When asked what my most meaningful achievements have been, it quickly comes to mind that it has been the many community service projects that I have participated in over the last seven years. Surprisingly, the service work that I have provided for others has benefited me as much as it has our community. Through volunteer work for our community I have gained both social and communication skills. I have learned how to problem solve as an individual and as a team. I have learned the value of hard work and sacrifice of my time to improve our community. I have learned that whenever I can make a positive impact on an individual, that impact to that person will multiply to impact not only that person, but their family and the entire community. Throughout …show more content…
Although recess was always one of my favorite parts of the day, it didn’t take long to know that Ms. Daisy’s class was going to be an amazing experience. Many of the kids in Ms. Daisy’s class were severely handicapped, unable to speak, walk or even do simple body movements that we take for granted every day, but that didn’t stop us from communicating or having a great time. Spending time with the children in Ms. Daisy’s class was not only fun, but also very rewarding. Seeing the smiles as I walked into the room and hearing the laughter of the children was all I really needed, to know that was where I wanted to spend my recess. I made a very special bond with one of the children in the class who was severely autistic. Talon couldn’t talk and didn’t like to interact with people. I spent a lot of my time with him learning how he communicated and how I could communicate with him. Ms. Daisy always said that Talon and I had a very special bond. This was my first real experience of seeing how rewarding helping others could be. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a long journey of service work that would lead me to my career path …show more content…
After spending countless hours working hard to put together an assembly, it was finally ready to come to the school. It was hard to get to this point because we had to go through the principle to be sure that all activities were approved and make sure that teachers were ok with students being out of class. We made a Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter page where we talked about our goals for our school, and many of the students at our school would follow our pages. Our program was called the Domino effect, because when one person is affected from bullying it tends to create a chain of events that happen. During our assembly we talked about how bullying affects each person individually and as a whole community. We showed a few videos and did some activities that showed the students at our school that they are not alone. I saw many children that were in tears after watching some of the videos or participating in an activity. This helped me to realize how much of an impact I could have on people. We made bracelets to give to each student and asked that they wear them to support bullying prevention. This program we put on really seemed to make a difference at our school, because students were now aware that they had peers that had their back and were supporting them through anything they would go through. This also brought
Lavoie’s workshop provokes an emotional response. After viewing life through the eyes of a child with special needs, I cannot help but have a more significant understanding of what people, especially children with disabilities, must deal with every day, everywhere. During the many years that I have worked with children with various disabilities, I have encountered each of the topics discussed in Lavoie’s workshop and agree with the points he makes regarding children with disabilities. Particularly impacting the way I interact with my students are the topics concerning: anxiety, reading comprehension, and fairness.
Aside from the ineffectiveness of bullying programs, “Targets of bullying behaviors are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and loss of self-esteem” (Domino, 2013). Not only are schools being ineffective with their programs, the students are facing the effects of this. “Research has advocated that individuals must work together to effectively reduce bullying practices within schools” (Jones and Augustine, 2015). By creating a kindness program, students will be taught to work together to solve problems, and, in end, create a better
Later that year, I was accepted into Spanish Honors Society, a volunteer based program to help out the Spanish communities near my school along with volunteering to help raise money for organizations that help less developed countries. One particular project that I helped raise money for through Spanish Honors Society, was Project Running Waters. The money raised for this event was donated to help people living in Guatemala receive fresh water through pipe systems that would be built. We raised over one thousand dollars to donate to this cause. Knowing that I can positively impact individuals in my community and in other countries makes me feel like I have grown maturely and am able to understand what needs to be done to make a difference to
We had a classroom of kids with developmental disabilities, but they would not spend their whole day in that room. They would travel to different classes with their aides and do the same school work as we did for most of the time. One in particular that I remember is a boy named Josh who was friends with everyone in the school. He has a developmental disability but he is the friendliest person I have ever met. He would give hugs, high fives, share jokes, and kid around in the hallways with everyone and he was also the Sadie Hawkins king. He did great with his schoolwork as well and ended up being a part of our graduating class. Although it was not full inclusion and it was not always easy, he still got to be in our classrooms sometimes and still got to make all of the friends he did. So in the film when they show Pembrook Academy and the kids in it, it reminds me of my own experiences that I had in high school with Josh and the other
It's 8 o'clock in the morning and the corridors of Mill Road Elementary are busier than Grand Central Station. The only difference is that Mill Road students are about a foot shorter and ten times more energetic than your average Grand Central Station commuter. In comparison with the dorm room I have just left, these walls are papered with hundreds of drawings and paintings. The hallways could compete with any modern gallery in terms of sheer bulk and some critics might argue for their content as well. However, I did not wake up at 7 o'clock to view the Mill Road Elementary prized art collection. Instead, I am there to present the 3-step Disabilities Awareness program to several classes of supercharged fifth graders.
During the [Project Wisdom] program, my principal tells us a quote then he goes on to explain it. For example, he would say, "Danny Thomas once said, 'Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others." This quote hit me like a thunderbolt. I was constantly thinking about it. Then I saw homeless people while I was walking home from school. I thought of nothing but the quote, so as I got closer to the homeless people, I pulled out my wallet and gave them a ten dollar bill. The feeling I got when the homeless people looked at me is indescribable. After this experience, almost every time someone is in need of something, I give or at least try to give them what they need because of the self-content it brings me. The "Words of Wisdom" program made a difference in my life by helping me discover that it feels good to serve others.
I have realized that just by using the knowledge I have and some of my time, I too can make a difference. Now more than ever I have a passion to make a significant change for the better to this world of ours.
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it. Not only was I able to teach her math and reading comprehension skills, but how to carry herself as a smart and extraordinarily capable young lady. In return, she taught me patience and how sometimes you just need to approach a problem differently to see the
Before meeting Eric Walker, and his family, I didn’t really have very much experience or knowledge of what it meant to have a child or sibling with Cerebral Palsy. Meeting with Eric, and his family, along with his speech therapist not only gave me an insight into what it really means to live with a disability and to care for a child with a physical disability, but also the opportunity for me to apply what I have learned in this class and other classes to a real life situation.
Despite many obstacles in my life, my experience performing community service stands out as the most memorable. I was sixteen at the time, and just beginning my first job at a fast food restaurant. I had to learn how to balance between community service in the morning and my employment at the local Wendy’s. It was very stressful and influential at the same time.
I have not had a single accomplishment that is worth writing about but I feel that my college completion will be one accomplishment that I will be most proud. I feel that I am taking one step forward in life that will make me become a more successful person.
During my life I had some accomplishments. But, I will tell you the truth I cannot call them as my great accomplishments. At this point of my life I had the two greatest events. My first event was my high school graduation. The second event, which was the biggest and the most unforgettable was my wedding day.
I spent most of my time in a first grade classroom. In this classroom I observed the children as well as the teacher and paraprofessional. This classroom had children with special needs and that is why there was a paraprofessional in the classroom for half the day. What I observed in this classroom was how children with special need should be handle and taught. The teachers in this room loves her job and each student in her class. While in the classroom the teacher allowed me to help with children with their work, read to them and help them with anything else that they needed. During this field experience I got to give back to not only a school, but to a community that is very near and dear to my heart. I hope that I touched each student in a special way, because the students that I got the opportunity to help learn touched my
These experiences have afforded me opportunities to demonstrate my gifts and talents that had previously gone undiscovered. Through different community service opportunities, I either learned something new about myself or I was reassured something. These qualities include that I am creative, reliable, open-minded, passionate, and an effective team player. Community service changed my life by developing my character through enhancing my transferable skills, which allowed me to see the world differently. Everyone, from all walks of life, needs to in some way, shape, or form give back to the community because it will not only benefit the less fortunate but it will benefit the volunteers as well. Additionally, I learned about the wide variety of resources available to help the community. There are so many resources out there that people are ignorant to like certain shelters and food banks. Ultimately, community service taught me the greatest gift I could ever receive, how to be
Bullying has become a serious problem in public schools systems. Being a victim of bullying is a daily struggle for some students. The issue continues to grow, but the question is how to stop bullying from occurring. Many ways have been attempted to stop bullying, but some are more effective than others. Having the students get involved seems to have the most positive effect on the bullying issue in public school systems.