WebLog 3

Today I went on my first service learning experience at St. Thomas Aquinas. As soon as I arrived there, I noticed the neighborhood where it was located and the outside of the school. Everything was rundown, and there was trash lying on the ground everywhere. Once we got inside, I saw that the students were running around, eating snacks, and attempting to do their homework. After I signed in, I walked over to help some students with their homework. An eighth grade girl asked me to help her with her math homework. She was working on adding and subtracting fractions. Her class was much further behind than my eighth grade studies were. At her age, I was learning algebra. This fact made me realize that inner city schools were definitely lacking in the math department. I found it sad because I wanted her to be able to attempt more difficult problems.

After she left the afterschool program, I went over and helped a third grader finish her homework. She was assigned to read a poem to three different people. For only being eight years old, she definitely was a good reader. I was glad that her school at least was teaching the students how to read well. However, when I was playing with her later, she mentioned how much she hated her shoes. I asked her why, and she told me that her mom forced her to get them because they were the only shoes they could afford. This definitely made me feel guilty. Never have I been forced to buy a pair of shoes because they were the only ones I could afford. It made me feel sorry for her and her life situation. It has to be so rough to live life where you can't even buy a simple pair of nice shoes.

Today's experience has already made a great impact on my life, and I am looking forward for the weeks to come.

The questions I have for the reading are as follows:

1) While someone is being dispositioned, how can one learn to unknow and not-know?

2) How much does it take a person to get past their stereotypes and assumptions?

3) During the service learning experience, why did the participants feel confused and discomforted at times?

4) Before volunteering for these service learning experiences, how much were the participants aware of their work sites?

5) Has the knowledge and self-discovery the participants received stuck with them in their daily lives to this day?

WebLog2

My service learning project this semester will take place at St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Cleveland. I will be tutoring children from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. In addition, I will also be participating in recreational activities with the children. I am assuming that I will be playing games with the kids that will help stimulate their brains, but also allow them to enjoy their time with me as well.

I believe this qualifies as a site because the children at this school are below the poverty level. These kids do not own much, and probably do not have a stable family life at home. By tutoring and engaging in activities with these children, it will provide me with an opportunity to be in a diverse community.

A question that I have about this site is "Although the children do not have much, are they still willing to learn?" I would like to see if they are motivated to learn, or if they seem to only be in school because they are supposed to be there. Also, I question, "Is this site similar to the examples I have read about in class?" I would like to know if they show the drop out rates, the inteligence level, and the children's ability to read.

Class Survey

Personal Information

1. Name: Alise

2. I would prefer to be called Alise

3.  I would like to teach grades 4-9, and I would like to teach Math and Science.

4. What are you into; what makes you special? Share a few “unique” aspects about yourself that would help our classroom community get to know you a bit better.

I like to ski, play clarinet in Pep band, swim, hanging out with friends, watching a good chick flick, dancing and singing alone in the car

Learning Style and more:

5. Being as specific as you can, what must be in place for you to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a classroom?

In order for me to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a classroom, I would need a group of students that are willing to participate in class. I would like the students to feel that not only is it necessary for them to go to school, but I want them to actually want to come each day. By having an environment where students want to learn, I would feel more comfortable taking risks in the classroom.

6. I am interested in your perception of yourself as a student. Please describe it. Consider such criteria as a) active oral class participation; b) responsible, timely class preparation (of readings, projects, etc.); c) honest, candid self-assessment; d) awareness of your own preferred learning styles/approaches; e) first thing that you do when you cannot or do not understand something; f)other dimensions you believe to be relevant and informative.

A   A. In class, I tend to only participate in certain classes. I enjoy participating in math or science classes when I know the answers. Typically, when I am in a class where I am supposed to give an opinion, I stay quiet. I see myself as a pretty shy person in a classroom unless I know an answer for sure.

B)   B. I believe that I am a pretty responsible student. I always try to be early or at least on time. I always try to do my homework in time for class. I also attempt the readings for class most of the time.

C)   C. truly believe that I am an honest student. If I ever feel that I may be plagiarizing, I try to re-write my paragraph to make sure it does not happen.

D)   D. In a classroom, my best learning style is through visual learning. I tend to learn best when I see the information and then write it out again.

E)   E. When I cannot understand something, I reread it out loud. Hearing it out loud helps me to think about the statement or problem.

F)    F. In addition, as a student, I try to stay organized. However, my flaw is that I tend to procrastinate. Although I try to stay ahead, I start things, but do not finish them until last minute.

7. Is there anything I should know about you, your learning style, or life situation that may be relevant to your successful performance in this course? (Please decide what to share with the class and what to share in confidence with me).

As I grew up, it was not acceptable in my family to get any grades lower than a B. If this happened, my sister or I would be grounded for a month. Because of this, I learned to try my hardest in class.  If I don’t try my best, it’s not acceptable. I think this has also led to being a perfectionist in some ways.

Education Past and Present

8. Share a formative memory from your experiences as a student.

When I was in fourth grade, I had a teacher named Miss Lasecki. She was involved in my church and in my community theater program that I was in. I have seen her every year since, and she has always been a mentor for me. I could go to her for anything, and she was a large part of my school years. I have always wanted to be like her.

9. Please discuss what are, for you, the some significant issues or concerns facing the field of education right now.

One particular concern I have right now in the field of education is finding a job after I graduate. Although I have heard about the numerous job opportunities for teachers in other states, I do not know if I would be ready to move away from Ohio right away. If I could, I would love to teach in Ohio, but I am worried about not finding a job near Northeast Ohio.

10. Let’s imagine, humbly, that this course is definitely going to be the most meaningful and relevant course you’ve ever experienced. EVER. Drawing on your past experience in classrooms, and thinking uniquely, specifically and BIG, describe what we need to (1) DO (activities/projects), (2) STUDY (content topics and compelling issues/questions), (3) BE (interacting with each other) and (4) AVOID (in the previous three categories) in order for your visionary views of an ideal course to be mostly realized.

1.     In this class, we should do activities that help me to become a better writer. I feel that it is a very weak point in my studies

2.     We should study specific topics that would be easy to relate to in our daily lives.

3.     As I have learned in other courses, part of being a teacher is networking and having connections. I believe that lots of class interaction is probably the best way to get to know one another.

4.     In my opinion, we should avoid activities that are unrelated to our future at teachers. We should only engage in activities that will better prepare us for a career in education.

About Dr. Shutkin

11. Write down two or three questions you would like to ask me about myself or the class.

1.     What is your primary goal that we, as students, should get out of the class?

2.     Did you have any fears before becoming a teacher?