FDR SUMMER CAMP
- english teacher assistant -
4 weeks 20 days 80 hours
"Ariana thinks outside the box; she was extremely helpful with the children we taught in so many different ways and scenarios. Even though they came from various backgrounds, she was able to handle them properly and found always a way to make them feel comfortable and valued". -Desiree Flores, FDR English Teacher (Mentor)
MY SCHEDULE
8:30-8:55 - Pick Up Students
9:00-9:50 - Period 1
9:55-10:45 - Period 2
10:45-11:00 - Break
11:05-11:55 - Period 3
12:00-12:30 - Take Students to Busses / Parents
9:00-9:50 - Period 1
9:55-10:45 - Period 2
10:45-11:00 - Break
11:05-11:55 - Period 3
12:00-12:30 - Take Students to Busses / Parents
RECOGNITION FROM MENTOR
REFLECTION
One day, I began thinking of the idea of doing an internship. My idea behind this was to learn and get experience in an area that I was interested in and that could be helpful for the future. This is when I realized I needed to do something related to people because of my passion for human resources. As I looked for possible jobs, I found myself reading an application to work in my school's summer camp. It seemed like a great opportunity, not only because it was a four-week job during the summer, but also because it was about working with kids. This is something I enjoy doing and I've been working with children for more than a year now in Meninas, my arts & crafts and bakery workshop. I thought it was a great experience that could help me with my small business and it also involved dealing with kids, teachers and directors. So, I decided to apply for this job and after one or two months, I found myself reading an e-mail accepting my application, I couldn't wait to start my first internship!
On the first day of the internship I found out that, I was accepted for the English class student aide job and that my teacher/mentor would be Ms. Desiree. The best thing about it was that I was always so excited to go to work. Every day I woke up at 6:30 am, just like a normal school day, but I was never tired. I woke up with so much energy about the day. I would get to school, check-in at the office and then started setting everything up for classes. I went to the library to get the laptops and then logged-in in each one of them with the pages we were using for that day. Then, I went to the gym to pick up my students and take them to English class. I would do the warm-up with them, which was basically talking about our daily activities or playing a game so they could practice a little bit of their oral skills. Right after the warm-up, I was in charge of checking their homework from the day before. At this time, Ms. Desiree would teach the lesson and we would do some exercises on the computer or with the copies I printed before class. It was great to help them when they had questions or they were just stuck in some exercises. Of the three periods I had, there was always one group that had more trouble with English than the others and these were the groups I was in charge of. I would take them to the library or to some other place to teach them the lesson slowly and assist them more personally. At the end of the day, I would take them back to the gym and to their buses and then clean up the classroom and return the laptops. t was incredible how everyday at 12:30 pm when I finished working, I could only think of seeing the kids on the next day.
There were many things that I learned from this experience about teaching and being around children as well as about being an employee in general. This was the first time in my life where I had a boss, where I had to check-in at the office and the first time I had to stay working until night to finish a lesson for the next day. It was also the first time I felt so engaged with the work I was doing. All of this was amazing. The greatest thing I learned was to always be 100% dedicated to what you are doing and the reason why I am so happy to have learned this is because it is a tip I need to keep reminding myself in the future. I now know how good it feels to wake up at 6:30 to go work at the place where you can keep exploring your passions over and over again, and I think everybody should work where they feel this.
Why did I enjoy it that much? Because I was doing what I love, working with people and helping them achieve a higher level. And this is how I came to the conclusion that this tip shouldn't be applied only to work, but to everything we do in life. For example, for the majority of high school students going to school is awful. On the other hand, the majority of college students do enjoy learning about the career they are exploring. I realized this is all about us doing what we like and finding a place to explore our passions. Honestly, being an Innovation Academy student, waking up in the morning doesn't feel so awful as it did years before and I am hoping to find a university and a job where I can enjoy, learn and work at the same time, just like I did during the summer camp.
On the first day of the internship I found out that, I was accepted for the English class student aide job and that my teacher/mentor would be Ms. Desiree. The best thing about it was that I was always so excited to go to work. Every day I woke up at 6:30 am, just like a normal school day, but I was never tired. I woke up with so much energy about the day. I would get to school, check-in at the office and then started setting everything up for classes. I went to the library to get the laptops and then logged-in in each one of them with the pages we were using for that day. Then, I went to the gym to pick up my students and take them to English class. I would do the warm-up with them, which was basically talking about our daily activities or playing a game so they could practice a little bit of their oral skills. Right after the warm-up, I was in charge of checking their homework from the day before. At this time, Ms. Desiree would teach the lesson and we would do some exercises on the computer or with the copies I printed before class. It was great to help them when they had questions or they were just stuck in some exercises. Of the three periods I had, there was always one group that had more trouble with English than the others and these were the groups I was in charge of. I would take them to the library or to some other place to teach them the lesson slowly and assist them more personally. At the end of the day, I would take them back to the gym and to their buses and then clean up the classroom and return the laptops. t was incredible how everyday at 12:30 pm when I finished working, I could only think of seeing the kids on the next day.
There were many things that I learned from this experience about teaching and being around children as well as about being an employee in general. This was the first time in my life where I had a boss, where I had to check-in at the office and the first time I had to stay working until night to finish a lesson for the next day. It was also the first time I felt so engaged with the work I was doing. All of this was amazing. The greatest thing I learned was to always be 100% dedicated to what you are doing and the reason why I am so happy to have learned this is because it is a tip I need to keep reminding myself in the future. I now know how good it feels to wake up at 6:30 to go work at the place where you can keep exploring your passions over and over again, and I think everybody should work where they feel this.
Why did I enjoy it that much? Because I was doing what I love, working with people and helping them achieve a higher level. And this is how I came to the conclusion that this tip shouldn't be applied only to work, but to everything we do in life. For example, for the majority of high school students going to school is awful. On the other hand, the majority of college students do enjoy learning about the career they are exploring. I realized this is all about us doing what we like and finding a place to explore our passions. Honestly, being an Innovation Academy student, waking up in the morning doesn't feel so awful as it did years before and I am hoping to find a university and a job where I can enjoy, learn and work at the same time, just like I did during the summer camp.