After being asked by a former professor, Joyce Hemphill (take her if you get the chance, she's incredible!), to be a guess lecturer next semester in her Human Growth and Development classes on my experiences working for AmeriCorps this summer, I decided it would be a good idea to keep some sort of a journal. I contemplated keeping a journal in a composition notebook, but couldn't find it in myself to sit and physically write something each night, or even weekly. Typing has always been much easier ;) This blog is mostly for my convenience to record memories and experiences and reference to in the future, however I hope you enjoy reading of my experiences in the process.
Every job I have had, essentially, has been in the health care field. Working as a CNA, an EMT, and currently a Pharmacy Tech certainly have not prepared me to work with four and five year olds. After an amazing experience tutoring second and third graders Spring semester, my volunteer placement coordinator suggested I apply for a job teaching through AmeriCorps this summer. This is what I knew of the job: Students are screened in Madison prior to entering Kindergarten in the fall. The students that are red flagged for being significantly behind in many areas necessary for success in Kindergarten are recommended to take a K-Ready summer school program, offered by the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) and AmeriCorps and Schools of Hope (two AMAZING programs). Not really knowing what I was getting into, I decided to give it a shot and get my feet wet. After all, who wouldn't want to spend their summer with a bunch of four and five year olds.
Obviously, I got the job, straying me away from health care for the first time in my life. Cullen reminded me frequently when we would see an extremely annoyed and stressed out (not to mention underpaid) teacher walking around with fifteen little kiddos that certainly that would be the ideal way to spend the summer, right? Let's hope he's wrong this time ;)
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