Summer School Wonderfulness
Working at the LIU Summer School of Excellence is amaaazing. Seriously, if someone decided to film our everyday experiences and make it into a show, "The Office" would be out of business. Im a teacher aid for a class of 11 (9 mexicans - 1 PRican - 1 Somali) kids who just need extra attention ESL wise to catch up with the curriculum in their schools. The program is great. We have field trips every Monday; we have breakfast, lunch and snack in school; we have artists in residence for theatre, art, and music and of course, a soccer coach. It is so great that the kids have a program like this available for them - I wish some kids didnt take it for granted. Those kids are sooo smart and loving and sweet and gentle - its so sad to see them get frustrated because they don't understand something or cant do something without help..that is when they start to act up or cry and complain. But the cool thing about summer school is that we're all about them - we dont have a strict lesson plan to follow or 20 kids in the class in incredibly different english levels. My teacher and I adapt our lesson plans to fit all of our eleven kids- we have to make enough time so they all learn...all of them. Regardless of the complete lack of english skills that some of the kids have. I love doing that type of work - personalized education. Instead of moving on with the lesson plan when two or three kids still dont know what is going on, I love when the kids work together to help each other out and work in groups to make sure that everyone in the class understands what is going on.
I have learned so much at the summer school that I really don't know what to share...The one thing that I have seen that makes me a little uncomfortable about the kids is that some of them have had a difficult time with their families or travelling and what not - so the parents start spoiling them to make up for things. When the kids start six grade they develop an attitude that makes them hard to work with - well its more complicated than that...the fact that they are behind in class when compared to their peers in the school year does not help their self teems and they start getting frustrated. Thats why I think this program is so important and so necessary - It gives kids a chance to prove that they are like any other kid their age. They are amazing and unique individuals that without a doubt have the talent and heart to do anything they want. I really, really hope they get the chance. I love those kids. You should all see them - they'd make you smile too. :)
