I volunteer on campus with the community-service group called the Literacy Initiative. The mission statement of the club is raise the literacy rates in Riverside, California.
I joined this group with my friend during our first year and now I have been part of the organization for a year. The reason why I joined was because of my love for kids, helping others, and reading.
(Courtesy of AmReading)
So far, I have worked with three teachers and had four different classes of students. Beginning with fourth and fifth graders, I moved on to second, first, and now kindergarten. Each class is remarkably different from the other, but they are all amazing regardless.
These students all have their own personality, own reading pace, and own stories. Between sounding out words, going to different rotations, or walking to recess I get to grow closer with them. This connection is so important in the classroom not only for their academics, but their development overall.
(Courtesy of Tiny Buddha)
Sometimes, these kids don’t have someone to encourage their reading. I always try to be that someone for them and they let me know that. My favorite memory was the thank-you cards or small mementos from my past students. The signs of gratitude range from saying they’ll miss me or stickers.
However, with so many students in the class, I also learned how to improve my listening skills. Once students know someone actively listens, they begin to fight for all of my attention at once. It can be overwhelming when you have one student talking about her new baby sister, another reading Olivia, and a third crying because someone looked at them mean.
Each day something different happens. Fire-drills, performances, referrals, class parties, and even teeth falling out are some of the spontaneous things that occur in my week. I may love the uniqueness of each week, but I have to remember these teachers experience this every weekday. With my mother being a teacher, I understand how much teachers truly go through in a single day.
(Courtesy of WorldArstMe)
Not everyone may be comfortable working with elementary students and that’s totally understandable! I could probably never volunteer at a blood drive because blood makes me nervous, but there’s someone who may love taking blood. Regardless of what the volunteering may be, I would recommend trying it at least once while in college. You not only can de-stress and meet amazing people, but also find something you thoroughly love.
For me, I found my love of volunteering with these students.