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.