Today we spent another day at Mount James Primary and Infant School. Being the final day, the entire group was well prepared to teach our very detailed lesson plans to the students and to go out with a bang. I was particularly excited about my art lesson during the second half of the teaching session. After lunch, we got straight to work on our projects as usual. I was also looking forward to the project because I took a leadership role in painting the mural, giving myself an opportunity to display my artistic side, but also being able to guide my peers throughout the process.
With the help of Delroy, a talented artist from KBC Learning who has been working with us for the duration of the trip, we got a significant portion done, including the completion of the first mural. However, there is still work to be done, and I look forward to the opportunity once again to be creative, to be a leader, and to be available to see the Mount James community’s reactions to the work we are doing.
As obvious as it may or may not be, the teaching process is also a great learning experience. Today, I taught two fifth graders, Britanny and Alex, and one sixth grader, Rosezena. Because all three of the students were shy and Britanny barely spoke, I learned to improvise with the students. My way of adapting was by constantly encouraging their success, and it eventually worked. During my art lesson specifically, I had the students try to guess the definition of vocabulary words such as “primary colors” and “secondary colors,” and Britanny would not participate at first. However as the lesson progressed, she was able to join in with her two peers leading up to the freestyle art session, during which students applied the lesson by drawing a picture based on the prompt.
Even though Rosezena and Britanny were protective of their art and would not let me watch them draw, I would still say the lesson was successful. I personally think I walked away from the classroom a more patient and diligent person. However, I felt most empowered when I was able to paint the murals and cartoon characters, like Super Mario, successfully. Although I did not expect to struggle with teaching the class as much as I did, I’m glad I was able to learn from the experience.
Jadian, 16, School Without Walls