Service Learning Project Update

I can’t believe it’s already the end of the 7^th week of student teaching! Each week has gone by so fast, and by the end of next week, I’ll be done with my special education placement! There are many things I will miss about this placement, but there is so much more that I am looking forward to in my 2^nd grade general education placement. I’ve started helping out in the 2^nd grade classroom during my prep period, so I’m getting to know some of my students. It’s definitely a change from working with 8^th graders, but that’s to be expected!

Last week, the 6^th-8^th graders had a Valentine’s Day Dance after school on Friday. A lot of my 8^th graders wanted me to chaperone, so I decided to go! I went with another student teacher from Northeastern University, Kaitlyn, who I work with during first period. I was glad I went because it allowed the kids to see me outside of a student teacher role and to interact with me in a more relaxed way. The dance was something positive the kids had to look forward to all week. Kaitlyn and I did the “Cupid Shuffle” and the “Cha Cha Slide” with everyone there! It was a wonderful end to a very productive week.

I also got a valentine present... sorta. A couple weeks ago, a student and I had a small disagreement which led to a very unpleasant conversation that ended up with the student yelling at me and disrespecting me. It was a conversation that basically hurt any chance of me creating a relationship with her for the rest of my time in the placement. The next week, this student was experiencing cramps for the first time, and since my cooperating teacher is a guy, she turned to me to talk about it. As surprised as I was by her actions, I sat and talked with her for about ten minutes to help her talk through whatever she wanted. We shared a positive moment, and I was glad she took that step to talk to me. We've been getting along ever since, and we even joke around a bit! On Friday, she dropped off a small bag on my desk and told me that this was a valentine/thank-you/sorry present. She remembered that I'm Muslim from a conversation we had during the first week of school. She's Muslim as well, and she told her parents to find me a present that we could connect with. When I opened the bag, it was a small plaque with some Arabic words on it. It's not a normal valentine, but it is symbolic and something that she really didn't have to do. I was touched and was really happy for the rest of the day, because I felt that I had made some type of impact on one student, even if it happened just by talking to her.

Craft #1 – Paper Plate Crowns

Last week was the first week of my service learning project at the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club, and it was really successful. I wasn’t sure how well the program had been marketed at the Club, but around 30 kids came and participated in my activity! Each kid made a paper plate crown that gave 6-8 facts about themselves. I introduced myself with my paper crown and told the kids to do the same with their crowns. It was so great to work with a younger group of kids again! Each of them was so creative and had awesome facts to share. I was surprised to see how many of the boys were interested in the activity! I’ve been trying to find crafts that appeal to both boys and girls, and this one worked out very well. After seeing the success of this activity, I know I will use it in my future classroom if I work with a younger age group!

**Shout-out to the Women's Philanthropy Council for providing me with the funding to make this arts and crafts program happen! We made physical valentines for them to show our thanks!

Craft #2 – Foam and Foil Superhero Shields

This week, I planned to teach the students the art of embossing using a cheap method: aluminum foil. Embossing is just a fancy word for making indents or raised surfaces in any material. I had done some embossing in elementary and middle school and thought it was fun, so I wanted to try it out with the kids at the Club. I asked the kids to draw a shape or the letter of their first name on a piece of cardstock. Then, we cut them out and taped them on a foam sheet. We covered the foam sheet with aluminum foil and used the ends of markers and pens to make indents into the aluminum foil. This worked out really well for the older kids, but was a difficult task for the younger ones to complete on their own. I ended up modifying the craft for the younger kids to draw patterns and color on the aluminum foil to decorate their shield. Both the girls and the boys loved this craft and were very creative with their designs.

Next week, I’m hoping to work with paints and canvases, so I plan to have a smaller group of older kids. I’m really looking forward to it!

Working at the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club is so much fun. I like being able to work with kids that are younger than the age of 13! They’re so lively and talkative!

While I’m doing my arts and crafts, Gabe interviews kids for his sports radio talk show. This is the link to his 2^nd podcast with them: https://m.soundcloud.com/kids-know-sports/episode-2. They actually know a lot about Chicago sports and have a lot to say! Check it out!