Community Involvement

The role of the community on education is very important. It is important for the community have the opportunity to be involved with local students and to provide support. In Fort Wayne, there is a wide variety of this type of involvement. Not only does the community host events for students and families, but the schools also have events that the entire community is invited to attend. My school in particular hosted fundraiser dinners and carnivals, Vacation Bible School, and book sales. This gave people in our city the chance to come see our school, meet students, parents, and faculty, and even make a donation to help the school. Events like this not only benefit the school financially to encourage better education, but also allow the community to feel more involved in the local schools.

         While the individual schools in Fort Wayne do a great job of getting the community involved, the city also hosts educational events for area students and families to attend. The public library hosts tons of reading programs and activities throughout the year for schools and families to participate in. Science Central, the children’s science museum, also has many educational events for local students to attend. The Fort Wayne Parks Department hosts a huge variety of educational activities and programs for the community to get involved in. These are just a few different programs offered in Fort Wayne. In my opinion, my community and its school do a great job of working together to further the students’ educations. 

P/T Conference

I have mixed emotions about the mock parent/teacher conferences. It was difficult for me to act as though this was a true conference. There was a lot of commotion in the classroom with everyone talking at once, and it was a little hard to stay on task. It was also a challenge talking and answering questions about a nonexistant student. 

On the other hand, it was helpful putting the whole thing together, and at least getting some practice in a "conference" setting. Even though it wasn't exactly how a true parent/teacher conference would be, it was still good practice for us. It was slightly intimidating just talking to a fellow classmate, and I know it will be even worse with real parents. It also made me realize how much work is put into these conferences by the teacher, and I only had to do this for one student. It has given me ideas for when I am a teacher, and how I should prepare for conferences.

Reflection 3- Drug and Alcohol Families

Parental drug and alcohol abuse is a huge factor in child abuse and neglect. There is typically more violence in these homes, and no matter whom it is directed toward (the spouses or children) it can cause lifelong psychological damage to the children. Children raised in the homes of substance abusers may face some of the same issues as those living in poverty: lack of parenting. The abuser may be more focused on his or her addiction than taking care of a child. Being raised in a home like this will undoubtedly have effects on the child at school. It would be hard for the student to give complete attention to schoolwork and learning with such a stressful home life. At home, life may be chaotic and unpredictable, and school may be a place of stability and routine for the student. It is important to identify if a child is living in the home of a substance abuser, because it could not only lead to emotional/physical damage, but the child is also more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol as well.

Reflection 2

Poverty is a huge problem in America, and it has a strong negative effect on our youth. A child living in this situation has a burden that no child should have to deal with. Not only is home life difficult, if they even have a home, but this also causes stress on school life. A child living in poverty may not have the proper nutrition at home, causing a lack of focus on schoolwork. These children may not have proper clothing for the weather, which can be not only unhealthy, but also embarrassing. Most parents living in poverty have at least one job, which puts more stress on the children at home. They may be in charge of younger siblings, or just left home alone. This doesn’t leave much time for homework, and even if the child does schoolwork at home, the parents aren’t there to help. The parents may also not put stress on the importance of even attending school or finishing, let alone going on to get a college degree. If these children do not learn the importance of an education early in life, they most likely will have no motivation to further their education as adults.

 

With poverty continually rising in the country, having a child in your class from a family in need is quite a possibility. As a teacher, I would want to give these students plenty of support and encouragement to do well in school, because they might not receive this at home. I would want them feeling comfortable to ask me for help, and feel that I am an adult they can trust. Making sure my students have proper school supplies is a must, even if it would mean using some of my own money. I would try to set up a free breakfast program at the school to ensure no student has to start the day without a chance to eat a healthy breakfast. These are just a few ways that I think students living in poverty could benefit from help from the teacher/school. This would be a tough situation to deal with, but above all I would want the student to know that I care for him or her, and I am there help them in any way possible.

Reflection 1

Many experiences in our education shape our lives. Last year, I had one of these experiences. I was doing my service learning for EDEL 100 at the Child Study Center. After being told I would be placed in the infant/toddler lab, and I was worried. I had done a lot of work with school-aged children, but these children would all be three years old and younger. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would I be able to handle being in a classroom full of energetic toddlers? It was time to find out.

My first day at CSC turned out to be amazing. I absolutely loved the children in the class I was helping with. They were quick to warm up to me, and they were always so excited to see me every time I was there. It was fun to see the transformation in some of the children, from sobbing and clinging on to mom’s leg in the morning to not wanting to leave at the end of the day. I found that my time with the children was my favorite part of the week, and what I looked forward to the most.

            After my doing my service learning here, it completely changed my plans for my future in teaching. I found that I love working with younger children and switched my major to Early Childhood Ed. Since then, I have done a lot of work with preschoolers and toddlers, and I still enjoy every minute of it. I’m glad that I ended up choosing this as my service learning, because without it I may not have realized what I was missing.