The End!!

This May term has been one of the greatest experience I've ever had! It was great to be with such a wonderful group of Hope students! Each of us brought something unique to the experience and I am glad we were the first group to go out there to witness such great little minds work! I have been blessed with this experience and I know I have learned from it. I have grown as an individual and as a social worker! Working with inner city kids has been such a wonderful experience, that I have been convinced that this is who I want to work with for the rest of my life. That age group, that socioeconomic group level, and possibly even that city is where I see my self working in!

The overall experience was great because outside the classroom, we were able to go see different places in or near L.A. For example, we went to Long Beach, Santa Monica, El Pueblo, Universal City, Hollywood, Baldwin Hills, San Diego, and Coronado Island! Even if we only spent a few hours in a few of these places, it was great to go and see the different piers. Although some of these places are somewhat close to each other, they each had unique things about them. Aside from the site seeing, I think that the professors that went with us also made this experience unforgettable! Professor Yelding was the only one who stayed the three weeks and the other professors both switched off staying about a week and a half each. Professor Yelding might have driven crazy a few times, but he was great to have on the team because he always made sure to do a head count. There was no way we could have lost someone because any chance he got, he was counting! He made it so much fun for all of us, I wouldn't ask for any other professors to go with!

I would just like to thank the professors, the Fishers, and the donors who made it possible for us all to go to Cali and be a part such a great program!

Thank you,
Miss Jackie
"Hope Comes to Watts"

Friday, the Last Day!

Friday morning we all knew it was our last day at the school. As we drove to school I gave myself a pep talk about being strong and not crying when the kids say bye. Friday was their fun day and they basically had fun activities all day. The three third grade classrooms switched classes so that they all had an opportunity to go out of their class and try different things. In one class they had a movie playing and popcorn, another classroom had a crafts activity making bracelets, and the last class had a card making activity. It was great to see how happy the kids were with the activities!
When they were done with the three switches, they went to the computer lab and had an "arcade" there. The three third classes went to the arcade and had about an hour of play there. I loved to see how involved they were with the games. All the games were created and designed by the 5th graders and they were great! When they were done with the arcade, they went over to the yard to play in the moon jumps. The joy in their eyes was one of the greatest things about this trip. It warmed my heart to see how happy the kids were and how the simplest thing can make them so happy!

After lunch the kids came back to class and watched a movie. I sat back and observed them when one of my students came up to me with a card and said she was going to miss me! (: A little girl from one of the other third grade classes came into my classroom and said she was leaving. I got up and followed her out to give her a hug and when she turned around, she was crying! I leaned over and gave her a hug and she just kept saying that she would sell chocolates for me to pay for my hotel room so I can stay longer! I walked her to the office because her mom was waiting for her and when we walked in, her mom asked why she was crying and the little girl cried even harder saying she didn't want me to leave. I knelt down and said "You gotta promise me that you'll stay in school and go to high school! because it's really important" then she said, "I promise I'll go to college too, and I'll go tot Hope college!" I then looked up at her mom and her mom started crying. It took me so much strength to keep back my tears. I walked them out of the school and gave her one last hug and she wouldn't let go! Once they walked away, I began to tear up.

It was also hard to say bye to my other students because one of them kept telling me to just pay for the hotel to stay longer and that I didn't have to go back to Michigan. I loved the fact that many of these kids will probably never forget having me in their class! I know that this is something I will never forget!

A Spelling game created by the 5th grade class!

-Miss Jackie

Career Day!

Tuesday was career day and it was so exciting to see all my third graders dressed up and ready to go! Many of them came to me confident that they were ready to be interviewed. Camille and I, along with three other teachers, interviewed a set of about 4 students. We had a rubric that graded them on posture, eye contact, articulation, and on how well they knew their research. I interviewed the little boy with Autism and when we were getting started he exclaimed that he wanted to go first. So I interviewed him first and I was so proud of him because he knew exactly how to answer every question. He answered in complete sentences, sat up straight, made eye contact (as much as he could), and articulated every word clearly! I thought he was going to struggle with this project because the day before when I was working with him on it, he had no idea what school he was going to research or what major he wanted. I was very proud of him!
When the teacher asked for any comments or feedback from the students, he was the first to raise his hand to make a comment. I was shocked because he doesn't like to talk in front of the class. The first thing he said was "I would like to thank Miss Jackie for interviewing me" I was so happy and touched I almost cried! I couldn't believe that he was willing to talk in front of the class and to thank me! It was just perfect!

-Miss Jackie

Bittersweet Monday!

Monday began our last week at Watts! It was already coming to an end and we weren't ready! Monday was a regular day for the third graders. It was college day so there was a step performance in the last hour of the school day by one of the teachers and his fraternity brothers. During the school day, we worked on a career day project. They had to prepare for an interview and had to find a college or university they graduated from and what major/degree they chose. For extra credit, they were able to put together a resume and find some long term and short term goals. The teacher assigned this project, gave them all laptops and then let them do it on their own. Many of them were fine and didn't need help but then others didn't even know which icon was the Internet let alone how to research. I spent all day going from table to table helping them out as much as I could. At the end of the day, I was a bit nervous about how they were all going to turn out but also anxious for Tuesday because they were going to all come dressed up!

Back Track to Friday!

Friday was Pie in the Face at school. Camille and I decided to volunteer to get pied. We were all lined up with a few other teachers and the students' names were picked out of a hat to determine who can pie a teacher in the face. Two little girls pied me in the face, then a teacher came by with a can of whipped cream to spray on all of us. It was amazing to see the excitement in the children's eyes and to see how happy they were to be able to participate in something like that.
Overall, I had a pretty good day with the kids and I could definitely see the difference with one of the boys I'm working with. At the beginning of the three weeks, he would not take orders from me well but as the week went by and I worked more closely with him, I could see how he got more comfortable with me. I can tell that he knows I am there to help him and not to order him around. Now, when I ask him to do something he listens and does exactly what I ask of him. I feel that trust between us and he knows my intentions which has made this so much easier to work with him.
For the past couple days I have been helping out with 2nd grade because that teacher is always yelling at the kids or is always sending the kids out into another classroom. I could feel her frustration so I know the kids can feel it too! It does get hard though.

In the evening, after school, we went over to the Fisher's home. They catered dinner for us and we just hung out there for a few hours. They were very welcoming and thankful for what we are doing.

-Miss. Jackie

We Don't Like Poison in Our Bodies!

Wednesday was an awesome day in the classroom! One of the little boys that I'm working with listened to me and did everything I asked (and more) and had such a great day. In the morning he started to act up a little then I sat next to him and made a deal with him where if he had a good day, I would bring him a treat the next day. So throughout the day, I gave him small goals where he had to do two pages of his math packet and do a few pages in the science packet. While he was working on them I would walk away and then come back and check on him so he learns how to be responsible for himself and so that he learns that someone cannot be there to walk him through everything all the time.

When I went back to check, he was so far in his math and got done with about three pages not only two. I know it sounds like not much but for the way he works and for his personality, it was so much for him to accomplish! I was so proud of him so I complimented him and I didn't realize how polite he was. He said "yes, please" "thank you" or "you're welcome". I guess I just assumed that because he would get in trouble, he didn't know his manners so I was very impressed by him. When it came close to the end of the day, another boy was picking on him and I sat back and watched the entire thing happen. I saw that the boy I work with pushed the other little boy back over a pencil that was taken from him. They went back and forth a little and when I saw my little boy boil up, I saw that he made a fist and was very angry. Before he had the chance to pick up that fist I yelled his name and asked him to step outside with me. He listened and walked out without a problem. I asked him to tell me what happened and he told me exactly what I saw. The impressive part was that he even told me what he did without me having to ask. I knew he wasn't to blame completely but I did have both the boys apologize to each other.

While I was outside talking with him, I explained that when we get upset we release poison into our bodies and the poison makes us release more and more each time. When I said that to him, he looked at me with a surprised look and said "I don't want poison in my body" so I taught him how to release the poison and the way to do that is t take deep breaths. We practiced that a bit and then when he was ready to go back in, we did. Because he had a good day, I promised that I would bring that treat the next day so I made a trip to Target that night.

Substitute Teacher!

Tuesday was a long day that's why this post is a little late.
My teacher was absent so we had a substitute teacher but it turned out that I had to step up some more and also be a substitute. Naturally, many of the students decided to act up because their was a different person in charge. He was great at teaching but I can tell that he struggled with classroom management. The kids seemed to walk all over him in the morning so when I noticed that, I decided to step in and give him a hand. It went pretty well I think, but I could tell that some of the kids saw a different side of me. I was not the "cool" "fun" teacher's assistant, I was now a "strict" teacher. It was very different for me to see how they would react to it. We did make it through the day in one piece so I was pretty happy about that.

When the day was over, we took a trip to Long Beach and walked on the boardwalk. The sunset was beautiful and the different restaurants and shops on the boardwalk seemed to complete the picture. There was a beautiful area called Rainbow Harbor and the lights all around the lighthouse, bridge, and boats lit up in rainbow colors. The people were just so nice and welcoming it made our night worth while.

-Miss. Jackie

It's a Monday...

Mondays are always interesting but for some reason today went well. I was able to see some more teaching in the class and I felt more involved with the class in general. The class was working on math for most of the day so I walked around while they were working on a computer program. I did pick up on the pace of their work.  Many of them were quick but the others were struggling behind. I took initiative to step up and work with those specific students so that they can try to pick up their pace.

I made a mistake in one of my blogs about the young boy with Down syndrome, he doesn't have Down syndrome he has Autism. I worked with him some more today while they were doing the math activities online. He seemed to be opening up to me more and more as the day went by, so that really made me happy. The day went by quickly and we were given the rest of the afternoon for ourselves so a group of us went to the beach again and watched one of our group members surf. I did come across a dead jellyfish so naturally, I had to touch it! It felt so cool and squishy! Off to a great start!

-Miss. Jackie

The Weekend!

The weekend was full of fun, friends, food, and public transportation! Being from a city, I loved riding the bus and train out here. On Saturday we went on a scavenger hunt to downtown Los Angeles. I went with three other girls and we went to Chinatown, El Pueblo, and Universal City in Hollywood. We had to send our professors three pictures of one or two things in each of these places. Each place was beautiful and unique in its own way so it made the trip so much more interesting and fun.

In Chinatown we walked around and went into the different shops there. The culture was so rich and full of colors and different smells. There were quite a few poultry shops and seafood restaurants. We didn't eat there but there were many restaurants that smelled so good!

We moved across a few streets to El Pueblo also known as Little Mexico. It was also so beautiful and full of culture, colors, smells, and sounds. The area was so lit up and full of bright colors it really made me feel like I was in Mexico. El Pueblo was also the area were the first settlers migrated in LA. We walked in to the oldest home right in the heart of El Pueblo, and it had a beautiful yard with cactus and other pretty flowers. We ate at a restaurant were they served authentic Mexican food. It was so good, felt right at home!

Universal City was the last stop we made and by that time, the heat was tiring us out so we just walked around and went into a couple stores but we didn't do much there. The scenery was so beautiful though! The mountains in the background were so pretty to just look at. We hoped on the train and headed back to our hotel.

Sunday, Mother's Day, was well spent. We went to church as a group with the founders of the schools. It was a great time because we were welcomed by every one there and I could really feel their appreciation for what we are doing. After the service we went out for lunch as a group then headed back to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon was ours so a group of us went to the pier and laid on the beach. It was very nice to be able to just relax for a few hours. I saw a dolphin in the distance! It was so pretty!! After sitting there for a few hours we headed back to our hotel and hung out for a bit before going to bed.

Overall, my first weekend out here was very beautiful and I spent it with some amazing people. This group in general is awesome! We all bring something special t this experience and I think that's what makes every day more interesting and fun.

Friday Fun Day!

So it was my first full day in the classroom and it was very interesting I must say! It was honestly a weird day. It was a Friday Fun day so the teacher didn't teach anything the whole day. The kids had recess in the morning then they were working on a Mother's Day project and watching a movie. I sat back an observed the behavior not only of the students but also of the teacher.

I think that being the end of the school year has the teachers drained because my mentor was not paying much attention to her students. I noticed that the students picked up on their teacher's frustration because they would just act up knowing that there was a huge possibility the teacher wouldn't notice. I was ver disappointed with the teacher's attitude because I can just tell that these kids need that attention.

As I sat back and observed, I watched two students in particular. For the sake of their privacy, I'll call them James and Ryan. So, James' desk is in the back of the classroom facing the wall. I wondered why he sat back there so when I saw him interact with the teacher, I could tell he had trouble following directions. When the class was working on their Mother's Day project, he approached the teacher and asked for a pink sheet of paper. The pink sheet was the second step of the project. The first part was a letter. His teacher responded by yelling at him, "James get away from me! You haven't done the letter so what makes you think you can start coloring and decorating the pink sheet? Get back and sit down. I don't care if you don't want to give your mom anything!" The look on his face broke my heart. He returned to his seat and just sat there.
I went ahead and pulled a chair next to him and asked to see his letter. He told me he hadn't written it yet so I asked him to pull out a piece of paper. He told me he didn't have a notebook so I asked another student for a piece. Once we had the paper and pencil I asked him to give me three reasons why he is thankful for his mom. He had a negative attitude towards the project in general so he claimed that he couldn't come up with a reason. After about twenty minutes of me asking him questions about his mom, he came up with three reasons! He then wrote the letter to his mom and when we were done, I complimented on his handwriting and work ethic and the frown on his face changed to a huge smile! It warmed my heart! He finished his project and then he showed me his drawing skills (he is really good!).

When I was done working with James, I looked over and noticed Ryan. He too tried talking to the teacher but he was mumbling and she yelled at him and said "If you're not gonna speak up and talk to me normally, I don't wanna hear you! Go back to your seat, or speak up!" Ryan just returned to his seat and continued to draw on a piece of paper. I walked over to his group and pulled up a chair next to him. I noticed he was very shy and quiet. I made conversation and I was just asking some questions to get to know him. He did mumble when he talked so I had to pay close attention. I asked about his drawings and he explained his interest for Club Penguin which is an online game where you can customize your penguins and hang out in their city. I told him I used to have a penguin and he was so happy! We talked about that for quite some time then he showed me the rap song he wrote. He even chose to rap it for me. As we talked, I was analyzing his behavior and I came to an assumption that he might have Down syndrome. I asked one of the other Hope students who works with the special education teacher and she confirmed that Ryan does go to see that teacher and that he does have Down syndrome. After I found this out, I was very disturbed by the way his teacher acted towards him. I sensed her frustration with him, and I found it very unfair because I could just tell he enjoyed that personal time we had where I made him feel as though he and I were the only ones in the room. He definitely came out of his shell and opened up to me. I decided I want to work with him and James very closely while I'm here.

After school, we all hoped on the train and went down to Hollywood to walk around! We saw ver interesting characters once the sun went down. It was very interesting to see the difference between Hollywood and Watts. I was with a group of three other girls and we just walked up and down Hollywood Blvd. We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe so that was a great time. We took that time to debrief about our day at the school and then enjoyed the rest of the evening. We were out there for a few hours and then we all headed back to the hotel. We might have arrived around midnight or one in the morning so we were really tired! It was a great time though!


-Miss. Jackie

Big Problem...Little Creatures!

Found out that Camille (roommate) and I have lice. We did run next door to Target to buy that RID stuff to kill these little things! We put Listerine, mayonnaise, baby oil, and that RID shampoo. We spent a few hours combing each other's hair picking out the lice and eggs. Our professors were great support through this uncomfortable day! They checked up on us and even went to Target to get us some magazines because we stayed back on Thursday. We figured it wouldn't be smart to go to school.

We did, however, go to dinner with the crew. We went to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles! Yeah, you read that right..chicken and waffles. I didn't order the chicken and waffles this time, but I did order a chicken sandwich with fries, greens, cornbread, and an orange pop! It was on point!! We are definitely going back before we leave! I think that's a wrap! Bye!

-Miss. Jackie

Day Three!

Well the third day was quite interesting! The third grade class went on a field trip to a Science Center and they were al so happy and excited! When we arrived to the science center, the tour guide was outside waiting for the students dressed in a lab coat. All the kids were excited to see him and I loved to see how excited they all were to learn.

I was in charge of three little girls. They were all so excited to learn about dinasours, recycling, and science in general. I enjoyed it myself. I did, however, have some trouble with two of the little girls because they did not want to share a wand for the last activity. I had a hard time explaining to them the importance of sharing becuase they refused to isten. It was really hard for me to know that one of the girls completely shut down on me. For the rest of the afternoon, she was pouty and refused to participate. Once we were all on the school bus, she asked me to sit by her so I did. I think it gave me the chance to talk with her and ask her about the trip. She did apologize after the teacher talked to her so that helped.

I can already tell this is going to be an amazing experience!

-Miss. Jackie

May 6th Travel Day

We flew out of Michigan at about noon on the 6th and landed in Chicago for a brief second. We then boarded our next pane for LA! We landed in Los Angeles at about 3 Cali time but we didn't get to our hotel until about 6! We had to wait for our rental van, then had to go back and sign all those papers to rent the van...it was a long day of traveling!

We then had dinner after settling in and we all go in the van to take a tour of the Manhattan Beach area and Watts. The palm trees everywhere were just beautiful! Our hotel is just a mile away from the ocean and the pier! After that, we settled in our rooms and went to sleep because we were all SO tired!

-Miss. Jackie

A Little Intro...

Well, for those who do not know me, my name is Jackie and I'm an incoming junior majoring in social work at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. I was born and raised in Chicago, IL and chose to attend college in Michigan...it was a huge transition! I have been presented with this wonderful opportunity to fly out to Los Angeles, California to do an internship at a school in the Watts County area.

I was a freshman in the Phelps Scholar program when I first heard about this program called "Hope Comes to Watts". I was sitting next to my best friend and from that second of watching the video that the students made for us, we both knew we wanted to do that program.

Today, we're here! So this blog is about my experience as a student teacher in the third grade class at the Watts Learning Center. The names I mention have been changed to give the students, teachers, and staff privacy.

This means so much to me so I hope you enjoy it!

-Miss. Jackie