7th Day of Service

Today when I got to my service site, the classroom had been changed around a bit, now there seems to be a different sort of center, but the children did not use it today. Also when I got there two boys, Carlos and Ronnie, were working with a different teacher. I played with the children for a little while, then it was time for gym class. The gym teacher had set up an obstacle course for the children, that included a balance beam, tunnels, and jumping on mats. They all really enjoyed this, and they all cooperated the best that I have ever seen them. Next they worked on kicking some balls for a while and then they all sat in a circle and played with some stuffed animals and squishy balls, during this activities some of the children were crying or not really participating, so I think that more active things, like obstacles course work better for them. Back in the classroom, I helped the children wash their hands, and then I sat at a table with Ronnie and Carlos for snack. They were pretty good, and then it was time to do their work. The work today corresponded with Thanksgiving and things that they liked to eat. Carlos did his well, but Ronnie wouldn't participate, so he didn't get a sticker on his goal chart. After that there was a bit of play time were I helped a little girl play with puzzles. Then it was playground time, I pushed Ronnie on the swing and chased him, and also played basketball with Carlos, recess is a good time for these children. Back in the classroom we watched a video, which was Little Bill. Then I got the children's coats and backpacks and walked Carlos to his bus and that was the day. I really feel like I know the children now and I enjoy working with them.

A current event that would correspond with my service site would be that of recess. Now a days schools encourage recess so that children can be active, but some schools also don't want to have too much playground time. My elementary school got rid of morning recess for a year, and it made it a lot harder for the children concentrate. At my site recess is a great outlet for the children since they have a lot of energy, and it also gives them a chance to be active. We stay out there for close to an hour and they all run around and play and then are quieter and more focused back in the classroom. I think that recess is an important part of the school day. A media event that corrsponds to my site is sports. Sports are always on TV and are a big part of high school. I played basketball with Carlos today and it helped him to work on his motor skills and I think that he really enjoyed the one on one attention that he got from me.

A theory that goes along with my service is that of behavior and schedule charts. Each child has a behavior chart to mark their progress and it really does help them to listen better. Each child is also shown a picture schedule so they know what activity comes next, this helps them to transition better. Carlos is also given a chart to show that he is following directions, this also seems to help him focus. Charts and schedules are very important to the children's learning experience.

6th Day of Service

Today the class was once again small, as two boys were absent and one little girl had moved up. The day started with play time, during which I played trains with some boys and just generally observed what was going on. All the children played nicely for the most part, though some were crabby. Then it was time for gym class. When we got there there was a fifth grade boy helping out with the class, I thought that that was cool that he got to participate like that. During class the children played on scooters, which they really liked. They also made the scooters into a train, which is what they were learning about this week. The also practiced kicking balls and playing with hulu hoops. After gym we went back to the class and had snack and then they did their work. Their work was painting a train picture by wheeling a small plastic train through paint. This was cool, the children enjoyed it, and it tied into what they were learning. Next we went out to the playground. I pushed some children on the swings, but mainly I chased this one little boy all around the playground. He really like doing that, and it seemed to help him to focus better later. Back in the classroom we watched a Thomas the Train video, which again ties into the lesson on trains, and the I got the children's backpacks and coats. I took one little boy to his bus, and that was the day. It was very enjoyable, and I liked how the theme of trains was tied in throughout the day. (they had even made a train out of cardboard box's, there were train sets in the play area and train pictures on the wall.)

A current event that would relate to my service would be that of technology in the classroom. These days teachers are always trying to bring technology into the classroom, whether in be doing something on computers or even using cell phones as part of a lesson. In my classroom at Gearity they use watching a movie at the end of the day to make the transition easier and to tie the lesson into the class. They used watching Thomas as a way of continuing the lesson on trains and also to learn about colors and sizes as well. A media event that would relate to my service would be that of art. Today the children used art to tie into their train lesson and to also work on their motor skills by rolling the trains through paint. I think that art is an important think to have in the classroom, and it can teach children many skills.

A theory that relates to my service would be that of punishment. The children in my classroom often hit each other, and they are not really given a timeout, just told to stop or keep hands to self. While this might be effective, I think that maybe they would get the message better if they had to sit out for a minute or two. But other than that I'm really enjoying my service and it is something that I would consider doing again next semester.

5th Day Of Service

Today when I got to the classroom, I was told yet again about some changes to the schedule. Now at the end of the day the children watch a movie while the teacher's get their backpacks and coats so as to make the line up process run smoother. Also the children now all have their own goal charts. Each child has two goals and if they achieve both goals they can pick from the treasure chest. These goals are things like lining up on time and keeping their hands to themselves. These new changes seem to make the class run smoother. Anyway when I first got to the classroom it was playtime, so I played cars with a little boy named Carlos for a while. Then it was time for gym, it seemed to be more structured today. First the children ran around, then they practiced skills such as galloping, then they did some actives with kicking balls, and finally they had some free gym time towards the end of class. The actives done in gym class today seemed to be focused on working on the children's motor skills. Most of the children did well and seemed to enjoy the actives. Back in the classroom we had snack time, and then craft time. The craft they made today was a rainbow using different colors of paper. I helped Carlos work on his, he did a pretty good job staying focused. Then we went outside for recess, I pushed a little girl on the swing and she did a good job of saying more if she wanted to be pushed again. When we went back in the classroom the children watched a movie about Spot the Dog, in the movie Spot sees a rainbow, which is why they made rainbows today. While the movie was still playing I helped the children get their coats on, then I walked some of them to their buses. Severel children were absent today, but it was still a good day at Gearity.

A current event that relates to my service is the voting that took place on Tuesday. While I don't know if Gearity had any issues on the ballot, I do know that education in general is always a big ticket issue. Schools like Gearity that have special education programs need funding, and for that they need levies to pass. So it is important when voting to take in the different education issues, because if schools don't get enough funding, programs like the one I work at at Gearity will suffer. A popular culture event that relates that relates to my service is educational television for children. There are many shows out their aimed to help children learn, like Dora the Explorer or Word World. Today at Gearity, as mentioned above, the children watched a Spot movie, things like this help them to stay focused and work on their speech, among other things. It does seem that the children benefit from watching this movie, they were all very focused during it. A theroy that I think applies to my service is that of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when something pleasant happens when a certain behavior is exhibited. When the children at Gearity do what their supposed to, like line up on time, they receive a sticker on their goal charts. This seems to work well and most of the children seem to be becoming better listeners.

Today was another eventful and enjoyable day of service. I can really see the children's progress now, I see them talking more, gaining motor skills and becoming better listeners.