"A"

We have covered "Recreation" and "Education" at the R.E.A.L. Hope Youth Center.  This brings us to one of the most neglected but often more important aspects of teaching the "whole" child. Art is any form of creativity and its expression.   Art can be the traditional painted or drawn work, it can be graphic, it can be music, it can be theater and creative movement, it can be photography, and it can be dance.  Art can also be taking dinosaur figurines and make-believing by oneself or with a partner.

 "Art" education is integral to teaching for several reasons.  Art encourages expression. So often, children have feelings and thoughts that are hard pressed to put into words.  Art can enable that expression.  Art can also help a child think "outside the box."  The movers and the shakers of our times are the people who are constantly re-creating and pushing ideas forward, and this comes from creative thinking.  One cannot think of a new way of making money for their company or of a new treatment for cancer if they are only doing what has been done before.  Art lights up pathways in the brain that can bring youth and adults to deep understanding of others and the world around us.  Art can often give that voice to the child that is voiceless.  I have also seen art be the one area that a child excels in.  If they are able to feel successful and talented in one area, that often trickles down into their academic areas.  There are all kinds of research regarding art and education and performance and brain function, but still, we let the powers-that-be take away art education in so many forms.  We are lucky, though, here in Henry County that our school systems do have positive art programs compared to many other school systems.

At R.E.A.L. Hope we try to incorporate art as often as possible.  I have seen children that are aggressive and cannot focus respond to readers' theater and creative movement exercises and become delightful children. I have also witnessed students that feel they are in an older siblings’ shadow, and then they discover an art form they are good at and they are able to create their own identity.  We are constantly looking for ways children can feel good about themselves.

In our regular schedule of events, Monday is music day.  Currently, this incorporates Ms. Rotterman teaching the children rhythm and tone with boom whackers. Boom whackers are like hand bells but long, colorful tubs that produce a tone when hit.  We are also currently working  on our singing production for the Gong Show at the beginning of April. Tuesday is open for cooking.  Cooking is very much a creative art, and this can be seen when we are making individual pizzas or decorating holiday cookies.  Wednesday is our  reading day and creative theater day.  Susan Jones reads simple stories to the children in order for them to bring the words to life through drama. Thursday is our arts and crafts day.  We may incorporate a holiday theme or our country of the month or a service learning project like our collaboration with the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.  We are making "tye-dye" coffee filter flowers in order for the Center to use in their Child Prevention Month activities in April.  Friday is usually our "Open Mic" day where the children can recite an entry from their journal writing from throughout the week.  Most of the children love to use the microphone in front of the other children and this gives them an avenue to showcase their writing. 

We also have play dough available for creative, manipulative work.  In the Ocean Room we have several art easels for water color exploration.  Another popular artistic expression is with the use of the many large dry erase boards we have with the myriad of colored markers which the children use to not only do homework and play games but to draw and create poetry and graphic art.

To us art education and creative expression is tantamount to giving children the richest most fulfilling life possible.  It is also so important to stimulating all brain function and expanding their perimeters of thinking.  As time,money and other resources permits we would like to explore even more art forms for our children.  Along those lines, we are currently developing our "dress-up box" for the children to use props to bring their creative exploration to life.

Until next week...Keep it R.E.A.L.!

"E"

Recreation was the first ingredient in R.E.A.L. Hope Youth Center.  Education is the next component of our enrichment program here at the Center.  Dictionary.com defines education as

"the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life." Wow!  That is not only a mouthful but a brainful.  It is our goal to achieve each part of that definition especially the part of  "preparing for mature life."

This blog could go on and on for me, because, basically, everything in life is about education in one form or another.  With that said, I will just highlight some of the educational aspects of our program.  The first is our homework time.  Personal attention is so important for our students.  This is especially true at homework time.  Many would-be volunteers are nervous about being able to help with homework, but most homework is just listening to reading, quizzing on spelling words and going over math facts. 

We have found that many children do not solidify their math facts, because there is not sufficient time to practice them.  Math is about repetition to mastery.  I strongly disagree with some of my professors who feel if a child can do five problems they can do thirty. Once a child has mastered a concept, practice is tantamount  to moving the process from short term to long term memory.  This is the problem with such a little amount of homework for children.  This is why, in our program, even if the child does not have homework or finishes early we have many activities to enrich what they have studied in school and to refresh  past ideas.

Part of the homework time is devoted to their journal entries.  Each child has a journal that they must write in every day.  They have their choice of topics.  We also provide writing prompts if they hit a creative block.  Ms. Rotterman and I then check each of their work to help them with grammatical changes, ideas and sentence structure.  The children know that these works are not graded, and they are an opportunity to learn and be creative.  On their own, the children have taken the creativity to another level and have begun writing elaborate tongue twisters and poems.  As a high school teacher, I was appalled at how many students could not write a paragraph let alone an essay.  I explain to the children that writing is like music and sports and many other activities; one only gets better with practice. 

Journal entries are also a unique time for me to learn more about each of our members.  Being of a special education background I use this opportunity to look for deficits in writing and cognitive processes.  It also often gives me insight into a child's background and emotional state.  I have discovered on several occasions, life events that directly affect a child's behavior and academic performance.

Differentiating instruction for the students is also a priority for me especially with my educational background.  We provide activities that reach all of the types of learners: oral, auditory and kinesthetic.  For spelling, we have magnetic boards with raised letters, and felt letters with hook and loop fasteners to spell their spelling words.  A homework-time favorite is our rice boxes.  The children use the depth of rice to spell their words as they verbalize the words and letters with their fingers.  This gives them an oral and tactile sensation to help solidify their words to long term memory. 

We also offer several different math practices.  The children love using the abacus for both addition and multiplication.  They use raised multiplication boards, flash cards and counting cubes.  As our program grows, I am hoping to obtain and use more math manipulatives especially for geometric shapes and fractions.

We also have many board games that address science, social studies and grammar.  The children love any form of bingo.  Many times in the classroom, the government forces the children to learn information that is just that:  information that is crammed into their heads for test taking purposes.  We hope that we can spend the extra time in developing critical thinkers, in helping them apply the knowledge they learn the classroom and teaching the "whole" child. 

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, we can not separate the head from the body and the heart.  I feel like every activity and experience we provide and share is a contribution to our goal of preparing these children for a mature life.  There are so many wonderful and amazing things in the world around us, I want to give the members a tast of as much as possible.  I have learned through my education that a well-informed mind is the best conscience. We continue to education through all the support of the community and our volunteer staff and continue to look for volunteers to share a short afternoon with our youth. 

Until next week...Keep it R.E.A.L.!

"R"

The next four weeks will be devoted to explaining what our program emphasizes. This includes much of the everyday workings of the program but also the philosophy of the program that was started by the grassroots group several years ago.  R.E.A.L. is an acronym created to include the four aspects of our program and was created much before I came on board but states exactly what I feel should be included in an educational program.
 
The "R" in R.E.A.L. stands for recreation.  To tell you the truth, I often want to say it stands for "respect" or "responsibility."  In reality those concepts can come under  "leadership" or even "education."  Recreation is extremely important on many levels of  education especially in an after-school program.  We want the children to enjoy coming, because when they come then they can learn.  They can learn life skills, manners, behavior, and traditional educational subjects.  Recreation is also part of instruction for the physical body.  If the body is relaxed and focused much more learning can take place.  This can be demonstrated in the concept of the wiggle room that we are in the process of creating and that I wrote about last week.

Recreation starts from the moment the children sign in at the Center.  They get about twenty minutes of free play in the gymnasium before snack.  This affords them time to unwind from school and the bus trip.  It also gets them ready to shift to Center mode and away from school mode.  At the Center they interact with children from all grades, so they get to reconnect with the Center "family."  Currently in the gym they may play with hula hoops, jump ropes, moon shoes, footballs, basketballs, Frisbees, soccer balls and cones and several other types of equipment.

After snack and homework time, the children return to the gym.  This time is usually used for  more structured activities.  They may play kickball or octopus tag or red light-green light.  It is important for this more structured play as they learn rules and regulations and how to get along with others and problem solve.  We, as facilitators, can also learn more about the students and see better what some of their socializing needs may be.  We learned with kickball that not all children understand the concept of running bases and being called "out."  This lead to a short tutorial.

Another phase of recreation is the cafeteria time.  The children call this "stage" time.  This is only because the pool table, ping pong table and foosball is on the stage.  This free play is also important as they are quite creative here as well. I have witnessed them coming up with all kinds of variations on traditional pool.  Occasionally, they get a bit wild with balls flying, and we have to reel them back in.  They are also able to play board games at this time, and, usually, this time affords more time to play than after homework.

We also have a recreation component when we travel to the "ocean" room or our main classroom.  Here they can play with play dough and moon sand.  They are also able to roll on the exercise balls and work out on the exercise equipment.  It is a room for relaxation, recreation, creativity and learning.

As one can see, it is very important for recreation to be an integral part of our program.  We want to offer as many avenues of expression and creativity as possible and we can only reach that if many are offered.  We would like the children to use the opportunity to find what they are truly good at and build on those strengths.  We are so blessed that we are able to offer as much as we do and that we continue to grow.  We will see this concept in our exploration of the other components of our program.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!

Wiggle, Jiggle...Calm

With all the snow and being stuck indoors so much,  I would like to explain a program that I would like to expand upon for our children.  As a special education teacher and the mother of five, I know how very important movement and exercise can be to the brain function and behavior and concentration. When my children were young, we lived in a small apartment in Los Angeles with no backyard to play in.  We would take them to the local parks almost every day and enroll them in Toddlergym and Kindergym programs.  I think the fact that we lived in a confined area which forced us out to the playgrounds was one of the best things for my children.  They are all athletic now and do well in school.  Even my son who has some learning differences has excelled in several areas.  I think a portion of this is due to the movement and exercise they received growing up.

When my son was having difficulties in first grade, we took him to a tutor who was a teacher on sabbatical, raising her children.  She was amazing and had him crawl and spin.  As a special education teacher I have learned about and used some of the same techniques that she used.  As one professional explained it, "The head is not separate from the body."  They are made to work together.  The process of crawling properly connects certain pathways in the brain that helps with reading.  Spinning is also important in much the same way.  Certain physical things must happen in order for intellectual progress to occur.

In many of our homes and school systems we have done away with much of the physical play.  My child was told in fifth grade that they were too old for recess.  This is the most absurd thing to me.  Children solidify what they have learned intellectually often with physical movement.  When my children were in parochial school the children in K-8 all had a recess in the morning and time after lunch to play.  I truly feel that the reason there was little behavior problems was that all ages got this physical activity every day.  This was in addition to their scheduled P.E. class.  There are many studies and theories to support this thought, and I encourage all who interact with children to  research this concept.

An idea that is often used in very effective special education programs is the "Wiggle Room."  This is a room with very constructed, structured physical movement with various equipment.  There may be swings, trampolines, mats, spinners, wedges and exercise balls.  Activities can be constructed and led that encourage calm, focus and attentiveness.  If one has been in a classroom in the afternoon, he/she knows how chaotic it can get.  A wiggle room can help gain control and increase classroom productivity.

Even certain components of a wiggle room can be used in the regular classroom.    I introduced yoga to some of my tenth and eleventh grade classes as a way to break up the one and a half hour block class and give them a physical break and help with focus.  Yoga uses many of the same principles of a "wiggle room."  I learned that after a week of getting the students on board and taking it seriously, they hated to have a day without the relaxation techniques and physical re-connection.

At the Center we learned through chance how important movement can be to our program.  We used to start the program with the children signing in and then going to the cafeteria to begin their snack time.  One day there was a terrible smell in the cafeteria from a chemical used to clear a drain.  We were forced to stay in the gym to play for an extra 30 minutes.  When we returned to the cafeteria, snack and homework time was so much more peaceful and constructive.  I had been feeling bad that the children had to stay seated right after the stationary day at school and on the bus.  I realized there was no reason they could not have a play and wind down period in the gym every day after they exited the bus.  We have been doing this every day since with much success.

Now I would like to work on a more structured gym time to have activities that would specifically help with reading, math concepts and focus.  I am currently working with an occupational therapist to come up with a plan to acquire equipment that would work with our space and with the confines of the program.  I am excited about adding a jumping apparatus, scooter boards, climbing equipment, spinners and hopefully other movable equipment.   This is a project that can start small for any home or program and can start with a simple swing or exercise trampoline. 

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!                        

Continuing to Listen

Last week I talked about the importance of listening and listening at the level of the child and from the stand point of the child.  There is a certain culture that every person and especially every child has.  This culture can come from poverty, from ethnicity and race, from wealth, from education, and from the different areas of the country.  This is why it is so very important for all those who deal with children to understand the diverse cultures that the child they are dealing with is coming from.

We have a child who we really wanted to join this Big Brother group.  It was a wonderful program, and the parent, teacher and I thought it was a perfect thing for this child to do.  He had very few positive male role models, and this group would expose him to several positives.  This child has lost much of his power in his little life and often misbehaves, because he does not feel like he has a voice.  When the mother told me that he had told the organization that he did not want to be a part of it, I was quite perturbed.  How could he be so ungrateful?  I had  worked hard to get him involved; how could he just dismiss it?  When I pulled him aside to talk with him, I realized one very important mistake I had made.  No one had ever asked him what he wanted to do.  Even if we, as adults, had decided what he needed to do, we should have at least consulted him and made him feel like he had some power in the decision-making process.  The funny thing was that not only did he feel he lost power, we did not find out the real reason he had for not being a part of it.  He had heard that they went camping.  Everyone had told him how wonderful the camping trips were.  The problem was he thought that was the majority of what they did, and because of his background and life experience, he was afraid to camp because of bears.  Plain and simple, he did not want to join the group, because they went camping, and bears were in the campgrounds (or so he thought.)

Often we do not understand other cultures.  We are quick to tell children to look us in the eyes in the South, but, if we have a child from another country or even another part of our country, that may be a sign of disrespect.  Children from Asian and South American countries are taught that it is a sign of disrespect to look an adult in the eyes.  How confusing is it for a child to be told to "Look me in the eyes," by an angry teacher when at home they are punished for that very action?  Another example, is a child I knew who was told continually by the teachers reprimanding him, to look them in the eyes.  Later the child admitted to being so angry that if he looked the teacher in the eye, he would have exploded and said some very inappropriate remarks. In essence, he was protecting himself and keeping himself from greater trouble.

If we are in the business of "people," especially in the melting pot we call the United States, it is so important to understand the various cultures, especially the culture of poverty, in  order to really listen. If we can really listen, then we can really understand.  If we can understand, then we can really teach.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!

If We R.E.A.L.ly Listen...

So many times we adults are in a terrible rush and feel like our little ones are just trying to get on our nerves.  This is actually true about two percent of the time.  Most of the time the children are just hearing our questions or concerns with a totally different voice and understanding.  On the other hand, sometimes they are just trying to get our attention and have some attention.  We have to realize that occasionally they are answering our question but from their own understanding and perspective. 

I have to be especially mindful because often I am in such a rush with a" hundred million" things going on that I do not really listen to what my children and the Center children are really concerned about.  For example, I have one youth who was just a dream to have at the Center.  He was sweet and quiet, played with others, helped whenever necessary and did whatever we asked of him.  Several months into the program he started running around, snatching things from others, openly defying the volunteers and me.  We let it go for a day or two thinking it would pass, but it only got worse.  He started complaining that everyone "hated him."  I decided he need some positive attention, so I began to give him extra "helping" chores and that seemed to "calm the beast."  Whenever he was not directly under our care, though, he seemed to rebel.

Finally, when neither Ms. Rotterman not I could handle the behavior anymore, I took him out to the hall.  Mind you, when you have to go out in the hall with me it usually isn't a good thing.  I asked him what was going on and did he act like this at school.  He said no because he would have to go to the principal's office.  We determined that we wanted him to behave, because it was the right thing to do and not out of fear.  Then again, I asked what was going on that would make him behave in such a manner.  Finally, with tears in his eyes, he whispered that he had not been able to sleep in awhile.  There were problems in his house with the roof and various other things and he just could not sleep.  I told him, "Well, goodness!  When I don't get good sleep I am in a grouchy mood, too.  No wonder you feel so bad."  Then we continued to discuss the fact that even though he was in a grouchy mood he could not push that on others.  We also discussed the ways that Ms. Rotterman and I could help him when he was feeling especially angry and distraught.

If I had just punished him for misbehaving and had not really listened to him, I would never have realized what was really causing the behavior. We would also not have found a solution to the problem.  It was very important to first get down to his level, physically and look him in the eyes.  Next, it was important to empathize with his feelings.  Then I asked questions that will lead to the source of the problem.  When the problem was discovered,  it was important that we found a solution together.  This can be done by asking open-ended and leading questions. "What makes you feel better when you feel so grouchy?" "What can we do to help you get calm?"  Then as we find a solution, we can put that plan into place and the child is now empowered.  He has verbalized his problem and found a solution and everyone feels satisfied.

If we adults can just remember to SLOW down and really listen, we would find that the problems and solutions are really quite easy.  I have to continually ask for guidance, because, all too often, I have reacted impulsively and then regretted it when the real problem was so obvious. I could not solve the sleeping problem for this child, but I could help him solve the problem of his reactions to lack of sleep.  For our particular situation we spoke of the different ways for him to relax himself.  Our plan was when he was behaving erratically, I would place my hand on his shoulder as a reminder, and he would perform the activities that would calm and focus him.  For him it was a deep breathing exercise he knew.  We must remember to really listen and listen as a child would.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

What a wonderful first week back! Our plan for specific activities seems to be working quite well.  I will let you know for sure in a couple more weeks.  Tweaking our schedule has helped as well, and I am sure Ms. Rotterman will help keep me on schedule, but as with anything involving children: we will have to adapt.  Another great success this past week was a reading time with Susan Jones. Most of the children were able to settle down and enjoy a snow-themed book.  A few even cuddled up for a second book.  Now we have to think of a way to make it a more cozy time...maybe a rocking chair and a plush rug and some pillows.

I also had the privilege of speaking to the Athena Delphian Club here in Paris.  This is a women's charitable group with about thirty members in attendance.  I learned two specific things from this appearance.  First, we still have to work very hard on getting the message out to our community.  The community needs to know that we exist and are open and what we provide.  My eldest son was answering questions for a lengthy scholarship application and was writing about the Center.  He wrote, "This program is not just a babysitting deal, and that is what I admire most about it." People need to know what our philosophy is and what our program offers.  We are almost at full capacity, but we need the community support to continue growing and improving

Second, when I speak about our program I really get revved up about it.  It fuels me to get back to the office and work on ideas and plans.  This is something that all of us need to do from time to time.  No matter how passionate we are about our jobs, especially if our job is taking care of our families, we still need a bit of a jump start every once in a while.  We all can get in a rut.  Sometimes a vacation will do it, sometimes a workshop, sometimes an experience, sometimes it is something we read or a movie we watch. For me, it can be speaking to a civic group or just speaking to one of our volunteers or board members about what is going on at the Center.  Any of these things can spark an energy in us to do more and continue to move forward. 

If you know what sparks you, you are lucky, and if you don't, seize an opportunity that comes in your path.  When things are getting sluggish, push yourself to a change of venue to stir it up for you.  If you are a homemaker, go to the movies, or take a walk in the park, pick up a book of short stories or a magazine that peaks your interest.  If you are in education, join the Scholastic Teachers Newsletter or Lesson Planet(both can be accessed on Facebook as well).  If you are in a thinking profession, take a thinking break and take a walk or listen to some "up" music.  If you are in a physical career, take a physical break and use your mind to play a game or read a book or go to a concert.  If you are feeling dreary in your job, make a list or tell someone all the wonderful things about your job and the things you are good at.  Sometime focusing on the positive is all you need.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!

Starting the New Semester

We all are back and rested...well, at least we are all back.  I have heard several New Year's resolutions that are very intriguing to me as they involve new volunteers for our program.  It is so imperative to a program like ours to have a consistant group of adults there as support for the children, so thank you to all who give of their time, energy and patience. 

We have fine tuned some things and hope this will help us on our quest for having the most efficient and inspiring program possible. First, we decided to have a specific activity assigned to each day of the week.  We will start having music on Mondays, science/cooking on Tuesdays, reading/kickball on Wednesdays, arts and crafts on Thursdays and open mike on Fridays.  As Ms. Rotterman and I were discussing, we have to be adaptable.  Sometimes in dealing with children we have to learn to "go with the flow." 

It is very important to me that the children learn and practice basic etiquette and manners. We are  going to stay at our family table until everyone in our Center families is finished with snack.  I explained to the children that at the dinner table we do not excuse ourselves until everyone is finished, so it is important to show the same manners at the Center.  One child told me, "I get up whenever I am finished."  I said with a smile, "Well, that isn't going to happen here; it is not polite to the others eating."  We will then clean up our tables and start homework.  While basketball season is in full swing, we will go to the gym at 4:30 and then will have our daily activities at 5 P.M.  We hope that by assigning particular activities to days, children who wanted to be there for an activity could make sure to be there on the specific day.

You know, every day I try to say a little prayer that God shows me enlightened ways to understand and communicate with the children.  As teachers and as parents, we are continually looking for those teachable moments.  I had one of those blessed moments today.  One of my particularly antsy but very intelligent children had decided he should walk around holding his seat.  You see, I had told the children to stay in their seats.  This child is always pushing the envelope and was literally doing what I had instructed yet still disobeying.  Most teachers would have a field day with this, but I saw it as the child using his brain to get around following instructions.  Now, he still needs to follow instructions if for no other reason than safety. Of course, the biggest reason is "BECAUSE I SAID SO."  This was not an important struggle for me at the time until I heard that expected ''CRASH!  I calmly turned to him and said, "Outside."  He in turn said, "Do I get to run?"  I responded, "Yes, you do." 

We walked to the gym.  I told him to run 10 laps.  He said, "How about nine?"  I said, "How about 11?"  He began to run but then started doing the worm and all kinds of other forms of propelling himself forward, very slowly.  I am now thinking, "Wait, I am giving up my time with the other children for this?"  Then it hit me.  I started to walk.  I told him every time I overtook him, I would add another lap.  If he overtook me he could take a lap away.  This peaked his interest, and he actually lost one lap and did his ten laps in remarkable time.  Not only did he get his wiggles out and follow my instructions but we had a "bonding" moment of sorts and the best part is we both got needed exercise!

Flexibility is the beauty of our program.  I can adapt consequences to the incident and to the child.  For my ADHD and plain energetic child, running often works.  With others, a look will work.  Sometimes I use the conference in the hall.  Some children benefit from writing about their actions and various consequences.  Sometime,s I even speak with the parents.  On the last one though, I only use that as a last resort.  I had a professor that told us that you should never send a child to the principal's office because that means you have lost control of that student and he/she knows it.  There is a lot of truth to that.  I look at it as my job to find the best way to instruct/discipline each student individually.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to discover a way to reach this child on several levels. I am also grateful that I now have a new motivation for getting them to release some energy when they are over energetic.  We need to remember each child is different, and patience and persistence will always be our best friend when working with them.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L.!