Although I have settled into some routines from my winter here last year, I am still carving out new adventures for the winter including an after school program.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Within the first couple of weeks of EIR, I had some free time to read over all of the links that Jess (my supervisor) had sent in her weekly EIR e-mail. One of the links shared information on how to be a good mentor while another talked about after school programming in rural areas of Maine. I know that another local school in Nobleboro has an after school program that my co-workers Noah and Nelson run and I also am aware that GSB, located directly next to the Y, has access to their after school programs, however, am not exactly sure what it entails. This made me think to myself, I could start an after school program!
I really want to make a difference in the lives of these kids. I have the potential to make a difference, but when? There are 6.5 hours in a school day from the moment we say the pledge to the moment that the first group of students are dismissed in the afternoon. Each minute of the day is planned. Reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and specials take up most the school days time. So, when am I going to be able to make a difference? During my EIR time, I really have to think creatively. I hang out in the lunch room for a few periods of the day, meeting with kids and checking in to see whats going on in their lives. I am also scheduled to help out with the 7th and 8th grade health classes - helping to come up with activities on risk-taking, decision-making, bullying, etc. And, fortunately, I am able to work with the 5th grade classes for an hour a week running activities that I would run at the Leadership school. But, when are some other times I can build a rapport with these kids, to work with them in a group setting, challenging each other, building relationships, and creating future leaders? AFTERSCHOOL!
I was so stoked when I came up with this idea. I ran some ideas by Jill (GSB's school counselor and also my GSB mentor) and she thought it was a great idea. After a meeting with Kim (the school principal), I had all that I needed to start this program!
So to fast forward a bit, I have a group of students on Tuesdays and a group of students on Thursdays that are in grades 4-6 from 2:30 - 4:30. We will be doing activities that range from team building to cooking and I couldnt be more excited.
MS. JACKSON'S 5th/6th GRADE CLASS TO KIEVE
Since the EIR program started at GSB 3 years ago, the 5th grade classes have visited GSB. Ms. Jackson's 5th/6th grade class visited Kieve on January 30th. The plan was a half day of climbing and a half day of snowshoeing.
We started the day off with a short community meeting playing my favorite game, rock, paper, scissors, split. We then headed down to the Buck building. After going over the 4 H's, I split the kids into different groups and we spent 2 hours making good use of our indoor rock wall. It was awesome watching these kids challenge themselves, trust in their classmates, encourage one another, and, of course, jump out of the black box!
We then took a long lunch break in our dining hall, PQ.
Typically after lunch we spend the afternoon snowshoeing, however, we decided to cancel it due to the current weather conditions. We used this time to work on a team building activity in the our Innisfree building. After a round of Stepping Stones, a game that discusses competition vs. cooperation, the students realized how much room for growth they have.
We ended the day with a long debrief, discussing things that we will be working on for the remainder of the winter. I am looking forward to seeing their progress.
MORE NEW BEGINNINGS IN STORE
For the upcoming week, I plan to start doing yoga classes for the 7th and 8th graders during their elective time periods and I also plan to start tutoring 3rd graders in math. Stay tuned for more details next week.
-Kasie
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