St. Paul's Methodist After School Program Internship

 11/17/21

Yesterday I went for my first day at the St. Paul's Methodist Church internship. I was very excited because I knew I was going to be working with children which I enjoy, but I was also a little nervous because I didn't know exactly what I was doing and I hoped all the kids would like me. When I got there all my fears immediatly went away because the internship coordinate was super nice and seemed really grateful to have me there. She gave me a quick run-down of what I would be doing and I got started chatting with some of the kids while they had their snacks. There was a large range of age from 1st to 5th grade and I sat at a table with 3 kids in different grades. After snack I helped with homework, this was probably my favorite part because I loved seeing the expressions on the girls faces when they understood a new concept. They worked on math and reading, and although it was a struggle they got through a sizeable chunk and I think they enjoyed it. After homework time was over, we were ready to move on to the crafts for the day. There was a wide variety of crafts including making reefs, coming up with Christmas lists, and creating paintings and drawings to go into brochures for the church. I helped some kids with their drawing and they ended up with little Christmas trees to go in the pmaphlet. 

After some crafts it was time to leave for the day and I was really happy with how my first day had gone. I am excited to be back next week and get to meet more of the kids and help out with their work and crafts! 

12/5/21

I had another successful day at my internship on Wednesday. I am also starting to learn everyones names better which makes it fun. After some preparation for the days crafts I went with the second graders again to go over homework. I was a little disappointed because I could tell they didn't necessarily want to work with me, but after eventually focusing for a little bit we got through the reading and some math. After homework it was time to work on the craft. The task was the create Christmas trees and snowflakes out of popsicle sticks to go in table centerpieces at the church. I helped by gathering materials, getting all the popsicle sticks, and helping kids to glue and decorate. They used lots of creativity to paint, add glitter, and add pom poms to make the trees look like ornaments. It was a lot of fun to see how excited everyone was with their finished products. 

After the kids went home I helped pick up a little, and also learned about the complicated mini advent scenes that they are going to be making over the next couple of weeks. It was another fun day and I enjoyed getting to know the kids and the other volunteers a little better. It is nice to see how many people my age who I know are very busy are willing to dedicate their time to helping these kids learn and also have a fun after school activity. 

12/9/21

I had another good day volunteering and got to meet a lot of new students and volunteers which was a lot of fun. When I first got there the kids started by practicing their Christmas songs that they are performing. Some of them are in English and some are in Spanish, but for both it was really cute to see them go through all the motions and get excited to sing loudly during the choruses. After singing it was snack time, and after snack time it was raft time. Most of the kids don't have a lot of homework this week, so they went straight to work on their mini nativity scenes. This including making the baby Jesus, angels, Mary and Joseph and a little sheep. Then they got glued on to a colorful tile. Overall it looked super cute and the kids seemed like they had a lot of fun putting it all together. I helped the kids make the sheet which was pretty messy and required gluing wool together, and I also helped some of the kids make angels and baby Jesus' if they were behind. Overall it was probably my favorite day that I have been so far. Everyone was excited about the project they were making and I think everyone was also having fun getting into the Christmas spirit. 

I am excited to go back next week and see what other Holiday projects are taking place and also how the ones they were working on this week end up turning out. It was also cool to meet all the other volunteers who dedicate their time and are so eager and ready to help even after a long day at school. 

1/27/22

Yesterday I went back to Rutabaga for the last time. The kids started by eating their snacks then did some homework. Everything had to get done very quickly because at about 3:45 a speaker was coming, so snacks and homework had to be done quickly. I helped one of the second graders with homework and counting coins, since that is what he was learning. While he had some trouble figuring out the math with bigger questions, eventually he started to get the hang of it and I think simple explanations helped. After homework time the speaker arrived along with his adorable baby Richard. The speaker was a part of the career day speakers they are having come, and today it was an obstatrition. There were several kids who were interested in becoming doctors, surgeons, or vets, so they had lots of questions about how much school was required, what a typical day looked like and what his favorite part of the job does. 

Towards the end everyone started to loose focus a little and get distracted by the baby, but when they were focused they were engaged, asking good questions, and hopefully they learned a lot. I think they will benefit from these career days and getting to learn more about different professions and what kind of school you need to complete to get there. After everyone had left I informed Ms. Anna that I would no longer be able to volunteer because of schedule changes, after school sports practice and all the hectivities of senior year. I learned a lot from the kids and other volunteers and had a good time getting to work and explore my interests.