Venomous snake

One thing that I've known for as long as I can recall is that I love children.

Every day I am faced with some sort of predicament that requires fast thinking to respond and approach appropriately. These predicaments may be not having the correct lesson plan at the start of the classroom instruction, a child being bullied by their classmates or a negative comment made by someone to myself. Each of these has the ability to hinder a person from performing at their highest potential.

I feel that my experience as a Counselor Intern at SuperKids Camp has made my claim extremely evident to where I am no longer sure that I want to be a teacher in the future.  I have a student that comes to class everyday in hopes of gaining every campers attention as best as possible. The moment I tell him to sit quietly away from his group for a few minutes, he shuts down and no longer wants to listen to me for the remainder of the day.

Now to the explanation of my Blog post title "Venomous snake". We all know that being bitten by a venomous snake can have its consequences and at times they may be fatal. A venomous snake has the ability to shut down the entire nervous system of its prey causing them to be immobile or less able to move and function as normal. Something a child says to another, their morning prior to camp and possibly my form of discipline can serve as that venom that causes a child to shut down for the day. I do not wish for any child's home life or social issues to be the reason for a child to not flourish and learn as they should.

Change One Thing

If I could change one thing about SuperKids camp It would be the amount of preparation before going into the camp. I found myself a little overwhelmed in the very beginning of the camp experience because of lack of materials needed for teaching the curriculum (Especially the EE). I was told to be flexible throughout camp, and in my opinion I did my very best. But It is hard to be flexible when you don't have the lesson that you have to teach but 24 hours or often the morning of the camp day. I was often finding myself panicking reading through an entire script for the first time in front of the kids feeling unsure of myself and hoping that they wouldn't catch on to my uncertainty.

In summary I would like maybe a couple of lesson plans in advance. Just so I have more time to read through it, and think of fun activities and extra things I would like to teach to the students, before the day has already started. 

Other than that, I slowly got the hang of most things toward the end of this camp experience, and I have certainly made it work in the classroom. I look forward to other successful years in the future.

future plan

     Being a part of super kids camp this summer has made me want to take a different route as to where I would like to start teaching.  For the longest time I was very certain that Baltimore City was where I wanted to teach and also was one of the ways I wanted to give back to my community.  However being in the camp without having any experience in teaching or classroom management have made me realize that maybe I should gain more experience with teaching before I decide to work in a Baltimore City school. 
     My plan was to graduate from my college with a major in Human Development and then get certified through an alternative program, but being in SuperKids Camp it makes me wonder exactly how effective I will be by being thrown into a classroom full of city students who may be similar to the ones that I have now or dealing with situations or attitudes worse than the ones I have now.
     I believe that once I get more experience,  and learn more about myself,  such as my teaching style, different classroom management techniques,  etc. I Believe that I will Be Closer To being able to handle and teach in one of the most high needs areas. Once I have set a foundation for myself,  I will be able to work around what I already know and add onto or take away from the techniques I have used. 

How has your experience with SuperKids Camp influenced your future plans, career or otherwise?

At first coming into SuperKids I had my mind made up that I would never be a teacher ( Still I have my doubts ) . Now , 5 weeks into the SuperKid counselor position I can say my perspective on teaching has changed tremendously . Being a teacher is a very difficult task , from children depending on you for all the answers to the very same children being inquisitive themselves , asking questions you didn't prepare to answer . I have the upmost respect for teachers after this summer for the jobs that they do . It is far from easy , but it so impacting , and rewarding seeing the end results . I originally came into SuperKids just to get experience being in front of a group of diverse children , in order to gain skills that I might need in my future occupation as a behavioral consultant . Being a counselor has definitely enforced my preference to deal with children in smaller numbers , but it has also opened my mind to all of the ways I can possibly help children with and the daily issues children of this age deal with and how they solve them (which will help me to find ways to help further)

Personal Insights

My time with SuperKids has provide me with an experience that I can draw significant insight into both myself and who I plan to be.

 

In terms of career choice, I have always felt drawn to the field of education.  To enter this field, my first planned step has been to teach after I graduate from college.  SuperKids has shown me some of the universal aspects of effective teachers.  I have seen at camp, and notice in my own personal experience, the profound effect that energy, creativity and personal connection can bring to a classroom.  These 3 qualities are solid starting points that I can build upon. In the future, I will remember these lessons so that I may be the best instructor that I am able to be. 

Another future plan that I have learned about through SuperKids doesn’t involve classroom teaching at all.  My experience has taught me that not all forms of education come in the form of school.  The non-profit sector is doing incredible work in the field of education, not to mention the fact that my experience is possible because of the efforts of a non-profit.  I believe that non-profit work could provide me with a unique experience while still allowing me to pursue work in my chosen field.  I haven’t researched the educational non-profit world much, but I am more than willing to do so now.  Work this sector could provide a viable alternative to traditional classroom teaching.

SuperKids has had a profound effect on me, particularly in terms of future plans and career choice.  I hope to continue to gain even more insight as my time draws to a close.  

Career Plans.

How has your experience with SuperKids Camp influenced your future plans, career or otherwise? 
My experience at super kids has inspired my to give more back to community. I am a political science major and I would love to use my resources that I would gain through work to give back to schools and help develop and build schools in my community and back home in Ethiopia. Working with children has helped my develop leadership skills and also help me fix things within myself that needed adjustment. I am glad to say that this job has helped me develop more than I can imagine. It is very inspiring to work with children because of their energy and how bright they truly are. I hope to help children continuously throughout my life. 

Lessons Learned From SuperKids Camp

How has your experience with SuperKids Camp influenced your future plans, career or otherwise?

I don't even have to think about my answer for this question. I felt my plans for the future slowly slip away as I got through each week of camp. Before camp started I wanted to be able to teach after years of immersing myself in the world of theatre. I wanted to teach theatre and perhaps music. What I have learned from this experience is that teaching is not easy. I never thought it would be from the beginning but seeing it firsthand solidified that fact. I have the youngest campers on the lowest level and that has been overwhelming. For one, they have so much energy for being up so early and they also have only one thing on their mind! (Let's go outside! Can we go outside? I want to go outside. When are we going outside? What are we going to do outside?) Everything I have gotten to witness as a counselor and teacher has given me a new view on the teacher plans. I now know that I will not be able to teach any kid under 10 (at least in large groups) and that I would most likely prefer to work with high schoolers when it comes to theatre. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the time I have had at camp. There's always a first time for everything and this was quite a first.