On the last day of my
observations at Mercer Elementary, I was so happy to walk into a history class!
The students were given memorabilia and antiques from the American Civil war
that their teacher gave to them, had to observe them carefully in groups of
two, and write a paragraph about what they thought they were observing. It
could be a picture of Abraham Lincoln or General Lee, or a Union battle cap, or
a letter from a soldier who fought in a battle etc. After they were done they
were supposed to stand up in front of the class and read what they wrote, and
why they thought of a specific historical event or person when they were
analyzing each object. I even intervened in some cases when I saw that students
were struggling, because I always enjoyed studying about US Civil War history
and wanted to help them. After this project was done, the students headed down
to the computer lab to do online math exercises. Ms. Rashid told me that they
do online math exercises once a week, using a new IB program designed
specifically for elementary students, combining math work with games and fun. I
could tell the kids liked it as they were quiet for the whole forty five
minutes it lasted. While they were doing their work, Ms. Rashid and I engaged
in conversation about how students relocate so often, that it is hard for them
to follow along and get used to a new school environment. She says it’s the worst
thing in the world when students keep changing schools, and when a teacher
strives to help a student for months and then he/she leaves. It’s also hard on
the student to make new friends and get used to a new school, as she said,
school is home away from home for many kids. And she said some parents don’t
even care or are aware of the damage this can cause to their children; that upsets her more than anything. The hardest thing is
that many of them refuse to hear it, or completely neglect the advice that the teacher
gives or some of the actions she takes.
After the students were
done with their math work we all headed up to class. At this time I asked Ms. Rashid
if I could talk to the students a little bit since it was my last observation
and I never really had the chance to talk to them a little bit about me. So I
stood up in front of class and talked to them about my Greek background, the
fact that I went to school in Greece and my parents still live there, that I am
a college student now at John Carroll and how much I love soccer. They were
fascinated by the fact that I was raised abroad and specifically that I was
from Greece, as Ms. Rashid had told me that they were learning about Ancient
Greek history and mythology. They asked me questions about the Gods of Olympus,
the Trojan War and Achilles, and if I had ever been to Thermopylae were King
Leonidas stood against the Persians with his army of three hundred. Then I told them about how my elementary school
in Greece was similar and different to theirs, and how there is homework in
college as well and tests and quizzes. It was nice to finally be able to get to
address their questions and give them a little information about myself, as
most of the time I was just observing and they never had the chance to really
get to know me. At the end of my
mini-lecture, I thanked everybody for their help and assistance, promising to
visit them again soon, and departed from Mercer Elementary with the best
impressions and an excellent amount of knowledge that I would have never been
familiar with had I not had this unique opportunity.
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