When I was a junior in college I was a part of the “Be a Star mentoring Program”. A group of my classmates and I would go to the local elementary school near our college to assist teachers with after school tutorial. We would volunteer to help out in any way(s) possible. We all shared a common goal which was to help meet the needs of children who were not excelling in their learning. After several months of working with the students we were advised that the after school tutorials will end. There were some funding issues so all after school programs and extracurricular activities were being removed.
Over the months the children had grown so much. Children who were not able to read begin to recognize words and put them together to form sentences. Seeing their growth brought so much joy. Knowing that we only had a couple of days left to work with the students, the staff put together a farewell luncheon. At the luncheon the children gave speeches and cards to show their appreciation for all the hard work that we had done to help them. With tears in my eyes I hugged the children one by one. This was the hardest adjourning for me because I could not understand how the education system could not see this as a much needed service. The staff exchanged emails with us. On some occasions we would go up to the school to help grade papers, sit in and observe the teachers and help out in the classroom when needed.
It is going to be hard leaving my colleagues who I have grown with throughout this online journey. Logging into class and seeing familiar names make this course much smoother because I feel so comfortable with all of you. Discussion board and blogs were where all of our interactions took place. I am always looking forward to the posts week after week. At some point we will have to adjourn and aim toward our future endeavors. I hope to keep in contact with my colleagues so that we can offer each other advice that can help us become even better educators.
Adjourning is an essential part of team work because you get to talk about your growth. You get to share what you have accomplished or hoped to accomplish. Despite leaving the group you can still form friendships that could last a lifetime. Adjourning brings closure and new insight and ideas as we embark on new beginnings
Nequiatuia,
ReplyDeleteLeaving a group that has that much progress is difficult, but that is so great you were involved in the betterment of these children's lives helping them to recognize words. It really makes your work feel appreciated
Nequiatuia, I know it was hard to except that the funds had come to an end and the program had to end. However you made great changes in the lives of those children and it was a beneficial experience for you also. I do agree it will be hard to leave our colleagues at school because I look foreword to coming to class and seeing the names of people that I converse daily. I will miss everyone.
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