Service Learning Project: Reflection #3

On my final visit to the YWCA I brought with me a copy of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's book How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?. I chose this book primarily because the language was aimed at primarily at preschool aged children and matched the language of the books I had seen Ms. Nancy read to the children earlier. What captured my attention about Yolen and Teague's book, however, was the lesson in good manners it taught the children. I had looked through many books geared toward a preschool audience before finding this one and was unable to find a book with any sort of theme beyond basic identification. The setup of this book also lent itself well to reenactment, a teaching tactic I had seen Ms. Nancy use upon several occasions in the classroom before. So, as I read the story aloud to the children I had them stand up and act out both the good and bad actions of the dinosaurs. The children really seemed to enjoy the book and the silly actions they had to do to mirror those of the dinosaurs. After I finished the story the children returned to their seats and I thanked them for their participation. 

In retrospect, I wish I would have interacted with the children more as I read them this story, making sure they really got the concept behind the actions of the dinosaurs. I could have achieved this objective by reading through the story by itself once through, then asking the children to identify the good and bad actions of the dinosaurs before they go to bed. After this, I should have read he book a second time during which the children acted out the actions of the dinosaurs, afterwards reiterating the differences in the behavior of the good dinosaurs and the bad ones. 

Service Learning Project: Reflection #2

As I mentioned before, I was amazed, upon my first visit to the YWCA, at how open and accepting the children were to interacting with new people. This was particularly true of the little girl I worked with on a fairly regular basis on my visits to the daycare center. The first time I met this child was when I first walked through the doors of the YWCA, as soon as it became clear that I was going to stay, she invited me to come play with her and her friends. A natural leader, she guided her peers and myself through a multitude of activities centered around dressing up and make-believe. Her vivid imagination and enthusiasm carried over to the classroom where I had the opportunity to lead her in several learning activities. Through these activities this child illustrated her ability to quickly learn new concepts and ideas, easily mastering the activities I presented her with. As my time with her progressed I also noted her eagerness to participate in classroom activities, she was often the first to volunteer her services to any project with indescribable enthusiasm and joy. While her enthusiasm sometimes caused some interference with classroom order, she overall behaved in a manner that suited the classroom environment.
From an education stand point, it was wonderful to be able to see how one specific child related with her peers and adults both inside and outside the classroom as this is something educators don't normally get to witness. From my personal interactions with this child in both settings, I was able to observe certain personality characteristics (leadership, enthusiasm, imagination, etc.) that lent themselves well to the classroom environment at the YWCA and several that did not (speaking out of turn, over activity, etc.). In observing her behavior in these two different settings I was able to gain insight into her character and how my future students might act outside the classroom as well.

Service Learning Project: Reflection #1

Upon first entering the YWCA, I was immediately swept into the play of the children. No sooner had I set my coat down then they asked me to join in their games. After a brief round of introductions we were all soon caring for children donning dresses and heading to a birthday party. The openness of the children to new comers at the YWCA was remarkable and really speaks to the staff's ability to create an environment in which the children feel safe and comfortable enough to talk to someone they hardly know without a trace of shyness. So, while I was unable to observe the children during this portion of the day, I was able to study the children as the participated in Preschool classroom.
As I observed in the classroom I noticed how structured and regulated the daily schedule for the children was. Each student was given a job rotation for that day from snack-helper to line-leader. This in particular gave each student a sense of individual purpose within the classroom. After the jobs were announced for the day, each student was counted by a peer and a letter in the alphabet was discussed. This task was followed by a short story, some exercise, free-time, snack, an enactment of a story chosen by one of the children and music before heading out to lunch. These events occurred in a fairly sequential order everyday, giving the children a sense of normalcy as they knew what to expect at any given moment. I must admit that I personally was surprised at how closely this regimen was adhered to, as I always imagined preschools to be more unregulated; however, upon observing the children at the YWCA I realized how important this sense of rhythmic normalcy is, as it enables them to focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about what was going to happen next. 
Overall, my first trip to the YWCA captured my interest as a future teacher as I was able to observe a point in development that all my students will have to go through. By observing them at this stage, I will be able to better understand the factors that influence my future student's behavior and interest in a given subject.