emily’s senior project

 Soooo today was my last day :( very emotional. The day started working with the same kid as usual, we brushed teeth, went to the bathroom, and ate snack. Then I gave him a little goodie bag I made for him! He loved it. Then it was math time followed by some time with the legos. He made, what he likes to call, a gear ratio. Then it was time for me to go to the third grade class. There I played hangman with two of the kids, followed by a read aloud by the teacher. Then it was lunch and recess time. At recess I did chalk with one girl, then us and three other boys joined us for soccer! I had so much fun! After recess we had a talk with the class about an issue, but then sadly it was time for me to go. Before I went I gave them each a little goodie bag I made for them. Then they insisted to make cards for me, so they did. Then we all took a photo together and I said my goodbyes :( I gave all the kids a hug and I was on my way.  Todays hours- 5 Total hours- 55.5    ...

 Today I went in a little later because I has to meet with a teacher, so I just stayed a little later to make up for it. When I got there I worked with the same kid with autism, sadly only for a little bit. Although the time I was there was very exciting! We took a sensory break meaning we got to the OT room and we swing on the swing and sit again the peanut shaped balls and play with a bean maze. He has to play with the toy correctly for 3 minutes, then he can choose how he plays with it for one minute. Then it was time for the third grade! I worked on some flash cards with two kids and then we split into groups and read a play. It was then math time, so I walked around and helped some kids with their math. Followed by lunch and then recess. I played soccer at recess today, and I had a lot of fun! Since It was monday, I had mentoring, and the mentors and buddies went outside and played various games like, legos, kickball, swings, and playdough. Before I knew it, it was time for me...

 This week I definitely learned a lot. I was able to spend quality time with all the kids I work with and really get to know all of the kids as individuals. This allowed me to connect with them and really make an impact. I learned that working with kids can be difficult, but it is also very rewarding. Some of the issues the kids were having I could relate to,  so I understood what they were going through better than some of the adults. I had more experience working with the kid with autism, which was very helpful for me,  as I learned more about autism as a whole.  I also have a good relationship with that kid and many other kids,  which is growing my love for working with kids. I really enjoyed this week. I definitely enjoy working with these kids, as it makes me very happy. I really enjoy helping them, but I also enjoy playing with them at recess. I think everything went as planned except on Friday when the AID of the kid who has autism was not there, and ther...

 Today was a little interesting. The AID that works with the kid with autism was out today so he was a little off. His scheduale was a little different today which was also confusing. Given this, he did very well! He was a little confused, but that was to be expected. We ate snack, went to the bathroom brushed our teeth, and then we did math. We did three word problems and learned two new vocab words, array and equal groups. Then it was time to go to the third grade. When I got there I was welcomed with an invitation to buy something from the store some students had made. The kids had just finsihed the state wide testing, so they were given a couple minutes of free time. Then the teacher read some of the read aloud book, and soon enough it was lunch and recess time. At recess I played soccer with a couple kids. After recess I went to the guidence counsler's room for the leadership program I created. We planned the next two mentor/little buddy programs. We planned an obstacle course...

I started my day the same as usual, working with the same kid. When I got there we started by reading Dora Says Goodnight which he absolutely LOVES. Then he insisted the speech therapist to draw Dora, so she did. Then he was so obsessed with the Dora for the day! He showed all his friends in the second grade class. Then it was time for snack. After snack we did some math! He did so good with the flashcards and word problems. After snack he watched some Dora videos on his ipad, then it was indoor recess time! This started by him playing with rubber bands and then he decided he wanted to go play in the gym. He invited two other friends from the classroom, and they played tag, bubble tag, and play catch with a football. Then it was time for me to transition to the third grade! I walked in and was immediately invited to play legos and pictionary, so I did both! Then it was lunch time followed by recess. At recess I played gaga, but it started raining so we switched to indoor recess. I cont...

 Today at AEMS was super fun! It started with working with the same kid as usual. We watched our brushing teeth video, then brushed our teeth and went to the bathroom. Then it was snack time and he ate so many star puffs! Then it was math time! This consisted of flashcards, and a word problem! He crushed it! Then it was time for recess, which meant I went to the third grade class. There I did flash cards with a girl, then as a class we did a play about dogs! I was the narrator. The point of the play and flashcards is to practice reading with fluency. Then it was lunch and recess time. At recess we played soccer again, and the girls won!! WOHOOO! While we were playing, one of the kids kicked the ball over the fence, so I had to go get it. We then played lightning but it turned into everyone against each other which was equally as fun. Then, sadly, it was time for me to go.  Todays hours- 5 Total hours- 35.5   <<< me getting the ball from the woods     ...

I think today was the most fun I have had at AEMS. I first went and worked with the same kid in the morning, and he was very silly and happy which made me very happy! Then when it was time for snack he wasn't feeling so good so his AID helped him calm down. No worries, everyone gets in a mood sometimes. Then I was off to the third grade. They had just finished the state testing, so they were happy to be done! I was welcomed with not only one but FIVE drawings from 4 different kids. This made me feel very loved and i'm glad I am making an impact on the kids! It was snack time and one girl asked me to draw with her, so I did, and a couple other girls joined. We were coloring a summer photo! It isn't done yet but I will post a photo of it when we complete it. Then, as promised, I stayed for lunch and recess. After lunch I helped clean the tables with another kids, and soon enough it was recess time! I played soccer with a bunch of kids! We played boys vs girls and unfortunatel...

 Today at AEMS I was kept VERY busy, which is good! First I worked with the same kid I work with in the mornings who has autism, and it went well. We brushed teeth, went to the bathroom and ate snack! Then it was time for math, which didn't go as well as planned, but we still got through all the addition and subtraction problems! Then I was off to the third grade! I was greeted with a drawing of my from a student (inserted to the right)! Then I helped one girl with pronouncing words and helped another girl with reading her book, which was actually very interesting. I forgot to take a photo of the book but it was called Cici's Journal. Then it was time to practice logging into the state testing site, so things will go smoothly when they take the actual test tomorrow. I was then off the the 8th grade to help with some math! They were working on system of equations and graphing them. There was an odd amount of people in the class, so when they broke off into working in groups of t...

  Throughout this week working with the kids at AEMS I really was able to experience working with kids. I had worked with some kids before, but not for this long and consistently. I learned that I can really help these kids socially and academically. This week I helped kids with math, reading fluency, and solving conflicts on the playground. I really enjoy the satisfactory feeling of making a kids day or helping two kids share and get along. Although this is very rewarding, it also takes a lot of energy. I completely underestimated the amount of energy kids have and will take from you. Although it was very tiring, I really enjoyed my time this week at AMES, and I am excited for next week to continue the relationships I have and make new ones. I have always had a strong appreciation for teachers, as my parents are both teachers and I really understand the effort and time put into teaching, but after this week that appreciation has definitely grown. I learned how to have  good r...

Today I went to AEMS and I was ready to work with the same kid as usual, but I couldn't seemed to find him and thought he wasn't in school today so I just went to the third grade class in the morning. I was told later that the kid was there but just had a different schedule than normal, so I didn't get to work with him, which was a bummer but sometimes things don't work out. Instead I went to the library with the third grade class and we played trivia! I just observed as I knew most of the answers pretty quickly. Then we did some math statewide practice testing, I walked around and helped the kids with reading he problem. Since it was a practice test I could not help them with the actual math, but just the reading of the questions. Then before we knew it, it was time for lunch and recess again! At lunch the kids quizzed me on riddles and I knew some of them but they tricked me some of the time! Outside I played soccer and I has so much fun. The kids i was playing with a...

 Today at AEMS was very simular to yesterday. I started my day working with the same kid. While we were working on spelling words, there was a fire drill! Luckily it wasn't too loud, and overall it went well. Then we worked with the speech therapist to work on displaying our feelings with words instead of just getting upset, angry, etc. Then he went out to recess so I went and worked in the third grade class. On my way I ran into two of the students and they asked if I wanted to come to their flex class with them, so I did. There we worked on sounding out words and learning the different sounds of letters and when to use each letter. Then I went back to the classroom where we went over the answer to the practice state reading test that the kids took last class. When there was a divide in the class, and they couldn't pick an unanimous answer, I helped and gave my opinion. Then it was lunch and recess time. At recess I played kickball and soccer. While I was getting ready to go o...

Today was quite the day. I started off working with a second grader who has autism, the same kid from yesterday, and we were able to get a lot done. We made a bumble bee with the OT, which helps the kid with operation skills that will be useful in school. Then after the OT left the second grader did some math. His AID explained to me that they use a system called touch math, where you draw dots on the number that you are adding or subtracting, to see it visually (photo below). With this method, we were able to add and subtract 3 digit numbers. Then as a reward for doing SO GOOD on the math problems we played with play dough. In order to ensure focus, there is a token system where the child has completed 5 tasks, big and small, he gets a reward, in this case play dough, but most of the time is it watching a snowflake video!  the touch method for adding and subtracting                               ...

Today was the first day at AMES working with the school. I started off my day with a second grader who has Autism. We worked on some simple math problems and practiced brushing his teeth. Our focus for the morning was feeling and recognizing how people are feeling. We then had some snack and went to the sensory room to get some energy out! I then ventured to the third grade where I was welcomed with a lot of love. I helped the kids with a math state practice test, bringing back my third grade math skills! I then went to lunch with the kids, followed by recess. At recess we played jackpot and we were going to play kickball but we ran out of time. Then I went back to Proctor to eat lunch and workout with Ross for weight room. Today was really fun and I am so exited to be back there tomorrow! Hours today: 4.5 (8am-12:30am) Total hours: 4.5

Instead of starting my Senior Project today I took the AP Calc Exam. I took this exam in the morning, and it went better than I thought, which was good. I am now officially done with my work for school, which I am very exited about. I am going to start at AMES tomorrow morning, and I calculated my hours for missing today. I am super exited to start tomorrow and get into the elementary school and to start my project! I also worked out, in my afternoon activity, weight room, since I am doing abbreviated senior project. I will be working with the guidance counselor and also volunteering in classrooms as needed! I will also be doing prep work at night to make sure I am ready for the day.