JOURNAL 3
Working with Kids: The Real Challenge
In this long-term service learning project, it was the opportunity to work with kids that brought me to McKinley High School. It was also the kids that made me decide to stay with them till the semester was over.
I have never had so much in common with such a large group a people before. Even though every kid was different, I had a special connection with all of them. In my eyes they all tried really hard, with an occasional needed push that is.
There are so many kids and stories that I can tell you about, but unfortunately we don't have the time or space on this report to do so. . .a darn shame uh? But, there are a few kids that I would love to share with you. The person that first come to mind is of coarse, Leilani. Leilani is a bright student. In fact she is one of my favorite students. Wait a minute. . .correction she gives me the most stress out of all of them. (just kidding) Leilani has been very helpful to me in my service learning project. She always volunteering to help. Furthermore, she always agree to help when I ask if she can join another group that need a little motivation. She unfortunately is also my loudest student.
The second person to come to mind is Tran. Tran is also a very bright student. When I first met him, he was always unwilling to learn. I learned later that Tran has a little confidence problem with his English. I think he speaks very fluent English. After a semester with him in my class, I guess he became a little more comfortable with me. I guess with this extra confidence, he was literally transformed Nowadays he always volunteers and participates in class. I got to admit it, kid knows his fishes and all the ways that you can prepare and cook fish. He can talk for hours about how to cook different types of fishes. . that's why I nicknamed him Bubba, after the character in the movie Forest the Gump. Tran is not perfect, sometimes he does have his off-days, but that's when I give him a friendly kick in the butt.
Lastly there's Lisa and Jan. Lisa and Jan are my nerds. They have an IQ that probably would go through the roof. I think they don't belong in this class. I think they belong in an AP level class. Don't get me wrong they are great students. They are always willing to learn. They first caught my attention, when they actually complained that I watered down my lessons to much. I smiled with an evil grin when they told me this. I think they regret they said that, after I started giving them extra work. But, despite everything, they deserve a well earned "A" for their efforts. There are other kids like Kyle and Ricky that I'm so proud of. But, then they are all a great bunch of kids. I love them all.