This internship has been the most incredible experience! I've loved every second of my time at Aspirations and I'm devastated that it all ends tomorrow. However, it has allowed me to gain some insight into my future. I've loved working with the kids and I know now that I want to work with kids. Additionally, I know now that I'd like to work in surgery. I've determined this because of the difficulty I'm having saying goodbye to the kids I've been working with. Working in surgery would allow me to have interaction with kids and it would make practicing medicine easier on me. Without this internship I wouldn't have been able to determine this and gain insight into my future.
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Part 1: Photo EssayPart 2: My ProjectI built a market stand for inside the classroom that the kids would be able to interact with. This product was an exciting addition to their classroom that contributed to their learning. It also acted as a display for the kids and allowed them to be even more involved in the lessons, thereby enriching their learning experience. Plus, as a fun gift to the kids at the end of my internship I gave all the kids a drawing that depicted what they would like to be when they grow up. My intent with this was to leave on a positive note and provide them with something to remember me by. To complete this project, I began with observing the classroom and determining where my efforts were needed. I then sketched out my ideas, created a scale drawing, and came up with a materials list. Then I bought my materials and began building my flower shop. The building process took two days and when my product was complete I was thrilled with the results! I then installed the flower shop in the classroom and was met with tons of excitement from the kids! Part 1:
Whilst working at Aspirations I measured the success of the work I did by assessing my colleagues' and kids' reactions to my work. Working with their happiness as my ending goal I realized how difficult the real-world can be. Although we will graduate from High School next year, our desire to please others and get "A's" will stick with us. I also learned that in a workplace there are many people you have to please and learning how to do that is extremely important for your success. As an intern at Aspirations, I was able to provide individual attention to students more often than the teachers who have 19-24 students to take care of could. I believe that this additional attention allowed the students to grow and thrive in their environment. For example, one student Henry had a fear/dislike of messy things. Since I was able to work with him often and give him extra attention he was able to somewhat overcome his fear and begin to feel comfortable touching messier things (like the goo in the sensory table). Another example, is a student JJ who has had serious behavioral problems and seems to be treated with less love and more discipline (which is what any teacher would and should do so the student doesn't feel as though there are no consequences for his actions). Since I'm not in charge of disciplinary actions I was able to give JJ additional love and attention. I formed a bond with this kid and now he gives me a hug in the morning that no one else enjoys (as far as I know). I consider this a meaningful contribution as I aided in these children's emotional growth and provided them with a person they knew would be available to give them love at any time. In terms of my projects contributions to my workplace I aided in student learning by building a market stand for inside the classroom that the kids will be able to interact with. This product was an exciting addition to their classroom that contributed to their learning. It acted as a display for the kids and allowed them to be even more involved in their lessons. For example, for two weeks we were studying flowers so the market will be set-up as a flower shop that displays various types of flowers the kids can play with. Part 2: While working at Aspirations Pre-School I developed an even greater appreciation for teachers, particularly teachers working with small children! Often we don't stop to thank the wonderful men and women who have helped shaped our lives and dealt with multiple screaming children at one time, but this internship made me realize I need to thank them all more often. Pre-school is especially hard because many children have difficulty listening and comprehending orders. I witnessed teachers tell children over and over again not to do something, but they continued to do it and the teachers happily and kindly repeated the directions again. It is a very difficult task watching approximately 20 children, but each of these employees handled it with such grace and I am in awe of each and every one of them. I saw many characteristics/qualities in my colleagues that I admired and would like to develop in myself. The biggest of these is patience. In each of the people I met at my internship site I found crazy large amounts of patience. Obviously it's to be expected in teachers that work with little children, but still their patience is astounding. I would love to be able to amaze people with my patience and work so well with others because of that patience. It is a quality that many desire, few have, and everyone needs. My view of life beyond high school has developed a lot during my time as an intern. For example, life after high school has seemed like a single track trip. You pick a major and a career that guide you through life and you are incapable of changing it. However, at this internship site I learned that this "fact of life" is completely untrue. I met multiple teachers who have began in business or medicine, and changed to teaching after they realized that path wasn't for them. This is exciting to me because I've been completely unsure of my desire to go to medical school because of my love for helping children. Through this internship I realized that I can pursue a teaching career if I end up disliking my choice to pursue medicine. There have been many instances during my internship when I have advocated for myself. For example, there was a day that my regular work schedule wasn't going to work for me due to an appointment. I took this opportunity to advocate for myself and request my hours be adjusted that afternoon. This allowed me to make it to my appointment and speak up for myself. There have also been other situations similar to this that have allowed/pushed me to advocate for myself.
In terms of being an "intern no one will forget" (for the right reasons) I believe I'm doing well. I've been successfully following all the tips, with adjustments, that were provided and I've found them to be useful. However I often feel over prepared or overdressed for events and such. In addition, I've found that the notebook gets in the way of work, conversations, and playtime with the kids. Therefore I modified a few of the rules and that seems to be working really well for me. I do believe that I've made a positive impact on my colleagues work lives and that I will be remembered here in a positive way. During my internship I will be observing and working in the classroom to get a first person understanding of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. I will also be researching other learning philosophies and comparing them to the philosophies practiced at Aspirations. Additionally, I will be building a market stand for inside the classroom that the kids will be able to interact with. This product will be an exciting addition to their classroom that will contribute to their learning. It will also act as a display for the kids and allow them to be even more involved in the lessons. For example, for the next two weeks we are studying flowers so the market will be set-up as a flower stand that displays various types of flowers the kids can play with. Plus, as a fun gift to the kids at the end of my internship I plan to give all the kids a drawing that somehow relates to what they would like to be when they grow up (mainly because this internship is to help me decide what I want to do when I grow up).
In order to complete these various projects I'm going to need a lot of assistance as well as a multitude of skills. The skills I think I will initially need are communication, building/tool handling skills, planning skills, sketching/art abilities, visual and design skills, and more! I will most likely need assistance from my Dad (he's always been helpful in coming up with thrifty building ideas), the kids I'm working with (to help me design and color the market), and my mentors (in determining required sizing and model type for their desired uses). As I interviewed my mentor and the other teachers in the room (Ms. Mimi, Ms. Christie, and Ms. Melissa), some children napped and others read from the books they had set out for them. Every time these ladies put 18-20 kids down for a nap I'm left in awe of their work, so I thought I would ask them a little bit about their responsibilities (like this one) and how they went about doing them. Their main duties consist of developing a schedule for the children, providing nutritious snacks, talking with parents about behavioral ups and downs as well as educational growth, developing activities to stimulate and educate the kids, establish policies and procedures for inside and outside the classroom, promote literacy and early education, and much more. They mentioned that the necessary training consisted of a lot of experience, in terms of conferences, in-classroom work, internships, etc. Additionally, it is important to have all the necessary college classes and educational experiences before beginning to work as a Pre-School teacher. It is very obvious that each of these wonderful women love their jobs very much, but it is even more clear that they find the work they're doing very satisfying. Although it can depend on the day, they find the work they do to be the most satisfying when the kids fall in love with the activities they plan, when students accomplish things they've been working towards, and when each of them can form great relationships with the students.
Aspirations follows the Reggio Emilia learning structure that is "not a step-by-step program to follow like a script. Instead it is a philosophy that encompasses the nature of children, learning, and teaching – a philosophy that can be enacted by those who understand the philosophy by experiencing it day by day, over time." (Celia Genishi, Working in the Reggio Way) This has been one of the most incredible weeks! I've truly enjoyed every second of my internship so far and at the end of every day I never want to go home. In just a week I've learned a ton about the preschoolers in my class and have made a positive impact on a few students lives. For example one child, Henry, and I have bonded over the course of three days and in that time I've encouraged him to try things he's always been adamant about never doing. Like today he was very uncomfortable with touching the "goo" in the sensory table and normally he won't even try to touch it. However, with a little encouragement he was comfortable enough to put his whole hand in the goo for a few minutes (he also went back and played in it without encouragement later on). Seeing him try new things has been extremely exciting and I'm so excited to see all of the kids continue to do things like this in the next couple of weeks. As a fun gift to the kids at the end of my internship I plan to give all the kids a drawing that somehow relates to what they would like to be when they grow up (mainly because this internship is to help me decide what I want to do when I grow up). In order to do the drawing I've been asking the kids what they would like to be when their older. Here are a few of my favorite responses from this week: "When I grow up I want to be a giraffe... NO, a lizard!" - Reed "I want to be a spoiled, rich Princess." - Emma B. "It's a secret, but I want to be a Doctor." - Malia "Ooh a big construction worker." - Knox "I want to be a National Super Spy." - Tate This evening I'm looking back on what I'd consider to be the best first day ever; it was an incredible whirlwind that ended much to early. Aspirations is an amazing pre-school campus that would make every pinterest users jaw drop. The walls are decorated with the kids art, but it is displayed in the most unique and elegant way. Not only are the classrooms incredible, but the people and the environment is too. As soon as you enter the doors you can feel the excitement coming from both the students and the teachers. It is so welcoming that the moment you enter you feel like a part of the awesome, energetic team. One of the best parts of being at Aspirations is seeing the kids and the teachers be so enthusiastic about the work being done in the classrooms. Each of my colleagues seemed to genuinely enjoy their job and be disappointed they had to go home at the end of the day. The teacher's desire to educate their students is awe-inspiring and so encouraging to know that you truly can adore your job. Based on what I've done today I really enjoy the job I'm doing! I think the most exciting part of it is getting to be really involved in the classroom and the kids learning. Since it's preschool I can help them learn how to spell, color, etc. which is more than I thought I would be able to do! However, being so involved is also what I'm most concerned about. I fear that I may stunt their learning or teach them something incorrectly, but I hope and know that the teachers who are supervising me will guide me and help me to assist the kids.
For my internship I will be working at Aspirations, an early education institution located in Carlsbad California. I will be working under a pre-school teacher named Mimi Petrovich. During my internship I will be observing and working in the classroom to get a first person understanding of the Reggio Amila philosophy. Additionally, I will be researching other learning philosophies and comparing them to Aspirations. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work in such a creative and lively environment. However, I'm extremely nervous the energy of that many kids may be overwhelming to me.
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