I was not excited when Lina told us we'd be doing a service learning project. I like kids, but I wasn't sure if I could have the patience to teach a child about careers. Luckily, my partner and I got a sweetheart named Emma. Emma is 11 and going to the 6th grade. She loves math and hopes to be either a teacher, an accountant, an artist, a vet, or a doctor!
Task one was to make a collage. I had a vision of how I wanted it to look, so it was hard finding letters to use for her career choices. But once we were done, it looked great! We were all proud of our project.
Next, I made a powerpoint for her. This took forever since Emma wanted to be so many things! I must say that my presentation was a piece of work, and I was more than excited to show her. Unfortunately, when we got there, I was told that my USB wouldn't work on their computers. I had to tell her about her choices instead of show her.
Then, she had to write an essay. Because my powerpoint wouldn't work, together we researched her careers online. From there, she wrote a short essay on how she would accomplish her goals, the skills she'd need, and the classes she would have to take. This process didn't take her long at all.
The last task was for her to make a middle school action plan. Emma knows that she wants to take the highest math classes offered. She's a great listener and will continue to do the best that she can. And most importantly, she will stay focused on her dreams and use them as a motivation to get through school.
This experience showed me that I do have patience. It also showed that me that I have potential in teaching. But most importantly, I learned that in order to help her get to her dreams, I need to be organized myself. There would be no point in making her do these projects if I hadn't been thinking about my career choices, especially since my time is winding down! I think that I realized that I do need people to grow, and that it's not me against the world. Emma taught me that.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Week 1
I arrived early, with thoughts that I'd find a parking spot close to my building. I was wrong. Then, I had to walk about 10 minutes across campus to find my building, which I guess was fine because walking is the only exercise I get. Luckily, there was a beautiful scenery to view on my trip.
I got there early enough to meet up with some friends in the Milo Bail food court. We got pretty comfortable, and then decided to looked around. I found the Convenient Store. I was immediately amazed by the cheap prizes of food and candy the store consisted of, so I stocked up! A bag pretty full of candy and a Pop Tart cost me less than $3.00 - now that's my kind of store.
Soon, it was on to College 101. It excited me to know that I'd have a class in which I could do college and scholarship searches. I mean, I knew I had to get those tasks done, but this class will actually be my motivation to doing it. Maria even passed out binders to us! It's like she could read our minds, like she just knew that at the least I am not a very organized person.
My first choice for a class was English, and I wouldn't have any other way. I like President Obama's and he's a brilliant writer, but at many points this week, he's bored me in my reading. But honestly, his book has taught me to really think about many issues, and it's definitely helped in writing my autobiography. This biggest factor, however, has been my class' discussions. We've digged deep into culture, racism, stereotypes, and this list goes on. It's been incredible to hear the thoughts and feelings of people who were born all over the world. Those 14 other people have inspired me, brought me on tangents, and forced me to pour my heart into my story.
I'm excited to work with a kid, and I think that my partner and I chose a sweetheart. If I can help Emma figure out what she wants to do when she grows up than I'll be happy. When I asked her, she gave me a long list of occupations. It sounds like she wants to be Barbie! So, getting her to make a collage of her dream careers should not be too difficult.
I like my study group facilitator. He's a younger guy who found it easy to connect with my class. He did a great job at clearing up and confusion we had while reading, especially vocabulary. The other day, he asked us to share a condensed version of our life stories, and he did the same. I think it made it easier to share what I had been writing for my autobiography. I felt like my class wasn't judging me, like most of my peers in high school do. But I guess that's the difference - most of my peers in high school aren't nearly as articulate and educated as my fellow summer scholars.
So, what's been the hardest part about my first week of college? Well, I often fell asleep while reading, so I'd have to go back and refresh. Parking was no fun, and I think UNO should make bigger lots. But none of my experiences have been unpleasant so far. The most difficult aspect, for me, has been waking up. Then, it's all a breeze from there.
I got there early enough to meet up with some friends in the Milo Bail food court. We got pretty comfortable, and then decided to looked around. I found the Convenient Store. I was immediately amazed by the cheap prizes of food and candy the store consisted of, so I stocked up! A bag pretty full of candy and a Pop Tart cost me less than $3.00 - now that's my kind of store.
Soon, it was on to College 101. It excited me to know that I'd have a class in which I could do college and scholarship searches. I mean, I knew I had to get those tasks done, but this class will actually be my motivation to doing it. Maria even passed out binders to us! It's like she could read our minds, like she just knew that at the least I am not a very organized person.
My first choice for a class was English, and I wouldn't have any other way. I like President Obama's and he's a brilliant writer, but at many points this week, he's bored me in my reading. But honestly, his book has taught me to really think about many issues, and it's definitely helped in writing my autobiography. This biggest factor, however, has been my class' discussions. We've digged deep into culture, racism, stereotypes, and this list goes on. It's been incredible to hear the thoughts and feelings of people who were born all over the world. Those 14 other people have inspired me, brought me on tangents, and forced me to pour my heart into my story.
I'm excited to work with a kid, and I think that my partner and I chose a sweetheart. If I can help Emma figure out what she wants to do when she grows up than I'll be happy. When I asked her, she gave me a long list of occupations. It sounds like she wants to be Barbie! So, getting her to make a collage of her dream careers should not be too difficult.
I like my study group facilitator. He's a younger guy who found it easy to connect with my class. He did a great job at clearing up and confusion we had while reading, especially vocabulary. The other day, he asked us to share a condensed version of our life stories, and he did the same. I think it made it easier to share what I had been writing for my autobiography. I felt like my class wasn't judging me, like most of my peers in high school do. But I guess that's the difference - most of my peers in high school aren't nearly as articulate and educated as my fellow summer scholars.
So, what's been the hardest part about my first week of college? Well, I often fell asleep while reading, so I'd have to go back and refresh. Parking was no fun, and I think UNO should make bigger lots. But none of my experiences have been unpleasant so far. The most difficult aspect, for me, has been waking up. Then, it's all a breeze from there.
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