It's official guys and gals, I love what I do. I think that having a sort of marathon day like today really solidified that for me. Thus far we've certainly been worked hard at times, but we could still generally get home in time for the 3 o'clock showing of Judge Judy. Today I was immersed, from 9 to 7. I was dog-tired by the end of it, but not once did I wish that I was somewhere else doing something else. Admittedly, the group of students has a lot to do with that, and we were blessed with a pretty awesome group of 5th graders, but I can't deny the feeling I have inside right now. It's sort of like when your muscles are on fire and your hands are all blistered as you look at a big pile of split and stacked firewood; it's the feeling of being satisfied by a hard day's work. Thanks to all of you for coming with me on this journey, and for the impact you've all had on shaping the man I've become in these past 11 months.
Ok, enough of that profound, sentimental bologna. (Fun fact: I think the first thing I heard any of the students say today was, "Bologna is spelled really weird"...priceless). Something I think I've done well recently in the programs is giving the students more autonomy over their learning. For example, there were a few times on the hike with the Wolf Lake group that we stopped and took a vote on which way to go, what activity to do, etc. I did the same thing on the bird hike with the Harrison students today. Do you want to go in the forest or the prairie? There are different birds in each ecosystem!
Something I've struggled with has been being more aware of and more sensitive to various disabilities. My awareness of this has really been heightened by the volunteer training I went to last week. Right after that, I had a student on an exploring nature hike who communicated through ASL (American Sign Language), and was unable to run. It was just kind of tough for me know what to do that would make the experience better for him...but at the same time I didn't want to cater to him so much that it reduced the quality of the experience for all the other students. I think I did ok; everyone seemed to have a great time, and the ASL student was still able to be actively involved. I'm sure there were things I could have done better, but as with just about everything, it takes practice and experience to improve.
Tom you are such a big ball of positive energy. Your good attitude is contagious and I have really appreciated its effect on the cohort this year.
ReplyDeleteI wish that I too would have been at the most recent volunteer training. There have been 2 times during spring practicum that I have ended a day feeling badly about how I handled incorporating a disabled student into activities. Those were both physical issues, and I feel even informed about dealing with emotional and mental issues. Outdoor Learning had some good advice on these topics.
I'm sure you did fantastic, that's just your style!
ReplyDeleteIt can be very difficult to balance help and giving a needy student too much assistance.