I must say that I am really enjoying my experience with the preschool at the Family Learning Center. It really is amazing how positively my mood can change from the time I come in to volunteer, to the time I leave, the kids that go there are all little rays of sunshine. It is such a moment when the kids look sad to say goodbye, but good to look forward to the next visit. I feel welcomed there and hope that I am setting a good example for the preschoolers. The first time in was an adjustment and time to soak in how they operate there. I was able to quickly catch on to their routines, usually when I first come in at one in the afternoon; they are having a snack and then shift to group time. During group time we all sit around as a whole and sing kids songs as well as count the days of the month and check on the weather outside, with songs accompanying all these activities. They are definitely very community-oriented at the Family Learning Center. After all the students are together, I separate with Mona’s classroom where the more one on one sessions begin.
The classroom I help out with consists of about 15 kiddos who are all very sweet and personable. I think over the weeks they have become comfortable with me being around once a week and are starting to be able to call me by my name, as I am for them as well. A little blurb I wrote about to share with friends and family is that I am “Developing a soft spot for preschoolers at the Family Learning Center here in Boulder. All the little girls ask me to draw them rainbows and flowers... One strange request was a fly, which actually turned out pretty cool. They hold my hand willfully and ask me what my favorite color is. The boys tend to keep away from me, but one of them told me I was a giant. I’m 5 foot nine and these kids must be about max 2 in a half feet tall. I read to them all about Curious George, insects and butterflies. I’m finding that reminding everyone they have inside voices and the ability to share, it's key.”
It seems that my role in helping these kids is to be there to help with reading and to set an example of how to draw basic things, just like the rainbows and flies, as I wrote about earlier. I notice, especially with a little girl named Isabelle, that asking questions about what words mean to her really helps her pay attention to the story. For instance, when we are reading a book about insects, and I continuously have to point and ask what things are, like “What is this?" As I point at the tarantula, and then Isabelle will say spider! And then I ask what kind and point to the words that say tarantula and then she says "Tarantula!" The only thing I find to be a struggle is having the power to get the kids’ attentions and keep it going so that they are able to learn and associate their understandings on completing a task. For instance, with one of the boys I work with, It was really hard to be engaged with asking questions with him because he just wouldn’t respond or even look me in the eyes. I just had to keep on being persistent in my intention in helping him solve the word finding game, it was a challenge but we both took what we could out of the shared experience, and I look forward to continuously help him and the other preschoolers with their daily activities. One more thing to note is that my prior know ledge of Spanish is really helping me connect with these bilingual kiddos with basic vocabulary, When I am reading and I know a word in Spanish and in English I will try to say both for a full understanding for both parties.
