Week 2 of Internship

This week I met my mentee.  I actually had a good time being there on Monday.  We worked on homework for a bit, and then she read me scary stories. :)  Afterwards the class played soccer, and I got to play too.  The time went by fast and I had fun with my munchkin.  I was thinking about the BLAST orientation that I attended, and they really stressed how the kids we were going to interact with were low income and have been abused on some account, whether mentally, verbally ect.  I was really nervous to meet my mentee, because I was expecting to be tested by her, and that I would have trouble connecting.  They also made it seem like these kids were damaged.  As far as I could tell, my mentee is just like any other 5th grader. (and I know many!)  I was somehow expecting a kids suffering. The BLAST reps really paint a beak picture.  I found that this is not the case.  My mentee seemed fine.  I suppose they were preparing us, but they made it seem so dramatic.  Anyway, I think I am really going to enjoy spending time with my mentee.  Also, the class seemed in better control.  I can attribute this to a different leader and the fact that the kids were able to exert their energy.  Last week it had been raining and the kids had been coupe up.  This week was better.

Internship Day 1

I had my first day of mentoring on Monday.  I was really nervous but excited.  Unfortunately, my assigned mentee was not there, I was however paired with another girl.  These two hours were really interesting for me.  What I found most interesting was the way the after school program was run.  My classroom was being supervised by a 22 year old guy, and the class was out of control.  I was shocked, the entire time, by the amount of disorder, and the lack of control this adult had.  The class included 4th and 5th graders, and I recognize that fifteen children ages nine to eleven is not easy.  However, they can be worked with, I have done so with success on many accounts.  If I were to characterize the class, I would say that the children were in charge.  Actually, it took a lot of effort for me not to intervene.  Outside of this fact, I was impressed by how the kids were rather attentive to one another.  There were many different types of children in this group, yet they all accepted one another.

I am interested to see how the weeks will unfold, and I am still waiting and anticipating meeting my mentee.  I think I am going to learn a lot, about myself, the way I think and I think I will learn about myself as a teacher.