- Service Learning VideoService Learning Site Observation
My service learning site is right here on campus at University Towers which gives it a safe environment for the kids. They can go to school knowing that they are somewhat hidden. I say that since you wouldn’t expect a school at the bottom of an apartment building at a college. Many people don’t even know it’s there. That’s a really good aspect, along with all the students there are the same age in every class so they don’t have to worry about being pushed around or bullied by the other students.
A challenge for them being at a college is that they have no real playground at my location. They have a courtyard that’s fenced in that’s connected to their rooms that has a cement slab with some grass. They have no playground equipment to play on that you would find at most schools. This as a kid can influence their type of play. Their imagination can be limited since you don’t have a structure that could can use as a pirate ship or anything like that.
With this being a PCBE and them being so young, they’re not going to do any proects that help their community but they can go a educational field trips to the zoo and the children’s museum. At the zoo they can infer for themselves why animals look and live like they do and why they all don’t live here in Michigan. Theres many different things they can learn there in a short amount of time. Same goes for the museum. They have exhibits and activities that help them learn things in a hands on way by themselves without a teacher telling them or doing it through a worksheet. Eventually, when they get older they could use these partnerships to help with new possible exhibits.
From being in the classroom and the parents dropping off and signing their kid into class I have learned that these parents want the best for their kids and make sure their respectful. They remind their child to say good morning back if someone says it to them or if they think their child needs to acknowledge someone. This also resembles when they’re not there with their child. On multiple occasions every day, if I child wants you attention and you aren’t directly looking at them they will say “excuse me” and then address what they want you to know. There isn’t the old “hey you, HEYYY!!” kind of fit that you normally see in classrooms, which is nice.
christinakollien 