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March 19th: Emily

3/19/2018

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For the last seven months I have been working in a nearby pre-school classroom with about eighteen 4-5 years olds, a teacher, and an assistant teacher. The classroom setting has changed tremendously since the beginning of my time at this school. Originally, the class met as a whole and the teachers attempted to balance the time between center time, lessons, and recess. Now the kids are split into two smaller groups (8-9 students each) depending upon their reading proficiency. While one group moves through center time and classroom lessons, the other group is outside for recess or in the library. Then the groups switch. I have found that I feel most helpful when I remain in the classroom to play and aid in teaching lessons. I can see enormous growth in the kids’ reading levels and social skills -- much of which can be attributed to the smaller class sizes and personal attention from their teacher.
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This semester I am working on my service learning project in partnership with my pre-K. After talking with the teachers and observing the classroom setting, I decided to focus my project on the art center. This space is currently very disorganized. There are old/mixed supplies, messy bins, no clear rules, and no set art projects. I hope to tackle these problems individually to establish a center that provides opportunities for creation and exploration. The students are currently mainly using the space to cut up paper, but I forsee the potential for actual projects and lessons. I am looking forward to the rest of my time with my kids and implementing my service project!
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March 19th: Corey

3/19/2018

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Working in my kindergarten classroom has been an incredibly rewarding experience. A large portion of the time I spend in the classroom, the students work in small groups at various rotations between the other teachers and myself. The rotation station that I lead is where students come to practice their writing and spelling skills. We use various techniques such as practicing our alphabet-phoneme song and breaking words down into individual phonemes in order to string them together to spell entire words. Working with the students in these small groups has allowed me to become familiar with each student’s writing and spelling abilities. As a result, I am able to witness, first-hand, each student’s educational growth as it occurs, which in and of itself, is a remarkable experience. Moreover, knowing that I have helped contribute to their growth makes it an even more satisfying experience. I’m super psyched that I have the opportunity to make a difference in young students’ lives by continuing the work I do in my kindergarten classroom and with Project DIRECT.
 
P.S. Beginning my Monday mornings by walking into a classroom of enthusiastic students who are excited to greet and hug me is a pretty awesome way to start the week.
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March 12th: Caroline

3/12/2018

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I love going to my preschool each week! I have been at the same preschool for a few semesters now, so I have really gotten to know a lot of the staff that work at my site. At first, they were a little unsure about what role I could have in the classroom, but now they understand that I am there to help with any extra work that they need. I usually end up playing with the kids during center time, reading to them before carpet activities, or dancing with them during music. I also help out with kids that need extra one-on-one time or help.
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I love being able to see the kids week after week, and it’s such a great time to take a break from my busy schedule. The kids have grown so much over the year, and it’s so interesting to see how they learn and change so much. For example, at the beginning of the year, they struggle with learning letters and numbers, or sitting still during carpet time. Now, they know when to follow along with the teacher, and many of them can write their name or even read short words! I can’t wait to see how much they will learn by the end of the year, and how much they will grow!
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March 5th: Casi

3/5/2018

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My work as a part of the Project DIRECT team has given me new insights into the field of psychology as well as new knowledge to apply to every day life. Much of what I learn comes from the hours I spend at my preschool interacting with the children and adults who are there. In a classroom of nearly twenty preschool age children, it can be a bit hectic, meaning that I must learn to go with the flow and be ready for whatever may come. This can seem like a daunting task, but when I arrive and the children become excited to see me, I know that I am able to make the best out of my time with them. Most of my hours are spent in what is called ‘center time,’ meaning that the children are playing and learning at various centers in the classroom. Lately, I have spent the majority of the time at the reading center where children will pick books and I will read to them. Since I began my time at the preschool, I can tell that the children have learned more about letters and words, and this is evident when I read to them. Some are able to sound out the words themselves, while others need clues to assist them. The progress I see in them makes me happy, as I know that the time I spend with them is constructive and able to help them learn, even if my role is not directly as a teacher.

Being around such young children is not an atmosphere that I am used to, but the lessons I have learned thus far have shown me that I am passionate about the well-being of children as well as their school environments. Children all learn and grow in different ways, and being part of this process is incredibly rewarding. I hope to gain more comfort in being in a teaching position for the children, and hopefully this will expand my knowledge even further!
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