When
reflecting back over this course there were many things I enjoyed. The course
readings, videos, and discussions were all insightful and thought provoking. I
felt I really connected with all of Shaun’s videos. He is such an inspiring
person and has led a hard life that he has learned from and is now teaching
others about. I love how he took his incredibly difficult experiences and
turned them into positive ways to learn and help others. During my own research
for my course project I studied and researched the effects living in poverty
has on children and their families. What I was surprised most to learn was that
20% of our children nationwide are living in poverty and that 9% of them are
living in extreme poverty. These numbers really made me think about what we can
do as teachers to help these children who are living in these difficult
situations. My hope is through my research and future research I will be able
to find more resources to help these students and their families. My ultimate
goal is to find a way to give these families the help and resources they need
to avoid living in poverty situations altogether. Being able to provide
families with a list of local resources that are available to help them is a
place to start. Many families in my local school district don’t know what is
available to them or how to access what is. Through my research in this course
I learned a great deal through one of my interviews about our local YMCA
programs that help children in need and their families. One program in
particular stood out to me called Y-TEENS.
This program provides group activities
three days a week after school to sixth-eighth grade students who come from
poverty living situations. Activities include: gymnastics, team sports,
swimming, WII sports, and crafts. The program is always looking for energized
compassionate mentors to provide great role modeling. I am very interested in
becoming involved with this program as a mentor because it services an age group
of children I don’t normally work with. My future aspirations include working
with a wide age range of students in need not just children who are early
childhood age. I feel that sometimes the middle school age group gets
overlooked when needing help so I would like to reach out to that age range. Seeing
children in need always motivates me. Whether that need is food, clothing,
personal care, or academic support I feel that anyway I can help I would like
to. Through this course I took a deeper look at how to assist families living
in poverty in need of services for housing and food. Overall I have taken away
many new ideas of how to help families, what their needs are, and most
important what the lasting effects are on their children if we as teachers don’t
get involved.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you want to become involved in mentoring programs at the YMCA. This organization does a great deal for children and provides many opportunities for them. I led a group of children in a nutrition/fitness program a few years ago at our local YMCA. The parents were also involved, but I did not have much contact with them. The program was developed to assist families in learning to change their ways to develop healthier lifestyles. It was amazing the changes I saw take place, not just physically but mentally as well. I felt great to be a part of something as wonderful as this program. I wish you luck in you endeavors!
Dixie,
DeleteThank you for your interest in my blog! It is so neat that you have already worked a YMCA program and found it to be rewarding as well as informative. I hope to have as much fun and success as you did with the YMCA program I am interested in.
Sarah - The Y-teens program sounds like such a great opportunity to not only support children who are often "over looked", but also an opportunity for you to grow as a professional yourself. Good luck and I would love to hear more about your experiences at the YMCA Y-Teens program if you become a mentor.
ReplyDeleteKacey
Sarah,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I was unaware of the rising percentage of children that were living in poverty. Twenty percent is a huge number when it comes to children nationwide. Y-Teens is a program that seems to give poverty-stricken children opportunities to express themselves through extracurricular activities; hopefully, in the future more programs like Y-Teens will be created to serve children and their families living in poverty
Jessica Beal
EDU- 7853
Jessica,
DeleteI have the same hope that more programs for at risk kids living in poverty will be developed. I think aiming at middle school aged students is important, but I hope more programs are created for the early grade levels ages as well.
Kacey,
DeleteThank you for your supportive comments! I do hope to grow personally and professionally from working with the YTeens program!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWe have kept in touch for a few classes now and I can see your growth and inspiration in the field of early childhood. You have the mind set to help others especially children no matter what the age is and rather you knowing it or not it means alot to those who you want to help . Please keep reaching for the stars and touching lives and you will help to make a difference in the lives of others. Good luck and best wishes.
Lori Gardner
Lori,
DeleteThank you very much for your kind and supportive words, it means a lot. It has been so nice to have someone to touch base with and interact with in each class. You have been a great partner since the first day of our first class! I wish you the best also in your journey to teach and support children. I know you have incredible drive and many past experiences that give you the knowledge you need to keep going in your journey to serve children.