Thursday @ Boys & Girls Club

Wow, what a ton of rain we had last night! There is no way we can go to the farm for the DragonFly project with the Blue Hawks and the Falcons. We practiced a fire drill with the all of the teams after breakfast. We "counted heads" and kept them in a line for what seemed like a very long time. But it is important that they know that all of the kids are out and that the junior staff can keep the kids in a safe spot. There were a number of WSU student volunteers to help out.

Because we didn't go to the farm, I observed a presentation from the Mental Health Association on problem solving. The kids are 6th graders. The setup was similar to a classroom watching a video and cladd discussion. The volunteer from the Mental Health association did not have experience with classroom managment! Much like the first days in my classroom. I think that I am convinced that attempting to have a conversation/Q&A with a classroom is not possible. Too many side conversations go on. Students do not have basic skill of listening and taking turns. It is just too hard to enforce. Notboy seems to be able to manage basic courtesy with young adolescents. I certainly don't have a handle on it. Perhaps a setup should go like this. Present the information in lecture or media. Overhead has discussion questions. Small groups of students are to break out and discuss the questions and produce some kind of presentation/poster/deliverable, then present to class. Not a jigsaw, but a way to push for conversations, but without the side conversations. I think that with practice, groups of students could pull this off. This observation would say that the lecturer had the students attention for 5 or 6 seconds out of 60. Asking students for personal experience sends each into storytelling with their neighbors.

We took the Hawks around the west side of the facility to look at bagworms with magnifying lenses. There are only so many times that kindergarten kids can stay on a task for more than a minute or two. However, their curiosity and generosity with trying to please can be worked with to start some critical thinking. Again we worked with names and spelling of names.

I am surprised that I have so much fun with the littlest ones. I am of a mind to work with older kids most of the time. I wish I had the confidence to put more of a direction on my interaction. As I watch the experienced staff and junior staff work with the kids, they seem to have a strong sense of what should be, how it should be and what they and the kids should be doing. They seem to have a sense of authority that I am uncomfortable with. To be sure, if I was spending each day with the kids, I think that I could pull that off without being a pedantic jerk.

journal entry from Boys & Girls club and the farm

Went to the farm with the Hawks and Falcons today. We are going to show and tell about potatoes. The Hawks are 4 and 5 year old youngsters and are like a gaggle of geese. Young volunteer Mr. O'Brien is very good with these young people. We had to find potato plants with them and after Mr. Curtis dug the mounds, the children counted and collected the potatoes.

Our goal for the day, according to Mr. Curtis, was to plant a memory in their minds about where and how the food they eat is produced. There is mud, and bugs and weeds and sweat and work involved before food gets to the table. One of the little children was very afraid of dogs. There were four puppies that followed us around. I was surprised that one of the senior staff was very opinionated about how this little girl, blubbery and crying was supposed to "get over it now, or sit on the bus..." Very little compassion, but on the other hand, there are a lot of kids to manage.

For the Falcons, 2nd and 3rd graders, we spent some more talking/lecturing time. We told the children to use the scientific method with potatoes. Observe:, How do potatoes grow? Where is the "seed" potato that we planted earlier? How long does a potato need to grow before we choose to harvest?. How many potatoes were harvested on average from each plant? Why did some plants have more potatoes than other plants in the row?

It was fun to put some fresh onions and green beans with the potatoes and talk about how to make a meal. The objective was to start an internal conversation within each child about where and how food gets to their table. Students get to take some of the produce home. We presented a contest for the best story/paragraph for each student to attempt. The prize will be lunch at McDonald's on Friday. The topic of the story was to relate to our experiences at the farm this day.

2nd time at Boys and Girls clubs

Wow, I had a ton of fun at the park with the Hawks. The bus was broken so we couldn't complete the expected DragonFly project at the farm. I was impressed with the ability of staff to innovate and figure something else to do. I accompanied the staff and volunteers to a small park behind the community police station. Miss Sheri, another educator, and Mr. Curtis the farm owner conducted 3 mini-lessons to the kids before they could play on the playground.

1. Baby potatoes, seed potatoes and how potatoes grow from the "mama" potato
2. How to say your name when asked by a teacher or some one in authority. "My name is....Scott McCloud."
3. How to spell your name accurately when asked. For example, I would have to spell my name by saying, " Capital S, cee, oh, tee, tee, capital M, cee, Capital C, ell oh, you, dee."

My thoughts and fears before this first engagement paused and retrenched my opinions of this activity. Like many humans, any new experience with an institution and community that has already been established elevates my anxiety. They have a way of doing things and a way of looking at the world. As a stranger, I am either going to blend in and minimize disruption to the existing community or I am going to upset the apple cart so to speak. I absolutely was afraid that I would be an unwelcome intrusion even though I was part of an expected group. This tension between wanting to be successful in the endeavor and not wanting to be a disruption to the existing norm is important for teachers to monitor and work through.

Miss Sheri and Mr. Curtis put their stamp on the kids. They had specific objectives and behaviors that they expected and where not shy about pushing the Hawks to perform. I want to get to this level of comfort and authority, but will never have the time with these students to pull this off with affection rather than autocratic rule. It was clear that the Hawks liked the staff and volunteers. Especially Mr O.

I am going to continue with the Hawks and the dragonfly project on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

1st Journal Entry for Boys and Girls Club class project

Finished the orientation phase of the project at the Boys and Girls Club for class project. I am looking forward to working with the dragonfly project and the art room. My initial thoughts are to create and decorate a foldable book of recipes for "food of love" activities. The food of love is any meal prepared with love for someone we love. It is the central metaphor of my life's work. I plan on organizing my time around the gardening groups and the art groups and preparation of a small paper book.

I am delighted to know that they use a salutation and first name for all adults. I will be Mr. Scott. It reminds me of going to Guatamala and getting to know everyone by name. Names are very important to me, and I think that they must be important to the kids and volunteers as well.

I want to be careful not to pretend or promise too much. I am only there for a short time and want to do something that is fun, foodie friendly, and short lived. Too many things get too big too fast in all of our lives.

I will ask if I can post some decorated recipes and some photos of the garden/dragonfly work.

Webquest link

Here is a link to a hotlist web site that I have put together of the sites and resources I have used over the school year.

http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listpurposesm.html

Practice Makes Practice, or Does It?: The Relationship Between Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, Harste, et al.

Practice Makes Practice, or Does It?: The Relationship Between Theory and
Practice in Teacher Education, Harste, et al.

IBPC: New Poetry Voices

IBPC: New Poetry Voices

Locus Online: 2004 Recommended Reading

Locus Online: 2004 Recommended Reading

Economist.com | neuroeconomics

Economist.com | Economics focus