One of my most amazing experiences I have had in helping somebody was through a mentoring program called Kids Hope USA. I mentor a student at a local elementary school once a week for about an hour or so. The hour is separated between educational and emotional growth in addition to snack and free time. Throughout the years, my students and I have grown as individuals and I see the transformations in their lives. It feels really remarkable to pour encouragement into a young child’s life. I've done the mentoring program now for around seven years. For the past four years, I've had the same little girl and we have grown extremely close. In second grade, Bemaree moved here from Hawaii with her father and mother. After moving here, she did not know very many people and often …show more content…
When I would come to her classroom to get her she would smile at me; however, she would immediately retreat back into her shyness.
She was such a smart and beautiful little girl but her shyness kept other children away from her. I wished that she would enjoy her elementary school time that she had left and not dread it. I could tell that she was homesick and that she hated the new school. She kept saying that she wanted to go back home and be with her family and friends. At the conclusion of the first year, she would start giving me hugs whenever I walked her back to class. I believed that was an enormous improvement and I was so blessed by her willingness to open up a little. On the last day of mentoring for that school year, I asked her if she wanted me to be her mentor next year. She smiled and softly said yes please. My heart was filled with delight; conversely, I knew that I needed to be there for this girl so she would know that people cared about her and wanted to be her friend. The following year, I was so excited to see her again. On the first visit, I noticed that she was more outgoing this year. She told me that a little girl moved into the house beside her house.
We spoke very deeply about the Haitian culture, the importance of school, family and going for a higher education. She told me multiple times the importance of having a 90 grade point average so she can get a scholarship for college. She has many strong personal commitments. She is in a dance group, her tutoring students in foster care and her determination and driveto be a better student each and everyday. Zoe is very expressive to all her teachers about her grade. She is on top of her school work. She ask all the time for extra credit or how progress in the classroom on a weekly basis.She is very strong
Outside of school, she is really fun to be around, always wanting to play a board game, go for a walk, or bake something. I often find myself doing homework with her and she is constantly lifting my spirits by playing music or showing me a crazy
I want to share the experience that I got from reading to the little kids in Washington school. This had been my first time doing community service so I was a little nervous, I didn't think that the kids where going to like me. But when I go to the school and saw the lovable little kids I felt much better. When we got into little groups and started reading they started hugging me and reading along. They made me feel good and I was ready to come back next Thursday. This was the greatest experience that I had ever had, I felt like a teacher and it fells great to have those little kids liking you.
Throughout my life, I have found myself always striving to help others. This has been bestowed upon me since I was a young child. My brother, Justin was born with health problems. He had to be fed through his stomach from birth to he was five years of age. Because of Justin’s health conditions he was a lot smaller than kids his age. He was held back in school for a year and he was still eight inches shorter than the other kids in his class. With all of his ailments and his stature I felt that it was up to me, his big brother, to be there for him and defend him from anyone picking or ridiculing him. I later helped my mother teach second grade kids in Sunday school. This opened my eyes to a lot of learning diversities
When I first met Carol she was eagerly entering third grade with a huge smile on her face. I was a fifth grade new to the school and I didn’t know anyone. She smiled at me and would have short conversations with me in the halls. My sister, who was in her class, and she became great friends almost immediately, and soon Carol Ventocilla was visiting our house weekly. As our friendship grew we would walk to the library after school together, hang out together, and play outside with each other.
I grew up with people who helped for a living. My mom’s job was helping girls that had got themselves into trouble and needed help, that is when I learned as a toddler, that helping is what I wanted to do. I soon got into elementary school and I was a big helper. I still am. Last year I was in Mrs. Harkabus’ class and had the greatest opportunity
After joining however I quickly realized the difference I could make in someone’s life by simply donating a few hours of my time. The school children I mentor 2-3 times a week are one of the greatest delights. Many of them do not receive any one on one time with another individual except for when I am tutoring them. These children have such great potential if only their parents and other adults around them would take the time to see it. It fills me with great satisfaction knowing that I am making a difference in those who one day may be leading this
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it. Not only was I able to teach her math and reading comprehension skills, but how to carry herself as a smart and extraordinarily capable young lady. In return, she taught me patience and how sometimes you just need to approach a problem differently to see the
I feel helpful because I assist him in what he cannot do on his own. I think that that is why I am at this school this year at this exact time. The thing that makes it so much easier to do is that he shows that he is appreciative of us helping him. I have been blessed tremendously by this experience. They have become very excellent friends and I am really going to miss them. I feel like I did something important. They are really good
They told me to continue to be patient with her and she would eventually come around. On Wednesday, I kept their advice in mind when standing by Lucy’s classroom door. She came through the door and her lip started to quiver as soon as we locked eyes. Her teacher informed me that she didn’t take a nap that day, which most definitely didn’t help my situation. Lucy began to cry and the parents of her classmates just looked at me. I started to think about what I would do. If I was three years old, tired, and waiting to see my parents, I wouldn’t want someone getting frustrated with me when I was upset. I told her to come talk to me and she slowly made her way to me. I told her that she would see her parents in no time and while we were waiting, we were going to go play at the playground. She calmed down and took my hand.
Because it was my last year at camp, I was feeling sad and overwhelmed. I also had a lot of emotions about an instance of violent communication with a counselor, which combined into me crying. Greta was extremely helpful by empathizing with me both verbally and nonverbally during a time when I felt vulnerable, confused and emotional. Due to this experience and the impact it had on me, I am excited to see the difference I can make at camp by utilizing the tools of
I work with the same group of kids each week and over the course of the past two months, I have had the opportunity to get to know some of them on a more personal level. Specifically, I have developed a close relationship with a girl named Hannah. What struck me about her was the fact that she voluntarily decided to sit down and read with me. While I felt like I did not know her well enough, she surprised me because no one told her to come to me – she simply approached me because she wanted to. The fact that she felt comfortable enough to
At first I kept a bit of distance between us as to not overwhelm her and introduced myself with a relaxed posture and uncrossed arms. When speaking she would not look me in the eye and her voice was strained like she was trying not to cry. Her facial expression showed her eyebrows drawn together and she kept biting at her lip, like she was concentrated on keeping her emotions contained. As we continued to talk I put myself more at her level and gave her eye contact at all times so that she could see that I was interested in what she had to say. This way I could also show that I was there to welcome her and not to scare her. Slowly she became more relaxed in her posture and uncrossed her arms. She had told me that she was really scared that she was not going to fit in with the other kids and did not like being away from her mom for long periods of
In addition, she didn’t talk, connect, or communicate with anyone including the teacher. Furthermore, she sat by herself most of the time and did not seem interested in school or education itself. For this reason, I felt a compassionate move take over me and from the beginning of the school year I tried to converse with her. Most days, I would just get a frown and a look. My teacher also struggled to get her to open up and be a part of the classroom like all the other students. After about two weeks, I asked my teacher if I could be one on one with her all day so she would feel comfortable. After three hard weeks of one on one instruction, many conversations that went unanswered, and not giving up on this particular child, she started to open up. She started to slowly progress in the classroom with her language and social skills. Likewise, she started to sit with the other students in her class at lunch. About a month after school started, she was opening up and participating in circle time discussions. This experience may not sound like a significant moment to the ordinary adult, however; to me it meant
I spent most of my time in a first grade classroom. In this classroom I observed the children as well as the teacher and paraprofessional. This classroom had children with special needs and that is why there was a paraprofessional in the classroom for half the day. What I observed in this classroom was how children with special need should be handle and taught. The teachers in this room loves her job and each student in her class. While in the classroom the teacher allowed me to help with children with their work, read to them and help them with anything else that they needed. During this field experience I got to give back to not only a school, but to a community that is very near and dear to my heart. I hope that I touched each student in a special way, because the students that I got the opportunity to help learn touched my