Day 2

Yesterday was my second time volunteering at Charlotte Woods Elementary. Each time I go there, I am increasingly humbled. For example, something I would take for granted, the kids are so happy to receive... When I walked in yesterday, Mrs. Cliri was sitting on her chair with the children in a half-circle around her. She had news that she got them a new pencil sharpener (the other one broke) and they were so excited! I couldn't believe it.

As far as the classroom is concerned, it is very colorful! Whether it's the rugs or the whiteboard or the folders, everything is a different color. The children have the option of going outside at lunchtime (11:30 am... I leave then) and that's when my heart sank a little. From what I've seen so far, there was no hint of a jungle gym or swings or anything. I could be wrong.What are children supposed to do at recess/lunch outside? They make most of what they have. In Scituate, kids I know would cry if they couldn't get this or that but the students at Charlotte Woods Elementary seem very easy to please. The children are all Hispanic or African American. Mrs. Cliri is Portuguese and bilingual. I feel a little out of the my element there. I'm glad I'm at this school because it's a big eye-opener and I learn a lot observing Mrs. Cliri. She found that instead of yelling at misbehaved students, she ignores misbehavior unless it's really bad (which I haven't seen yet) and uses a lot of positive reinforcement. The students respond well - they always seem eager to behave well.

I found that this time was a little more difficult than last though. Because I am a little more familiar with the kids, classroom, etc., I believe Mrs. Cliri wanted to give me a little more responsibility. She read them a book called Pigs (Robert Munch) & told the class to write and draw what they think would happen. She had me work one-on-one with some of the kids, those who were at the beginning level of English. I don't speak Spanish and the kids I was working with do not speak English very well so it was hard to help them. It's hard to get them to write something when they don't know what letters I am referring to. Using pictures only helped so much. I have to try something different - a little more effective... but what?! I met Ms. Winnie for the first time and she spoke with me about what a "Reading Buddy" is. It's not so much that I read with the children or to them - it's more that I help them build their english skills. I worked with 3 entry-level students (boys). The workshop we did consisted of flashcards and bingo. I would hold up a flashcard, which were color coordinated in order to show how each was increasingly difficult, and the kids would say what the word was. If a word was too hard for the student, Ms. Winnie & Mrs. Cliri said to just tell them what it is. For beginning students, I was surprised and delighted that they kept up so quick and still knew the meaning to each word.. Some people I know that actually know English still get confused on "there", "their" and "they're" or "to", "two" and "too". The students I worked with needed no help with knowing which one was correct.