Rileys Reflective Blog Entry #3

The last few months I have spent working with Head Start have truly opened my eyes. I know this sounds cheesy and insincere, but I don’t know how else to put it. At the beginning of this course I had no idea what Head Start even was. After learning a little more about it I developed a deep respect for the wide variety of issues this program strives to eliminate. I was also surprised to find that several of my own family members were actually Head Start kids themselves. This caused a lot of confusion for me throughout the entirety of this course. I didn’t want to get anything wrong, it was too important to me. Every topic Head Start addressed seemed huge and hard to manage. I wanted to conquer it all, but knew I couldn’t. I felt like I was taking the easy way out by picking nutrition, but soon found it too was an immense topic, and that I was extremely passionate about it as well. I think that is what has made this service learning experience so valuable for me though. The passion complicates your writing and understanding of certain topics, but it also deepens the meaning behind your words. I have continued to volunteer with this agency because I feel like I still have a lot to learn from them. Every minute I spend with those kids is worth the time spent. I feel sometimes like they are the ones helping me. I’ll admit it. They have taught ME a lesson or two about what life is all about. I can’t thank them enough for that. In the last few weeks been given more responsibility and am finding still more depth with in this program. A couple of weeks ago the teacher I work with had me doing anecdotals. These are little observations of each child’s progress. Based on a wide variety of criteria these can be extremely complicated to write and understand. I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of vocabulary, rules, and stages involved in this process. At the same time however it was fascinating to observe the children from this alternate view point. Watching them learn and understand through simple fun playtime activities. One of the students was counting to 17 thanks to none other than a number puzzle. I am also finding that the kids are beginning to confide in me. They seem almost like little adults as they tell me about their lives, their families, and their goals in life. I become more and more convinced everyday that Head Start has a positive impact on these children, and I hope it continues to do so for years to come.