I wanted to let everyone know that I started working as a foster grandparent at Roosevelt Grade School in Hays, Kansas. I work from 8:30 am to 11:30 am everyday in a resource room for kindergarden and first grade students. The classroom teacher has worked for 31 years in several different Kansas school districts in many capacities; including consultant. She is very good with the students and I am learning a lot from her. I spend a lot of 1-1 time with students and help them with the assignments they receive in the regular classroom. The students also do remedial work to help them improve their skills. The children are very sweet and they work very hard.
When I say the students work hard, I mean it. I don't know how many work sheets they do before 10:30 in the morning. We race everyday to get all the assignments done. I have not been in a regular classroom, but I can only imagine the stress all the teachers feel to achieve by a certain date. I believe achievement is measured by test scores, which means both teachers and students are under a lot of pressure. Roosevelt has a very pleasant learning environment though, and all the teachers and staff seem very nice. If a student arrives in the morning and has not eaten breakfast, a breakfast is provided. The younger students also get snacks throughout the day.
Now that I am a foster grandparent, I have had to get used to leaving the apartment by 8:00 in the morning. I try to have the bed made and the breakfast dishes done before I leave. This means that I keep moving from the moment I get out of bed. Learning to adapt to a new schedule and a work environment has been somewhat stressful. I am usually pretty tired by mid afternoon. However, I am glad that I am more involved in the world than I have been. Since I have not worked in five years, my people skills are a little rusty. I hope to improve day by day.
I just thought that I would let everyone know what I am doing these days. I was scared before I began volunteering at Roosevelt. I hoped that I would be accepted by the students and the teachers. So far, things are working out just fine.
Getting physical
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Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
swim, lift, and run on my own (or with the masters swim team) during the
week, and o...
12 years ago
3 comments:
I am very proud of you Honor...you are meeting a personal challenge to volunteer in an important way!! You go!! I hope you will keep us posted on the many magical things you see in the classroom.
ellen
Honor, I agree with my mom. You're doing amazing work, and I'm proud of you too. It would be so easy to just do your own thing -- sleep as late as you'd like, engage in a morning routine of your choosing, etc.
Instead, you're making a difference in the lives of teachers and young children. This sounds like it's right up your alley, too, considering your degree in elementary education and experience as a teacher. I'd definitely be interested in knowing what changes you notice since finishing your teaching degree. What's still the same?
Obviously, the accountability movement has created a lot of pressure for students and teachers to demonstrate achievement via standardized tests. Even though these types of tests may not be evil in and of themselves (high-stakes tests might be though), the amount of emphasis schools place on them is overwhelming and undermines true learning experiences for many students.
I'm glad you're there to help students engage with the material and truly learn, rather than simply memorizing facts/dates/concepts for tests.
I can't wait to hear more stories about your work! Love you!
Wow! Thanks for your encouragement Ellen and Katie. I like what I am doing at Roosevelt and I hope my supervising teacher continues to approve of my efforts. I used to pad around the apt. in barefeet and pj.s til about 10:00 am. I would read haiku on the computer and watch Good Morning America. Having somewhere to go in the morning is a big improvement.
So far, I have found the staff at Roosevelt has a positive attitude. The thing that remains the same is, not all students can meet the high standards set for them. School is a source of constant frustration for those students. What is new for elementary schools is the access students have to computers. Elementary grade school students are completely at home with the computer. They really enjoy the educational games available. In the future, I will become more familiar with the reading programs used in the resource room. Some students benefit from phonics and some students need a sight word approach. Using more than one approach is also a new concept in schools, I think. That is a good thing.
Thanks again for your encouragement. I have lost sleep wondering if I could be really helpful and if I could learn a new routine.
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