Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning - 04/29-05/04

We have so much to learn from kids. They are resilient, they are problem solvers, they support one another, they are stubborn, and they are so creative. I have found that as we grow up and the things we do and learn in school become more focused and specific, we forget to exercise our creative minds, and we think outside the box less and less. We get taught to memorize formulas that we use to solve just about everything, and we gradually lose touch with reading and writing crazy creative stories. We are told to read textbooks about abiogenesis and erythropoiesis that are endless pages of words we don't even understand, yet it is children's books that often contain the most important life lessons that even we sometimes forget.

This week, spending time with the kids taught me to be present and open-minded. Working with little kids forces you to put everything outside of the classroom walls outside of your head. You have to be fully there in the moment, physically but also mentally, because this little person sitting next to you needs you to do that. Teaching gymnastics to tiny kindergarteners whose heads barely reach my hip makes me feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility to keep them safe and smiling. If you're there, your head always has to be there too. I also learned to be more open-minded. I am often resistant to doing things because I'm scared of being awkward or embarrassed or "wrong". This week, when the PE teacher asked me to join in a wrestling game with the third graders, I was immediately a little anxious about the fact that I'd have to play tug-of-war using a tire against a bunch of 9 year olds. However, the teams were uneven and all the kids were begging me to play, so I did, and ended up having so much fun with them. Not to mention the fact that I discovered a secret talent of mine. Not to toot my own horn, but I am really good at winning tug-of-war when I'm playing against kids that are half my age and size.

I loved what I was doing at AEMS this week. I have been volunteering at AEMS since I started at Proctor. When I first began, I was only doing 30 minutes a week in second grade, but this year, I have regularly been doing up to 4 hours a week between second grade, third grade, teaching Mandarin, and helping with the art show. I have loved being at AEMS and working with the kids from the very beginning, because being fully present there allows me to forget about the stressers from my own high school life. Getting to know the kids, saying hello to them outside of class, getting hugs from them, and chatting with them brings me so much joy. I also love teaching gymnastics, because I get to share my passion with other people. I don't get to train anymore, but I feel that if I have the knowledge and experience to be able to give other people a chance to learn (who might not otherwise have the chance), I should definitely take on that opportunity. Teaching gymnastics is also super rewarding, because the smiles and excitement they have when they achieve a new skill is priceless. Teaching Mandarin is also special to me, because I feel like I can bring and share a huge part of my background and culture even when I am so far away from home. I appreciate the willingness and desire that the kids have to learn the language that is so precious to me. The only part I didn't really like doing was the planning for gymnastics and Mandarin, because they were a little tedious and I found it hard to find things in my research that matched what I was looking for.

I tried to go into this week with an open mind and not too many expectations. Gymnastics didn't follow exactly according to my plan, just because of delays in getting permission slips in. I did get to start teaching about halfway into the week, and it actually worked out because I was able to help more with art show prep, which they said was really needed. In terms of how things actually went, being in the classrooms and teaching Mandarin pretty much went as planned. The only thing with mandarin is that I started teaching a new group of accelerated fourth grade students, instead of teaching a higher level for kids that had taken it in the Fall and Winter. With teaching gymnastics at AEMS, I really had no idea what to expect. The number of kids in the class was significantly higher than I was anticipating, and it was the biggest and youngest class I had ever taught. With few expectations, it actually went really well, and I think they enjoyed themselves.

I will benefit from this week's activities because I am gaining more experience for what I want to do when I'm older. This week I was faced with the unexpected decision between two of my top colleges, and much of it came down to what exactly I want to do when I'm older. I have always known that I want to be an elementary school teacher, but being at AEMS this week made me also consider taking on other roles in an elementary school, perhaps after a few years of just teaching. I believe that every kid has so much potential with the right people to guide them, and a teacher that can make them love learning is huge in that process. Whether or not I will be a teacher from when I graduate college to when I retire is uncertain, but being in the classrooms and teaching gymnastics/Mandarin reassured me that I want to teach and work with kids, because this is what I love to do.

My main goals were to help kids improve in gymnastics, increase strength and flexibility, and act as a mentor throughout the school day in the classrooms. I only taught 2 gymnastics lessons this week, so my focus was more on the third goal. I feel that I succeeded in working towards that goal, because a huge part of that for me is developing trusting relationships between myself and the students. I feel that I have grown close relationships with many individual students, and they are growing to trust me more and more, asking for help with schoolwork and talking to me about stuff outside of school. They are more willing to come up and say hi or give me a hug outside of the classroom, which I believe is an indicator of increased trust and connection.

Overall, it's been an extremely rewarding week. I am full of joy and gratitude that I am able to do something I love so much. Every night, I get back to my dorm and I feel both exhausted and energized at the same time, but I'm glad that my energy is going into something that I love.