize what they were doing wrong and then give them an opportunity to change that problem
As we went through each chapter of our book it would remind me of situations I already observed or would see that week. The more I learned about the educational theories I was able to see certain situations in a new light and it highlighted the differences I saw in the ages groups and different classes. The use of different motivation methods that were utilized by the teachers was great; most of them I didn’t realize were motivators until later and the one motivator I thought I understood was a reinforcer. I did see how the teacher’s preconceived ideas about students because of the type of community they are affected the students most of the time not positively. Some students were quickly disciplined and others were allowed to get away with similar offences with no comment all because of the relationship the teachers had with the families involved or the town gossip about them. I could see that this was negatively reinforcing the bad behaviors in both students. This made me aware of checking my own preconceived ideas and trying to judge the children based on what I have learned about how students learn. Overall I do believe the goals of the STEM camp were met and this has taught me to use multiple approaches to keep students engaged and
I observed a 10 year old girl, named Laura who was a participant in the Homeschool Fit for kid’s program at the Oshkosh YMCA. The class took place on the Ice rink with combined grade levels of kindergarten to 12th grade, there were about 24 student’s patriating in the ice skating activity. The ice rink was rented just for the homeschool fit for kid’s class. Students had to pick up ice skates at the counter. There were a few walkers set aside for students who needed the extra help ice skating. The main instructor for the day was the ice rinks ice skating instructor, then there were six other college student teachers who teach the Homeschool fit for kids program normally. These six teachers were going around and helping students put skates on, state around, and then remove the skates.
Upon shadowing a fourth grade teacher at Deer Ridge Elementary School, I decided to talk with her about the students in her classroom. Mrs. Riley first set the scene of the school for me by stating that it was in the southwest suburban area of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and this particular school was not hurting for money. She then began to explain the different children in her classroom. There were twenty-eight students from a variety of different backgrounds. There were also two students with ADHD. My first thought was, "What exactly is ADHD?" and, "Would these two children stick out from the rest of the students in the classroom?".
Throughout my high school career, I have participated in many volunteer opportunities especially involving the care of children. Now that I will be completing high school this May, I feel as if I should broaden my horizons and explore my interests. I absolutely love working with children and over the years, I have volunteered with many summer camps for various aged children. I am excited about the idea of becoming a camp counselor and engaging children in various fun-filled and educational
"Hey, be careful and don't do anything stupid," my dad said to me right before I hopped into Chase Miller's dark blue Chevy S-10 with a camper shell on the back. I looked at Chase and Tyler Becker and said, "Let's go camping." As Chase pushed down the gas pedal, a big cloud of black smoke shot out of the back of the truck and the smell of burning motor oil filled the cab.
This experience as a whole provided me with the opportunity to show my professional quality as an educator, a cooperative team member, and a lifelong learner. A few things that I continuously had to reflect on throughout this experience was my self-competence, my performance as well as the children’s, and of course my professional demeanor which directly impacted the effectiveness of my planning, teaching and...