Make-Up Work (The Struggle is Real)/Written Reflection One

Don't Miss School Kids

By Jacob Whitmore

 I've never liked missing school...

Our brilliant comic about the Articles of Confederation

Not because I love the atmosphere and can't stand to be away from it, but because I never like all the work I have to catch up on. You're given x-amount of days worth of work in one pile all at once. Plop! There it is, and do it all as quickly as possible. It can be overwhelming. However, I know there are times where missing school can't be avoided. So, what does all of this have to do with my service organization? 

A little more than a week ago, I went to volunteer at the Homework Help. Like any other day, I was paired with a student, and we sat down and prepared our materials.

I asked the young lady, "So, what are we working on today?"

Her response, "Well, I missed 4 days of school," and she started laying down sheet after sheet of all the assignments she needed to make up. There was a touch of history, a dash of business, and a pinch of science. Viola! The task of the ages! Initially, I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my stomach as I remembered the days of yore when I had to work thorough folders of assignments at a time. To say the least, I was not excited.

The extraordinary sequel comic about the Constitution

We started off with history. The assignment was to create two comics that explained how the Articles of Confederation and Constitution worked. Now, I'm not much of a history buff, so I had dig deep into the recesses of my mind to remember what I was taught. Although, the young girl I was helping actually knew the subject material, so it was just a matter of visually representing the topics. For business, we had to do some vocabulary sheets and a crossword; however, I had no idea what some of the answers were. We tried looking them up to no avail, and we worked together with Sam and Bobbi to figure out the solutions. To our misfortune, we still couldn't figure it out. So we did what we could and moved on to science, which we could only work on for a short time as the Homework Help was almost closed. We got a lot done but didn't manage to finish all of the make-up work.

Trying to unravel the enigma of business
(Bobbi, Sam, and the student)

Overall, I was really surprised with how everything went. The girl I helped knew what she was doing and worked diligently. I know some kids come to the Homework Help that don't have the motivation to work. It made me think about how there are some hard-working students out there who still manage their education and personal lives well, and that the Homework Help tutors still do their best to help those who don't have that work ethic. The tutors approach the students with amiability, hopefully making them a bit happier about their situation. Seeing both tutors and students working is something to appreciate.

So long as it's not make-up work that's the task at hand.
                                                                 
                                                                   Ughhh...

Initial Reflection: First Visit

Hey maintenance is a good thing, right?

Drake Boling         

       There are five branches of the Lexington Public Library scattered around Lexington. All of these branches host similar community outreach programs. Our service group works with the Village Branch, which has offered Homework Help since 2004. Homework Help is a project that meets Monday through Thursday, that is focused on helping elementary school students to get extra assistance with the homework due for the next day of class. 

       Monday, September 14th was our group's first day of service. We packed into Bobbi's car and headed there after my 4:00-4:50 Computer Science lab let out. My group is very kind to wait for me every week.

Tiny library smashed between a Kroger and a Save-a-Lot

       There is a "line-up" of children that are in the waiting room. The computer in the corner of the homework help room lists the children the in order that they signed in. The screen updates when Lynn updates from his computer. Kids that have finished their homework help are removed from the list and they go back into the holding room/general library area to play, talk, or whatever. I quickly got the sense that it was a constant stream of kids that need help. Almost like when you order at a restaurant, and a screen will tell you when your order is going to be called. I understood how many children need help every night. It definitely could have been seen as overwhelming, but I made sure to not let the amount of help needed  make me hurry through the kids I helped. And I certainly did not hurry. 

     When I approached Lynn, he read the next name in the lineup. "Oh sorry, Jessica (do not remember child's name) only works with Mr. Johnson (do not remember his name). He comes in at 6. We'll go on to Luis." This moment struck me. I thought back to the connections I had made while volunteering at Crossroads elementary- the connections I made with the students there. For a girl to refuse to work with anyone but this man who comes in everyday so routinely? That was impactful. That was an end to strive to- a relationship that was so important to a student. 

       I worked with Luis for almost the whole time. The kids have a good amount of homework. I very much enjoyed getting to know my student. I like to think he can now "carry the one" millions of times better than when he started. I also was very meticulous about his handwriting. At the start, I told him to re-write nearly everything- to present his information well. I was very strict about him lining up the addition facts neatly. I explained that if you line up everything correctly in the beginning, the work does itself. I explained the most important part is when you write out the number in a sentence at the end- attaching meaningless numbers to context with meaning. It is rewarding to see what the numbers mean as far as "how many cans bought" or "how many tickets sold"- that's where stuff matters. And I told him to write out the final answer well- he worked hard to get it, now he should present it like he's proud of it. After several worksheets and hundreds of "ones carried", he started to do this on his own. He lined up his math much more neatly. He would erase his 6 that looked more like a "G" without me asking. I'm not saying he will do this next time I help him out with homework. But if a relationship is built, hopefully these positive influences can become habit. 

Pretty much me

        As I was helping out and imbibing the organized chaos of the whole thing- tons of people outside, tons of people in the holding area, many other volunteers in the Homework Help room- I got the deep sense that this same scene was playing out in the four other branches of the library system. I wondered if there was anyone in an extremely similar situation- perhaps another UK student volunteering at another branch, thinking about me as I think about them. It was one of those moments that makes one feel small. Makes one realize the amount of help places like the Lexington Public Library need. Most of the students we will be helping come from the Cardinal Valley area. This represents merely one neighborhood of Lexington. There is a lot of room for good. There is a lot of need for it too.

Initial Reflection

The Lexington Public Library

 

The Lexington Public Library is so much more than just books.  

 The Lexington Public Library Central Branch and five neighborhood branches serve Lexington with events ranging from the expected story telling groups to guitar lessons and haunted tours of Lexington.  Whether through computer classes, crafts, foreign language classes, or its many different outreach programs, the Lexington public library brings the community together and provides programs meeting the needs of +300,000 of adults, teens and children in the Lexington area.

The Village Branch and Homework Help

I will be volunteering at the Village Branch with the Homework Help Program.

When the Village Branch of the Lexington Public Library opened in 2004, the staff became aware of need for homework help for the children of the Cardinal Valley area.  They began the program, Homework Help, assisting children in grades K-5th with after-school homework guidance. With the help of volunteers, The Village Branch continues to provide services to an average of 20 students a night four days a week.   Volunteers are asked to work one on one with a child providing encouragement, helping students build skills and confidence to learn while completing homework.  

My hope while volunteering is to help the children learn to become comfortable asking for help while practicing and learning skills to complete homework...and maybe have a little fun.

Initial Visit 

My first visit was Monday, September 14^th and I would describe my first impression of the Village Library as crowded and chaotic.  There was a group of teenagers outside the front doors and people were everywhere.  Not sure what to expect, I went to the front desk and was directed to Lynn in the program room. 

Lynn was busy helping checking children in, providing snacks and supplies.  The room was full of tables and chairs and so many children.  After a brief introduction, I was directed to sign in on the volunteer sheet and toward a first grader named Lexi.   

Lexi was one of the two students I worked with on spelling homework.  Initially Lexi was quiet and just opened her workbook. Lexi barely spoke. Apparently she had been here before and knew the routine.  All was going well until Lexi mistakenly wrote out her word in marker in the pencil column, a mistake that seemed to be a crushing blow.  I took the marker making the mistake a flower and handed her the pencil to move on.  I am not sure if this meets the teacher's expectation for correcting mistakes but the smile and relief on Lexi's face made my night.  Lexi read me a book (next assignment) and told me she likes fancy things.

She made me this picture for the next time I was having a tough day...three flowers singing lalala lalala.

After finishing up and looking around, I realized the Village Library was crowed but an organized chaos.  People were busy reading books, doing homework and even socializing but all enjoying themselves.   I finished the night looking forward to my next visit.

Bobbi