Week One Reflection

 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 relationships with the kids while at the same time not letting them get away with everything. There weren't too many surprises this week, except one day when I couldn’t find the kid I usually work with in the morning, but I problem solved and just worked with the third grade for longer. I truly believe that just in this one week I have taught all the kids I worked with at least some skill that they will use throughout the rest of their education experience. This being said I have learned a lot from them as well. I got experience working with a child who has autism, which will be helpful later in life if I decide to pursue a career where I will be exposed to others with autism. I also am still learning how to get along with the kids while making sure they are behaving appropriately and learning to the best of their abilities. This is quite challenging at times because coming in I didn’t want to be the “bad guy” if I told them something they didn’t like, but I realized that they will forget about it pretty quickly. I definitely am getting a good experience with kids, as I want to pursue a career that has to do with working with children. I also am helping out the teachers by answering questions the kids have, and playing with them at recess. Another one of my goals that I will work on more next week is continuing with the mentor program I started in the fall. I was unable to work on this the past week because that program meets on Mondays and I had to take the AP Calculus Exam on Monday, but I am very eager to start back up with that this week.