Final Reflection Service at Villiage Library

by Bobbi Lin

After completing service at the Village Public Library I have a new appreciation for the dedication of the parents and teachers that serve our children.  Please see my final reflection below:

Final Service Reflection

Hello world,

It's "ya boy" Drake again with the final blog post of the semester. Here I discuss my last trip to the Lexington Public Library and discuss some highs and lows of the volunteer work.

In all seriousness, I have very much appreciated my time volunteering there, and I am happy to know I will always be able to come back to the posts that are my ideas I have preserved on the Internet. It's like a little cross section of some thoughts- a microcosm of my life. I have enjoyed running this blog, and I loved my group this semester. I am glad to have worked with them.

See y'all on the B side,

Drake Boling

Final Service reflection

Hello world,

It's "ya boy" Drake again with the final blog post of the semester. Here I discuss my last trip to the Lexington Public Library and discuss some highs and lows of the volunteer work.
In all seriousness, I have very much appreciated my time volunteering there, and I am happy to know I will always be able to come back to the posts that are my ideas I have preserved on the Internet. It's like a little cross section of some thoughts- a microcosm of my life. I have enjoyed running this blog, and I loved my group this semester. I am glad to have worked with them.
See y'all on the B side,
Drake Boling

Final Service Learning Reflection

Final Service Reflection

By: Samantha Schulte

As the semester comes to a close, so does my time working with the Lexington Public Library. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity to work with the children at Homework Help, as well as the chance to get to know my group members a little better. This video highlights my most challenging moments at the Library and also my most memorable. 

I feel truly blessed to get the chance to work with these children and hope that I can find a time next semester to go back and volunteer at Homework Help. 

And in the End.../Final Service Reflection

Quite the Experience

Hey there! So, I have finished serving the Homework Help this semester, and I had some things to say about my experience there. Overall, it's been great working with the Lexington Public Library, and it's something I will remember for the rest of my life. So, this will probably be my last post, and I just wanted to thank those who have been following us on this blog.

Sincerely,

Jacob Whitmore

Written Reflection 3

Some Pre-Thanksgiving Break Reflections:

          So much depends on what child Lynn assigns you. Whether that child has 5 minutes of homework or two hours of homework. I have been on both sides of the spectrum. Sometimes, after working with a child for an extended period of time, I find myself wondering "What would this student do if Homework Help was not offered?". At these times, the help we volunteers provide seems extremely valuable. I look around to the adults that are there to help everyday. That never fails to impress me. 

          Jeremy is one adult that is always there when we are volunteering. He is kind of a rock star when he steps in the room. He knows all the kids' names and is always joking around with students. He knows what kind of homework each child will have, and he knows how to help. Jeremy is also at The Learning Center, the alternative high school I volunteer at on Tuesdays. When I look at Jeremy, I can really see the commitment he has for helping kids, and I can't help but admire the heck out of him. I think anyone volunteering should strive for the level of all-around benevolence he possesses at this program.

         I encountered a new problem upon the last time I visited the library. I did not understand a certain procedure to multiply a string of long numbers. I only learned one super gimmick-y way to multiply: the lattice method (shout out to Noah). This newfangled, confusing method of multiplication was completely beyond me. Luckily, I the girl I was helping understood the process, just not necessarily the correct arithmetic. I would punch the problem into a calculator, and correct her arithmetic at the end if needed. If my student was more in the dark about the method, I would have had to frantically learn the convoluted method. I was thankful for this.

Lattice math. From elevenplusexams.com.uk

         The last time I was there, I also worked on "carrying the one" for about an hour. This is pretty consistently a major focus. I often ponder the level of abstract or critical thinking involved in learning the concept of numbers. It is impressive such ideas can be communicated at such a young age. I find that when a student finishes a paper more quickly than they started  it, I feel very rewarded. 

         I believe we have just finished the required amount of hours for the curriculum. I believe we will either go back Monday, or at least one time before the end of the semester. I am glad we no longer are kind of forced to do it. Perhaps it will feel even more rewarding if we continue to go after we have to. I enjoy it enough to want to go back a couple more times. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. From history.com

Drake

Worth the Wait

By Bobbi Lin

It seems as the semester goes on some recent nights at the Homework Help Program have slowed down a bit.  I guess those students feel the need for a mid-term break as much as I did.  On my last two visits I have waited for someone to help rather than the usual full lobby helping student after student. 
As I was waiting for the others in my group to finish up thinking we would just call it a night, a little man who was visible upset came in and announced he needed help.  He was not on the list but Mr. Lynn pointed to me so we sat down.  It seemed he was very upset over not being able to work division problems.  We sat there and wrote out each problem on a side sheet of paper and I watched him make guess after guess when I asked questions like how many times does eight go in to twenty-four.  This is how I learned long division.

After a while I switched to multiplication table to see if we needed to start there.  He knew a lot of answers but then told me he did not know his sixes very well.  As we worked he stated he didn't know his sevens very well, and then his eights.  I was started to understand his frustration. 

We spent the next half hour working on the multiplication tables. I spent the time to show him how if 2*3 = 6 then 6/3=2.  I showed him the 8*4 is just 8+8+8+8.  He seemed to relax with addition as a tool.  We made table after table practicing while focusing on understanding the math rather than just memorizing the numbers. 

  I find that high fives for correct answers is a huge motivation.  

It seems tedious, and at times at the end of a day with work and class, it can be tedious but the look on his face was worth it.  He relaxed and when we went back to his homework problems he attempted to write the problems out all by himself.  It is times like this that reminds me why we are there.  That taking the time to work through the problems no matter how tedious or late is worth it and makes all the difference to a student who just needs some help.

I am not sure how well he did the next day but I do think he went home a little more confident.  I know that although I was just waiting to leave I was grateful to have been there when this one student walked in the door.  It was worth the wait.