Service Learning 293

1. Service Learning 293 Professor Kristi Wood By Dominic Contreras MonongaliaCountySchoolsKaleidoscope!

2. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires -William Arthur Ward

3. Kaleidoscope! A bit about the program… The CliffsNotesVersion… Program Goals Goal 1: To increase the academic performance of students to meet or Exceed state standards in total reading and total math by providing Alternative methods of instruction to increase student motivation and success Goal 2: To increase the number of indviduals who choose a healthy Lifestyle through programs that promote mentoring relationships, service learning, violence and drug prevention activities and leadership opportunities

4. Back to the Basics Kaleidoscope is an afterschool program for elementary school students in grades K-5 • The program receives funding from • The West Virginia Department of • Education and Monongalia County Schools • In 2007 the program enrolled over 350 students • Tuition for students is based on a sliding scale proportional to family income • The program is staffed by volunteers ranging from high school students to ones enrolled at West Virginia University • Many of the volunteers provide academic tutoring to students enrolled in the program • In addition to academic work children are given recreation time to work off the days energy reserves • The program is available at five schools…. • Brookhaven Elementary • Mason-Dixon Elementary • Mylan Park Elementary • North Elementary • Skyview Elementary Kaleidoscope runs from approximately 3:15pm-6:00pm • The program offers a number of after • school activities such as arts and crafts • and math adventures • Daily homework help is provided by • student volunteers • Daily snacks are provided for all students

5. A Day at the Office Upon arriving at North Elementary School everyday I performed a number of activities, the following is a summary of a typical Kaleidoscope day… 3:00pm- After signing in I, along with a fellow volunteer set up the snack tables. After assembling the tables we line them with snacks; graham crackers, pretzels and cereal are common staples on the table. 3:20-4:00pm- All of the students are released from school, most come to the gym where they line up by grade. After conducting a roll call the students are taken to the cafeteria where they eat the previously set up snacks. After a brief meal, supervised by the volunteers, they then go back to the gym where they have free time for 15 minutes. 4:00-pm-5:00pm- After running around the kids go to a number of educational activities. All the initial staff volunteers selected their programs at the beginning of the year, Miss. Kim a fellow volunteer taught arts and crafts to the kid, while Miss. Bianca taught Math Adventures, a numerically inspired race to the right answer. After 30 minutes in one class the students switch to another. It was during these lessons that I helped kids with their homework; everything from addition and subtraction to reading aloud. 5:00-pm – Parent pick up. After spending an hour in class the students are allowed to play in the gymnasium for the remainder of the day until their parents pick them up. This was the fun part of the day where you would play games with the kids, pretty much keeping an eye on them while participating at the same time.

6. A Little ‘Adult Education’ Throughout the duration of my project I acquired a wealth of information through one on one experiences with the children participating in Kaleidoscope. Before beginning my project I was quite naive in terms of elementary education, save my time spent as a young boy, and was a bit apprehensive about working directly with children for the first time in my life. Within a few days spent at North Elementary I garnered a greater understanding of the youth; how to work with them, motivate them, and console them. While working at the school I learned many valuable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I learned to treat every child as I would my own. I vividly remember my time spent in elementary school and the distaste I felt for those teachers who seemed as though all they wanted was a paycheck. While working with the children I gave each one the time of day that many of my past instructors never gave me. I treated each student as an individual; listening to their complaints and questions, no matter how trivial they may have been. I learned patience; a valuable skill that is essential skill and synonymous with individuality. I learned that some people are ‘slow’ while others are ‘fast’ and more often than not it is the ones who lag behind that need the greatest attention. Every time a student asked me for help, be it with math or reading, I stayed as long as they needed me, not wanting to give them a glimpse of help, followed by a turned back.

7. A Lesson in Comfort Above all I learned how to mentor children, to be someone that they could go to in the darkest of times and find someone to shine in a bit of light. I remember vividly one day that tested my counseling abilities to the fullest. The day began as any other would, snack time, followed by a bit of recreation, then some educational activities. That particular day I went with a colleague, Miss. Bianca, to go and play hangman with the kids. At one point a child chose a well known toy as his word, and within a few letters being guessed the entire class knew the answer. One child, who we’ll call James, wanted desperately to answer but wasn’t picked. Within a few minutes he was crying, and I asked what was wrong… ‘I miss my dad’ he said, ‘I haven’t seen him in a really long time and I really miss him’ Knowing from personal experiences how tough and trying it could be for a young man to have an absent father I took him outside to share some of my own experiences. Throughout my adolescence my father was not home very often, not because he was negligent but because his job required long periods of travel, and that took a toll on me as a young man. I told James about the expression ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ recounting how happy he would be when his dad finally did come home, the feeling of joy and elatedness that often can’t be described in words. I told him that his father missed him just as much and that he was thinking of him every single day. When I finished talking to James he relaxed, walking back into class his eyes were devoid of streaming tears, replaced with a smile and a head held high.

8. Adolescent Democracy During my time spent at North Elementary School I noticed kids acting the same way I did when I was younger; hanging out with those they knew best, sharing toys and forming close ties with their closest allies. As a young boy I never thought twice about a little debate over which toy was better, or voting to have a friend of ours go and get something for the group, but after maturing academically I noticed that what they were doing shared many of the same features that are prevalent in government. As a political science major I have learned a great deal about society, when and how it functions best. I noticed that children acted as politicians in their own right. One day in particular stands out as showcasing these young politicians. It was one of my first days in the program and I was supervising the children during their snack time. At one point some of the kids needed more napkins to clean up so they held a mini debate over who should go and get them. Just as a figure in government would, they debated who had done the most in the past, and even bartered a bit, one child in particular saying that if another got the napkins he would do something at a later point. Eventually the group of kids (there were about five of them) took a hands in the air vote to determine who would get the napkins. Though this may be at a very primitive level these children were engaging in democracy, debating the pros and cons of a particular event then democratically deciding who would carry out the needed task. I may not have noticed it when I was younger, but now that I am older I have a far greater appreciation for the power of voting, no matter how important or, in the kid’s case, trivial the subject may be.

9. Students: What did you learn today? I had many insightful and important experiences at North Elementary, from consoling a lonely kid, to helping those with mental deficiencies; I learned the meaning of the golden rule… ‘To treat others as you would have them treat you’ I also learned how to be a role model for young people. When asked about my proudest moment by one of the students I talked at length about the feeling of satisfaction I got when I was accepted to college. I stressed the importance of education in advancing people in life, and how it is important to treat others around you with respect and dignity. I encouraged those who accelerated, telling them with enough work they could be the next Einstein, and I waited behind for the slower children, staying with them until they found the answer, or wrote the word right. In addition to learning a large number of practical skills in working with children I learned a lot about myself and what I would like to do with my life. I have always had an interest in teaching; to share the knowledge that I have been blessed with and to pass it on to others less fortunate. After working with the children at North Elementary school, and the subsequent feelings of happiness that engulfed my mind afterwards I have a renewed interest in being an educator at some point in my life. I would like to volunteer with children again, from those in elementary to high school, when I looked at a lot of these kids I saw not just a young and naïve child, but also the future of our country.

10. A Shadow of a Doubt Before starting the program I had my fair share of doubts about my ability as an educator and role model for young kids. I didn’t know if, being an inpatient person, I would have the patience to assist children, whose brains are just begging to develop, for long periods of time. I doubted my ability to connect with the kids being an adult, and above all worried that the children would not like me. I appeased a lot of these fears by calling one of the smartest women I knew; someone who raised three successful kids and was there every step of the way, I called my mother. It was my mother who told me not to worry, to be confident in myself and to treat others as I would have them treat me. She told me to be patient and understanding with the kids, to treat each one as an individual and pay them the respect they deserve. I also called many of my friends who had volunteer with children in the past, all shared the same sentiment; for good or bad, through thick and thin, whether they liked their experience or not, their time spent volunteering made them who they were and a better person because of it. After spending a couple of days at North Elementary my doubts were cast out the window; I was well liked by the children, sought after for help and advice, and even engaged them in intellectual meaningful conversations. Looking back I think that my time spent volunteering for Kaleidoscope made me a better person, and added a whole new realm of experiences to draw on in future endeavors.

11. A look back Havingcompleted my service learning project, I am quite honestly sad to see it end. Since my first day I thoroughly enjoyed coming to volunteer every Monday and Wednesday, even sneaking in a few extra days when possible. When I was at the school Ifelt like I was making a difference in some way, however big or little. Some of the times that I look back with the most fondness on were those spent helping the kids with homework and seeing the kick kids got out of finally solving that impossible math problem, or when they learn new words. End as it may, I look back with fondness on my time spent at North Elementary. I made lots of friends, from the other volunteers to the site coordinator, as well as all the students, my time there didn’t feel like school, it felt fun! Thank you very much Ms. Wood for (a) informing me about the class mid semester, and (b) for helping me find such a good agency to work for. In fact I may be back at some point next year to sign up for another course. Thanks for everything and have a great winter break! P.S. Sorry if some of the fonts were hard to read, I’m not the best color matcher 