Smooth Sailing...

The last time I went to Cityview to volunteer for ACES we had a small amount of students show up, but Katie, the team leader, dealt with the situation very well. We allowed the ones who did choose to participate to draw and play games, as they were in the middle of standardized testing and didn't have any homework to complete. We talked with the students in a very comfortable, more relaxed way, as the program was very laid back that day.
I will only be going to ACES one more time, as I have my hours complete and we are rapidly approaching the period of headaches and long nights in school. I feel that it may be hard to tell the kids that I won't be coming back any more. I have been working with the same group of students throughout my experience, and while I have developed closer relationships with some students than others, it will still be strange to not see them all every week. They have taught me a lot and every time I go, I learn that there comes a time where you just need to calm down and forget about everything you have to do at home. The kids need you to really be there when you go. They deserve it.
In general, working with kids of any age, culture, religion etc can really take a toll on you, but it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life if you let it. Though I am quite sure I could never work with students on a daily basis, I do enjoy doing it intermittently.
In the summer I work as a sailing instructor for the lake that I live on. I was recently informed that the sailing school may be trying to develop a relationship with the local YMCA and other organizations to give underprivileged kids the opportunity to attend a camp in which they could spend time on the lake and learn to sail. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to help with this program. I think it would be a great thing to see kids learning to sail who REALLY wanted to do something new, as opposed to the kids I currently coach, who tend to think they are "too cool for sailing school."
This may be lame, but I envy the simplicity of their lives and I love being included in them, even for short periods of time.

Posted by Allison Prange at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After switching team leaders last week, for the second time, I have been able to compare the way the kids are handled from leader to leader, especially since I have been fortunate enough to remain with the same students throughout my ACES experience. I really appreciate the work the team leaders put in. It is not an easy job, and I only go once a week. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I could EVER be a teacher, I would probably lose my mind. Perhaps I could handle college students, but even so, their complaining is quite extensive.
This week at Cityview went quite well. I enjoyed working with the kids, as always, though fewer showed up this week than usual. They have standardized testing this week, so of course they have ample energy and no homework, which is not always a great combination. However, Katie, the team leader, dealt with them very well. We allowed them to have structured free time to put some of their energy into, and then of course continued to the gym.
I am really glad I have been able to stick with the same group of students throughout. Learning how to deal with certain students effectively takes more than a few days, in most cases. I also really enjoy walking in and being able to hold laid back conversations with the majority of the students I have been working with. They say hello and call me by name, which really is an awesome thin, no matter how small. I do know, however, that my experience with ACES is coming to an end. It makes me sad to think that these next few visits will be the last time I will see these students (unless, of course we continue with service learning, though they probably won't remember me in a few months). It is the same situation when the summer comes to a close and I finish working with my sailing school students. I feel like I get more attached to them than most of them are to me, though they probably never realize it. Now that I think about it, in my younger years I probably had such a huge amount of volunteers and teachers who came to work with me in school and practices, and honestly I can't remember the large majority of them, though I am sure they had an impact on my life at the time. It's strange how quickly kids can rebound and move on from people coming and going.
Anyways, now that I have become all reflective and philosophical, this week went well. I enjoyed working with Katie and the kids and I am looking forward to going back!

Posted by Allison Prange at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This was the first week back in the swing of things since spring break, and it seems like it has been forever since I saw the kids. I got to work with the same kids that I usually work with again this week, although the team leader switched. I really enjoyed working with the new team leader, Katie. She was really good at working with the kids, especially those who clearly didn't want to be there. She kept them very well under control which gave me more of a chance to have some one-on-one homework time with the kids as opposed to having to work on keeping them under control the whole time. I worked with one student, Cardell, this week who has always been difficult to work with. He is generally well behaved and doesn't really talk back, but at times he doesn't really talk at all. I got him to work on his homework for a short while, but towards the end, he completely shut down and wouldn't respond to me in any way. Thankfully, however, Katie had an activity for the kids. We watched a movie about the Raptor Center here on campus and the students had to fill out a worksheet. It kept them all in check until it was gym time, and it was pretty interesting (I thought). In the gym I helped twirl the jump rope, as I usually do, but then Julia and I (another volunteer) started to play along with the kids, and I think they got a kick out of it. They are all really great kids and I love working with them... most of the time.

Posted by Allison Prange at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)