Descriptions and Values

This week I was able to move beyond preperation to actually working in the classrooms and with students. I feel as though this was the week my service learning experience really began. Early Morning Elementary School is surrounded by a neighborhood that isn't in the best shape; the buildings are old and show signs of neglect. Although the qualities of the neighborhood are not the greatest, the school has a much different appearance and feel to it. The school is a fairly new building with a simple design, and for an elementary school, it is large.

I parked my car in one of the few parking spaces available in the front of the building and walked to the main entrance. After I was allowed inside, I went to the office that was directly left of where I entered. After signing myself in, I headed down the first floor hallway to my first classroom. From 9:30AM to 10:30 AM, I work in a kindergarten classroom. While I was walking, I noticed that the school inside is very similar to its appearance on the outside. Everything is new, but it is very simple; there isn't much on the walls in terms of decoration. When I arrived at my destination, I knocked on the door and entered the classroom. The lights were off which made it difficult to find the teacher. She emerged from behind some easles, and I introduced myself. She asked me to turn on the lights and take a seat at one of the small tables that the children were sitting and waiting around. She was having them wait while she set up activities on several computers for two of the students to do. Having the lights on allowed me to really see the classroom. It had many elements of most classrooms including desks and chairs, cubbies filled with coats and bags, books, paper and various writing utensils, and student artwork all over the walls.

After putting my bag away, I took a seat at a table with three girls. They were curious and excited about having a new visitor. I ended up talking with a girl named Kim. She told me about her new earrings that hurt her ears, her brother who rides the bus with her to school, and her younger siblings that she helps take care of at home. I enjoyed talking with her, and I was delighted that she felt comfortable enough to share with me some details about herself.

The teacher soon asked all of the students to stop what they were doing, put their hands up, and listen. She directed them to put away everything on the tables and gather on the giant rug. They sat in three rows, and each student had an assigned place in the row. It took a little time for the students to get organized.

After everyone was in their correct spot, the teacher began a series of activities. She went through cards that had letters of the alphabet and were accompanied by pictures that began with each letter. The students did well with identifying the pictures and sounding out the first letter. The teacher then turned to the calendar posted on a nearby wall and identified the month, the day and the year. She also asked the students about the type of weather and how many days they had been in school. The next item on the agenda was to learn a new letter. The students had already learned the letters M and S and were now moving on to the letter H. The teacher used a giant book that told a story using every letter. The story using the letter H was about hammering. The students practiced writing the letter in the air, and then singing a hammering song.

I was then pulled out of the classroom in order to work in my second classroom. From 10:30AM to 11:00AM, I work in a Reading Buddies program with a group of five first graders. My job was to play a fun game with the children, while at the same time, helping them improve their writing and reading skills. The game I received was called "Vowel Stars." The kit came with a bunch of laminated paper stars. Each of the points of each star had a vowel while the centers had incomplete words. For example, one of the stars had "d_g" printed in the center. The students were required to write the incomplete word and complete it by filling in all of the vowels to make new words. The children really enjoyed themselves. All of them went beyond one star and ended up completing two or three. They were proud of themselves, and wanted to take their work with them to continue it and show their teachers and parents. Towards the end of the activity, the children were getting a little restless. I decided to let them do what they had been dying to do the minute they saw the stars: trace them in order to draw Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants.

I learned a lot during my first day of service learning. In the kindergarten classroom, I saw values of listening and cooperation emerge. The teacher asked students to perform actions such as putting their hands up or putting their fingers on their lips when it was important to be quiet. I think such actions are meant to encourage students to listen to what others are saying so that they might understand what is going on around them and be able to learn from not only their teacher, but their fellow students. Working with the first graders was the best part of my day. I thought that the Reading Buddies program was a great idea. With a little more time, I think the students will benefit from it. I feel that what I am in doing in my service learning and the Reading Buddies program relates to the ideas presented by Kahne and Westheimer. They present two kinds of service learning models: charity and change. While both models are good, the change model focuses on social reconstruction and transformation. The change model involves looking for ways to change the status quo, the present situation in the classroom. This model provides a much deeper and rewarding service learning experience for both the student and the children they are working with. Kahne and Westheimer emphasize the importance of creating positive changes within the classroom. The teachers within the Early Morning Elementary School understand that children in Providence schools struggle and have different needs than those of students in other schools. This program is a means to help and transform their abilities. I am excited to be a part of the program. I really loved working with my group of first graders, and the experience affirmed that this was the age level that I hope to work with someday.