Personal Experience Essay -- Learning Education Teacher Essays

Personal Experience I have had the great opportunity to be apart of a great program and class at college. Most of us who are going to become teachers know about this class and the required 80 hours of volunteering at a middle school for a semester. I was eager to volunteer, because I have experience in working with middle school kids. The school I work for, has prepared me to handle school aged kids, so I was relying on my background to carry me though the semester at a new Middle school. The privileges of a private school are a lot different from an inner city school. When I began to volunteer at Baker I was shocked to discover that the students were not allowed to take books home to finish their school work. When it came time to read a book the teacher would distribute the books to the students, but then recollect them afterwards. At Denver Academy, the teachers purchase and distribute the books to the class and the students get to keep the books forever. I was about to find out how hard it is for these students to be motivated to attend school everyday when these kids are lacking a stable environment. I was leaving my comfort zone to enter an entirely different type of school environment. The first day of my volunteering at Baker middle school was filled with apprehension, because I was entering an entirely new situation and leaving the safety of Denver Academy behind. As I walked into the classroom, it was as if there were a hundred eyes staring in my direction. As quickly as the stares came, they went away as if I was not even there anymore. I could only imagine what kind of thoughts and questions were going through their heads. I’m sure the first question would be why... ... lot they can learn from the students a Baker, because even though some of the students don’t care about education. There are some students who do, and they are given the tools they need to make it through. The students at Baker are just happy to have someone show an interest in what they are doing. I saw it in their eyes when I gave them praise on something they did during the time I was there. That praise can carry a student along way which to me is rewarding in it self. I can only hope that the time I spent with these students can encourage at least a few to continue on the academic path and make a name for them selves later in life. These kids deserve every opportunity we can give them and I am proud to be a piece of the big picture. We can only guess how hard it is for these students, so let’s make sure we give them a safe and helping hand along the way.