Monday, October 5, 2009
Abbey Court Project
Last week at Abbey Court, my student Kelly and I worked on her multiplication HW. She was really good at the problems, however she was getting stuck on problems that were multiplied by 9. I taught her the 9 Rule which my 3rd grade teacher had taught me and by the end of our two hours together on Thursday she had completed all her HW and hardly made any mistakes! I think Abbey Court is a great opportunity for students to work on their communication skills because it is a difficult task to be able to digress back in mathematical skills and thought and be able to explain these concepts in the simpliest way possible. In addition, if you are like me and have never had the opportunity to take spanish, the young kids at Abbey Court are more than willing to teach you a few Spanish words! They love the idea that they can teach you something in addition to you teaching them.
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I am a Monday volunteer with the Abbey Court Project and I noticed that we, the students, have voiced concerns about the space and noise level in the center. My question is, how do we plan to improve this, while we wait to move to the larger apartment?
A suggestion I have is maybe implementing thirty strict minutes of quiet time. This means that all throughout the apartment students have to work on homework/reading (no computers). When the 30 minutes is up and students still have homework they should shift to the kitchen table and students without homework, can go to the respective computers. I think this will cut down on distractions. I know Kim and I were very distracted yesterday, while trying to review some math problems and spelling words. Let me know what you all think about this idea. I know it may be a little hard because all of the students do not come in at the same time. But what if we just designated certain areas of the apartment as quiet areas (i.e. kitchen table, kitchen area, hallway).
Danielle Staggers
I completely agree with your idea about designated quiet time/areas, Danielle. Monday was my first day volunteering at Abbey Court, bur I definitely noticed how the noise level (running and jumping throughout the house) could affect the attention span of some of the kids, thus hinder the process of helping them with their assignments. Granted Abbey Court should not be overrun with rules and restrictions, because we still want the kids to come out and seek our assistance, but certain areas should be designated for quiet time so the kids can complete their assignments and fully understand them.
On another note, since there are only so many computers, we should do our best to ensure each child who would like a turn on the computers gets a turn.
Hi Everyone,
I hope all is going well with the Abbey Court experience. I am enrolled in an activism course and my next assignment is to write about an organization, of my choice, that is tailored to the human rights of a specific population. Of course I am choosing the Human Rights Center.
In this research/writing assignment I am soliciting your thoughts as volunteers. Basically I want to know what you perceive to be the mission statement of the center or just the Abbey Court After School program? Also, I want to know if you think we as volunteers are carrying out this mission through our current duties? If you don't think so how can we improve? I too will comment on this, but it would help if I got different perspectives from the volunteers. I will be sure to let you know if I quote/paraphrase you in my final paper. Even if you are not responding to help the efforts of my assignment it may be a good idea to keep those two questions in your head as you continue your volunteering at Abbey Court.
I appreciate any help you choose to offer.
Thank You
Today I was at Abbey Court from 3 to 6. We actually had a ton of kids come to the center today. We were struggling for chair and table space so that they could all do their homework. Another problem that I also saw today was the lack of tutors. The Tuesdays that I have been there it has been kind of slow but when the center is crowded like today it is hard to give full attention to one student. I was working with three students all at one time. And I noticed a few students getting frustrated with this and it made them harder to focus and complete there work.
I was working a lot with Kimberly today who had a lot of subtraction homework she was having a extremely hard to time focus. I was wondering if it was possible it we could do some type of incentive program maybe. Something like if you finish all of your homework at the center each you get a star and then at the end of the week/month you get a bigger prize? Just an idea.
On another note, Kathia was working on her writing skills today. She wrote me the most precise letter, I loved it!
I was at the center this Monday. Since it was a raining afternoon, not too many kids came. We had more tutors than tutees. But everyone did a good job stay busy and helped as much as we could. Hopefully the weather will be nice next Monday.
Ray
This past Monday at Abbey Court, I observed one of the older girls (4th grade) assisting one of the younger girls (2nd grade) with her homework. It was realy nice to see the kids sharing and helping each other try to work out the challenging problems on their homework. It left me feeling as if the kids now have a crucial survival skill of seeking help and helping others in their times of need, which will hopefully spill over into other areas of their life. Hopefully, they will be inspired from seeing our work at Abbey Court, as well as their own work with each other, to get involved in volunteer work. Hopefully from our presence they will take notice to the importance of giving back. I believe they will, because they seem quite appreciative of our time there. It is a great feeling to know that the spirit of giving back will continue.
Abbey Court yesterday and as usual I enjoyed myself with the kids. They are so full of life and excited and soon as we walk in the door. I was helping a Lenay yesterday with word problems and fractions and boy was my brain racked. She is a middle school student, this was the first time I had seen an older child come to Abbey Court. But that was great I am glad she got word that there is a place that can help her beyond school.
One issue we had yesterday was the lack of computers. A lot of kids needed to work with the computers, but with the limited amount and the fact that one computer is not working that slowed down the process. Also I have been noticing a few lacking in school supplies. For example, when I am helping kids do homework and we go to grab a pencil I have been noticing that some of the pencils are very small and have no eraser, which makes it difficult for students to complete assignments.
Would if be possible to implement another similar give-a-way day but for school supplies strictly for the students at the center. Things I have noticed that we may need include: pencils, computer paper, calculators, and notebook paper.
Abbey Court yesterday and as usual I enjoyed myself with the kids. They are so full of life and excited and soon as we walk in the door. I was helping a Lenay yesterday with word problems and fractions and boy was my brain racked. She is a middle school student, this was the first time I had seen an older child come to Abbey Court. But that was great I am glad she got word that there is a place that can help her beyond school.
One issue we had yesterday was the lack of computers. A lot of kids needed to work with the computers, but with the limited amount and the fact that one computer is not working that slowed down the process. Also I have been noticing a few lacking in school supplies. For example, when I am helping kids do homework and we go to grab a pencil I have been noticing that some of the pencils are very small and have no eraser, which makes it difficult for students to complete assignments.
Would if be possible to implement another similar give-a-way day but for school supplies strictly for the students at the center. Things I have noticed that we may need include: pencils, computer paper, calculators, and notebook paper.
On Thursday during Fall Break, I signed up for the opportunity to go to Abbey Court to volunteer because during the semester my hours conflict with normal volunteering schedule. I am really glad I did, everyone (the teachers and children) at Abbey Court was friendly and helpful. I was told that there wasn't as many kids there this Thursday because the children didn't have school but outside I can see the children playing and was being supervised by the school gym teacher. I had time that day so I brought along some homemade snacks (brownies, cupcakes, and rice crispy treats) and the kids were super excited and wanted to try them. Some of them also wanted to know how I made them, which gave me an idea of possibly doing some easy baking activities/classes with the children maybe once or twice a month. Abbey court has a kitchen and if we can have like a few kids come and work together to make snacks so everyone could share, that would be great! I also had a chance to talk to Sarah, a member of the board for the Abbey Court Human Rights Center, who said that she is trying to get some donations to buy more books for the children. The Chapel Hill Public Library is having a book sale and on the last day they will be selling books by the bag for cheap. If anyone is interested you can email me at tthai@email, maybe we can help her out by pooling some money together. Every dollar helps!
I am very excited about the class' idea about Los Posadas. I think it is a great way to encourage the residents of Abbey Court the importance of keeping one's cultural identity and not so readily conforming to "American" customs. The winter holidays (to be as P.C. as possible) is supposed to be a celebration of family and loved ones and is done so in a very individualistic manner. Assuming the residents of A.C. recognize Los Posadas, this party is going to be a huge success. I can only imagine how excited the kids are going to be.
As a AC Project volunteer at the Human Rights Center, I am tutoring elementary and middle school children every Monday and playing soccer with them every weekend. So far, it has been a delightful experience. One of the key foundations of education is learning how to read and write effectively. This is why the elementary and middle school years are a critical time period when children—who’re at their peak learning time—must develop good reading habits and math skills that will serve as invaluable learning skills during their school years. Their ideas and beliefs about their abilities are sculpted during these times and it is critical that they be successful in their work and regularly receive encouragement from individuals such as their teachers and college students who can serve as their mentors and role models. In this regard, the center provides these kids a place to go after school where they can interact with college students and receive assistance with their homework.
The first day, a few weeks ago (I was unable to access the blog so am posting my experiences thus far in one post), was somewhat disorganized because it was the center‘s first day of operation. My “buddy” for the day was Emily, who is in elementary school. I taught her how to use Microsoft Paint and engaged her in a creative exercise that could teach her how to use its tools; I would first ask her to draw an object (tree, house, boat, etc.), then show her what tools she could have used to draw it, and lastly have her draw it again through this new approach. Next, we unboxed a new wireless router, read the instructions, and tried to install it. Unfortunately, we were unable to get both the computers in the room networked to the main computer, but our efforts were a great exercise in team work and problem solving. All the while, I asked Emily to take charge and decide what next step to take, while subtly guiding her along the way. This gave me a new idea for the way our volunteer group can approach tutoring. We can facilitate learning through group exercises that will teach students to work and solve problems together. For example, during the first hour, students can be grouped according to their age and/or grade level and one or two volunteers can have each of them read sections of a book out loud and then talk about what they just read. I believe this exercise would ensure that they comprehend the reading material and give them a creative and engaging opportunity to think critically about what they just read. I hope we have the opportunity to try this strategy out some time.
I’ve also had a lot of fun playing soccer with the kids on the weekends. It is a great opportunity for them to have fun, engage in healthy physical activity, and develop teamwork and leadership skills. Interestingly, three weeks ago we had two of the smallest kids become team captains and choose their team members one by one. I think by giving them this responsibility we showed how much we believe in their soccer abilities and gave them the confidence and will to give it their best. Our group of college volunteers does not “tone-down” the level at which we play—although it can sometimes be necessary for the very little kids— and I have noticed that the kids have welcomed this challenge and enthusiastically played their best game. In fact, I hope and believe that in a few months they might even have to consider “toning-down” their game for us; we’ve had lots of fun!
I highly encourage other students in our class to visit the center and seize this unique opportunity!!
-- Pranay Prabhakar
Since we did not have volunteering last week due to the school teacher workday. I'm posting what happened two weeks ago. I just broke my clavicle that weekend and so I was with a sling. While tutoring, this little girl named Emily asked me what happened to my arm. I told her that I broke my collarbone and showed her where collarbones are located. Looking at me with her curious big eyes, she asked "did you use tape?" I smiled. She was about 5 or 6 years old. I had a great time there even though my shoulder was hurt.
Yesterday, I had yet another great experience playing soccer at Abbey Court. Over the course of the last several weeks, I’ve gotten to know some of the kids who regularly come to play. Interestingly, I noticed something really different about these kids yesterday; while the kids did play around jokingly for a bit as they usually do—voicing mild expletives, laughing whenever someone slipped or missed a goal-- there seemed to be a stronger focus on team work. I think a new transformation is underway. By playing against a bunch of “college folks” every week they’ve gotten better and more unified as a group; they pass the ball more often. One of the kids who on the first day kept the ball all to himself was unusually team-oriented yesterday; on one occasion, when I didn’t pass the ball to him when he was open, he yelled out “this is a team game man…pass it to me already!”…I smiled: what a transformation indeed!
-- Pranay Prabhakar (SOCI 273).
Monday tutoring at AC today was unusually chaotic considering the rainy weather; I would have expected fewer kids to attend on such a day but today there were more kids than there were tutors! I tutored Kathia, a 2nd grader, trying to help her learn to count coins. What an unusual experience! It certainly brought back memories from childhood when I struggled to tell the difference between a dime and nickel. Why must it be so confusing? Why not have coin size directly relate to its value? Why’s a 5 cent nickel larger than a 10 cent dime? Why does half a dollar look almost identical to a quarter? Why does a dollar equal 100 cents? Surprisingly, I am still as puzzled by the first few of these questions as I was 15 years ago and saw myself in Kathia’s shoes. It was a challenge to help her memorize the coins; in spite of constantly quizzing her on the 4 coins, she needed to refer to a cheat sheet every time. I hope that the information “sticks” this week. I’ll ask her again next week…hopefully it will.
Pranay Prabhakar (SOCI 273)
I had yet another great day volunteering at AC. It was very crowded today with at least 15 kids scattered around the center, some on the computers and others either reading a book or working on homework; all looked highly energized and very eager to learn and have fun! I helped 3-4 kids with their math problems and was pleased to see the level of challenge their teachers expect them to know. One 3rd grader asked me for some help on a challenging algebra problem. Although I intuitively understood how to solve it, it was extremely challenging to explain it to her. I tried a trial and error approach…illustrating the problem through analogies and having her explain back what she understood; although it took a while, she did understand it! This was a great exercise in learning how to teach children and came away with an even better understanding of how challenging a job it really is, one that requires great patience, maturity, compassion, and creativity. At the end of the volunteering session, I had a 3rd grader read me “Goldilocks and the Three Bears“, which brought back great memories from my childhood; she was really giggly and had clearly read the story many times just like I had over 15 years ago.
It’s almost the end of the semester and I have finished my volunteer hour requirements for this class and yet when Sunday rolls around for soccer and Monday heralds the busy week to come, I feel really enthusiastic to go back and meet with the children. It has been one great experience and expect that I will continue volunteering next semester if I am able to make time for it.
- Pranay Prabhakar
This week when I went to the center, I was surprised by how many people were there. Apparently there were more tutors this time compare to any of the previous Mondays. The atmosphere was just wonderful. Every child had one college tutor, and it seemed like everyone was having a great time. The tutoring was as normal but it was clear that those children had already known us, and they felt more comfortable talking with us. I helped Samuel with his math homework and timed his spelling homework. When we left the center, several kids came out, waved at us and said good-bye to us. It was very sweet.
10/7 This Wednesday I was so excited because I got to see Kimberly. We worked on her math homework again. She was learning about number families and subtraction. I am always so shocked by Kimberly's number sense. She flew through doing number families. In order to check and see that Kimberly was grasping the concept of the number families and not just following a pattern, I asked Kimberly to explain to me what she was doing with the numbers. She summarized that if she was given any addition problem, then she could make a number tree. Kimberly understood the commutative property of addition- if you switch the numbers in a addition problem, then they will still get you the same answer. She also understood subtraction- if two numbers add up to be one number (4+3=7), then you know when you subtract one of the numbers that you had added with, the difference will be the other number that you had added with (7-3=4). Kimberly was a little intimidated by the double and triple digit numbers that she had to subtract. We used the number line that Ms. Nancy had suggested, and this really helped her to not miss a number during the subtraction process. Kimberly and I then read a story about a magician.
Through helping Kimberly, I have seen the importance of getting appropriate grade level books. Although the center is blessed with a bookshelf full of books, they are primarily for emergent literary readers and chapter books. The only in between books that I have found are a book on a magician and a book on blood platelets. Believe me, Kimberly was not a fan of reading about the blood platelets, so we were forced to read the same book that she had read to me before. Although rereading stories is a great practice, one of the most important concepts to instill in a child is a desire to read. The children will not be able to experience the excitement of finding out what is on the next page if we are reading about blood platelets! (To be honest, I didn't even want to find out about what was on the next page and I love to read!) The children probably do not have access to many books in their homes and their families may not utilize the library. I think this puts even more of an importance on the center getting books that the children will enjoy!
I realize that the request for a full library of books is a very expensive task so maybe as students we could take a little time and initiative to visit the SILS Library in Manning Hall. While at the center, we could ask the children about their hobbies and interest and search together for books at the SILS Library that they would like to read. During the week, we could run by Manning to pick up the book and bring the book with us the next time we are going to be at the center. I think this would also get the children excited about doing their assigned reading because they would have to wait for the book all week!
If we are interested in doing this, we could get a lesson from the librarian at the SILS library so we could know how to use the site effectively.
Oct. 14- I got the pleasure of helping Alan on his math homework. I was shocked to find out that he is in Mr. Nohe's classroom. The other girl that I tutor in math on Mondays is in Mr. Nohe's class! This really helped because I had a pretty good background knowledge of the vocabulary that they used in the classroom and the methods that he used to teach the topics. I always find this helpful because I find that the way I had learned certain math concepts is now considered an outdated practice. Therefore, the teacher introduces the concept in a different way. If you try to explain to the child the concept that you had learned, then this can lead to even more confusion and frustration from the student's end.
We were working on estimating the answer of a division problem. I helped Alan by trying to watch him do the first problem to identify the skills that he had already mastered when dividing. The only problems that he was having was with keeping the numbers organized in the division problem. The easy solution to this problem was to reinforce a concept that I knew Mr. Nohe had tried to enforce, doing the math problem on a notebook sheet of paper. This aids the students because they are able to turn the paper sideways and use the lines as a guide for the place values. After finding a solution to this problem, he also had a problem with the definition of estimation. He did not understand that when you are estimating you are suppose to not use the remainder in the answer to the problem.
I found that Alan was having a very hard time focusing because he is very easily distracted. As soon as we were able to focus his attention to the problem at hand, he was able to successfully find a solution.
Oct. 30-I got the pleasure of helping Alan again on his homework. We worked on dividing by single digit numbers. I was able to see the way he had grown since the week before. I thought it was great because Alan had developed a confidence when approaching a division problem. He said that he hated multiplication and was not great with that process, but loved division. I was surprised by this comment because Alan seemed to know his factors really well. He was sometimes able to identify the number of times the divisor could go into the dividend before I could! I am wondering if this change in confidence is due to Alan having someone to work with and encouraging him in his work. Alan apparently knows the factors, but when he was learning them, he didn't have anyone encouraging his work. While at the center, I believe that all of the tutors work hard to encourage and motivate the children to do the best. Due to this constant reminder that we believe in them, I wonder if this has stimulated Alan's confidence in his work. After we finished Alan's math homework, we read one of my favorite books- A Wrinkle in Time. I told Alan that this used to be on of my favorite books when growing up! Alan seemed to be really interested in the reading. I was surprised to find that he was even less distracted due to the fact that he was interested in what was going to happen next in the story. Alan even checked the book out to read at home!
Nov. 16- Today I got the pleasure of working with Lorena. We worked on adding two- two digit numbers using a chart. I noticed that Lorena was successfully taking the right steps to get the right answer, but would sometimes be one digit away from the right answer. After watching her complete a problem, we determined that Lorena would sometimes skip boxes. In order to fix this problem, we came up with the solution that she should check off the boxes in pencil as she counted them. This ensured that Lorena did not skip any boxes and she could use the same chart by simply erasing the pencil mark. One idea that I had that stemmed off of this is to get the school to laminate the counting and multiplication tables and get dry erase pens. This would allow the children to erase their marks quickly.
After finishing Lorena's math homework, we read for 15 minutes. I also tried to have her
Incorporate using the math skill she had learned to determine what time she would be finished reading.
I then helped Sahari do her math homework. We worked on adding through looking at manipulative that represented ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. The manipulative that we have in the center really helped Sahari see the problem. We also got the chance to read Titanic. We finally found a book that was the perfect level for Sahari! She had had trouble with a few words, but with my help breaking down the word, she was able to successfully read it. Also, the book was great because she was interested in hearing the end of the story! We read and talked about the concepts in the book for about 30 minutes. Towards the end of the story, she said that she was tired, but she didn't want to stop reading! I solved this problem by finishing the book doing shared reading- I would read one page and she would read the next.
There were so many students at the Abbey Court today even though the weather was not very promising. I first helped Mae Ria on her math homework. She was a very smart kid. I taught her how to subtract one number from the other and she learned very quickly. We also had great conversations throughout the tutoring. I found out that she has two brothers and two sisters. She then told me that she does not have a father which really touched me. I could not image how hard it would be to raise five children as a single mother. I then realized how much of a disadvantage position these children are in. I spent so much time with her this afternoon, just wanted to help her as much as possible. We then invited other children to play Bingo with us. It was a game, but they had to do math multiplication or division to figure out the number that was being called. Some of the kids we were playing with were in the 3rd grade, so they have already learned multiplication and division. I taught Mae how to multiply since she is still in 2nd grade and has not learned it yet. Towards the end of the afternoon, we invited other students, including some of the college tutors to play "around the world" which is another mathematic game where everyone has to sit in order and only one person each time can challenge other players to answer math problems. Whoever says the correct answer first wins and switches position with the person who's standing. The person who beats everyone wins the game. It was really exciting and there were times that our children answered before our college students. :)...The game got really intense and Sophia (3rd grade) at the end won the game. It was a great tutoring session this afternoon, and I enjoyed it very much.
Although there still is not set organization at Abbey Court it seems everything has just fell into place. Now that the kids are use to the same faces on each particular day they already say hi to us and sometimes come find us when they need help. I find myself working with the same kids everytime i go to abbey court because at this point those are the kids that are comfortable with me and are use to me. Once ones relationship with the kids gets to this point that's when the true mentoring begins because at this point they know you and begin to look up to you.
I worked at the center at Abbey Court on Mondays and Wednesday assisting the children with their academia, and at times, was able to find the freedom to make it to the athletics on the weekends. I attended the Walk for Human Rights and Give Away Day, worked with the non-profit group making calls to organize support, and worked in collaboration with Matthew Wentworth in becoming a donation at Panera Bread; whereas we would bring the food that we received to Abbey Court on Wednesdays.
With reference to my experience at Abbey Court: When I look back over this semester, the one highlight that profoundly consumes my reminiscence or thought is the time that I spent at Abbey Court. I contributed over sixty hours of service throughout the semester; however, I never felt burdened by the responsibility or weary from the commitment. I enjoyed every second that I spent at Abbey Court, and if time was infinite, I would have made a valid and persistent effort to spend as much time there as my schedule would allow. I established personal relationships with nearly every child at the center, and as much as I enjoyed and embraced their company, I can only hope that the same sentiment was reciprocated by them. A typical day at the center consisted of assisting the children with their homework from studies such as math and English to computer games and reading. I noticed a considerable progress in the children---especially with regards to their confidence and ability to relate to the college students. Nevertheless, aiding the children with their academic work will not be what I remember about the center at Abbey Court: it will be the time that I spent with the children and the conversations and moments that we shared; and more particularly, the relationships that I developed with them. Furthermore---and this respect cannot go ignored---I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, given by working at Abbey Court, to get to know many of the college students from our class and I relish the time that I was able to spend with them.
Volunteering at Abbey Court turned out to be one of the highlights of my semester!! It was not my primary project, but I wanted to go and see what Dr. Blau and everyone always talked about in class. And when I got there-it was even better than all of the things I had heard!! The children were lots of fun and really wanted to learn. They didn't mind doing their homework assignments, and were eager to engage me in what they were studying. One little girl even went through her notebook and read me several poems she had written in class. I was amazed at how the children caught on and really needed the encouragement more than the instruction. The center itself was great!! There were not only computers and wonderful learning tools, but there were also games, paper and markers for coloring. Many of the children finished their homework assignments, but were in no hurry to rush home! Instead we sat in a large circle on the floor and played the game "apples to apples." It was so much fun and I absolutely loved my experience volunteering at Abbey Court! I am so glad the center is available for the children!
During the course of this semester I have volunteered for the Abbey Court Project, and it has been such a rewarding experience. Being able to give back and share your fortunate learning experiences with kids who need an encouraging and motivating environment to work is a satisfying feeling. I have built really great relationships with several of these kids, with whom I work with on a biweekly basis. Samuel, who I generally help with spelling, is getting better and better at identifying his vowels each week. And Emily, who I read to about each week, has improved her reading skills since the first week I met her. I am also learning that many of these kids have great responsibilities at home for such a young age. Taking care of their younger siblings, cooking dinner, and even doing the dishes as some have told me they do..things that I cannot say I did in the 2nd or 3rd grade. It is a great feeling to know that we are allowing them to expend their young energy at a safe center like Abbey Court and enabling them to be the young kids they are, to play games and enjoy themselves for some time during the day and not to have to worry constantly about their family responsibilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering here, and I plan on continuing throughout next semester as well. I know these kids look forward to volunteers like us to provide guidance and to act as mentors, it would be a shame if our guidance is not used and put forth in a needed place like Abbey court.
Thank you!
-Awanti Damle
This has been my third APPLES course during my time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This by far was the BEST, yet most challenging, experience with the APPLES program. Volunteering at Abbey Court with the afterschool tutoring program was challenging for so many reasons. It was challenging at first because I feared there would be no time to commit to the service project. But then I realized that there was indeed time on Monday's before class, I would just not be able to stay until 6pm. So it was set, I would volunteer at the center from 3-5pm every Monday; and so I did just that!
I attended every Monday volunteer time that I could; I missed a few due to death in the family and personal sicknesses. The times that I did spend at the center were wonderful. There was not a dull moment, rain or shine! The kids always kept us on our toes. Most recently, during my time at the center, one of the tutors was facilitating an Around The World Multiplication Match. I jumped in of course and lost to the quick minds of the third grade girls every time! My pride was hurt, but at the same time I was very happy with the enthusiasm and success of the girls to learn multiplication and have the confidence to challenge college students. That says a lot about our time and effectiveness at the center.
The Abbey Court Project was also challenging because the first few days seemed a bit unorganized. It was a fairly new project so kinks were expected, but it seemed unorganized to the point that it may not have lasted for as long as we wanted it to. Because I am fairly familiar with afterschool programs, I knew that having so many students with little supervision could potentially be a problem. I also knew that we needed to do a better job in keeping track of the students who came in, what time they came in and what they were working on while there. What was much more important to me was to make sure that the center was really useful to the students. For the students who would come in with no homework, or little homework and be done, what were they suppose to do while waiting on a computer. In the beginning we had no books and extra games, so the kids were participating in ‘nothingness’ or busy work initiated by the counselors. But luckily these beginner kinks only lasted for the first two weeks. By the third week, Abbey Court afterschool tutoring was running smoothly. We knew most of the kids attending by names; they knew they had to come in with homework. The homework had to be completed first and then they could use the computers. Though noise was an issue on some days, we always had the kids occupied with some device of learning, whether it was self-initiated games, books or the computers.
cont'd
This APPLES placement, compared to the other placements and placements of my past, was the most interactive and result producing! Attending the center on a weekly schedule, I was able to track the progress of the students I usually work with like Emely and Kelit. Those two are really a handful. Not in a bad way of course, but their talents, as they realize them, are remarkable.
It took me a while to understand the purpose of the afterschool tutoring program. It was not until I had to complete a SWOT analysis on the Human Rights Center, which I realized how essential the center is to the success of the students. We provide them with access to technology over 80% do not have at home. We provide them with support outside of the classroom many of them would not receive because of lack of funding and transportation to other homework help programs. We provide them with rewards for their hard work, the soccer games. But most importantly, we provide them with rights that are offered to others! And that could be anything from an afternoon snack, a book to read, a pencil to use or a computer to reiterate multiplication through the format of games. I learned a lot about how much I take for granted, while volunteering at the center. I also learned that I have spent the last four years of my life thinking that African American students had the worst discrepancies when it came to success in schools and in some ways I was correct, but in most ways not! Minorities as a whole are far behind their white counterparts, but specifically in Abbey Court the Hispanic Population of students are falling far behind the counterparts in the schools. We too often overlook their failure as institutional, but there is much to be done locally to change the statistics for the better.
As I look to the future with this program, my only hope is that the next group of students out does what we did! The kids are expecting the center to lasts and the afterschool tutoring to continue, but why not WOW them with activities never thought of. In this semester we did a lot of brainstorming, and some planning, but we were never able to follow through on our actions. My hope is that, if we leave a lists of ideas, the next group of students can pick up those ideas, add their own, and carry out the ideas for the effectiveness of the center. I want to the center grow as a whole, but most importantly I want to see more success coming from the afterschool tutoring. We have opened the doors of opportunity to those who were before shut out. Now that they have walked in, let’s give them something to call their own and coming running to for now on.
Thank You
~Danielle Staggers~
When we were choosing our projects at the beginning of the year, Abbey Court immediately appealed to me for various reasons. I absolutely love working with kids. I’ve been tutoring kids ever since I can remember; I even spent two months in Atlanta, Georgia mentoring and tutoring kids at the Latino American Association. I also feel like it is my personal duty to give back to the Latino community since I myself am Latino. I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to do two things I love doing.
At first going to Abbey Court was a little awkward. I didn’t really know what to do because the kids were running all over the place aimlessly and with no homework. There was also that awkward tension because none of us knew each other. After the first day things began falling into place. The kids began coming to Abbey Court with homework and ready to learn. It was also nice when they started getting use to us and acting silly with us because they felt comfortable with us. It was certainly a challenge having to work different kids all on different learning levels. But it also served as a learning experience for me. I found tutoring in math was harder than doing spelling or reading comprehension. Math required a lot more patience from my experiences with kids, which at times became frustrating.
One way to make things better at Abbey Court is by maybe assigning tutors a group of kids that they work with every time. That way relationship can be fostered and the tutors will know the needs of those particular kids. Another idea is maybe instituting a reward system for all the kids. So if a child finishes all his homework they can get a reward like a candy or bag of chips. This way the other kids can see that they can also get a treat if they do their work.
I learned many things after having gone to Abbey Court for a semester. These kids really do need the help, but more importantly the mentorship. The intelligence is there it just needs to be developed. But these kids truly need role models in their lives. I personally think they need more Latino role models so that they can see that people if people like them can succeed so can them. Also I learned more about the needs of the residents of Abbey Court as well as Latinos in the North Carolina, and how they’re not being met. These people need individuals to advocate for them and help them get their voice heard.
Throughout this semester I have been volunteering at Abbey Court. I have loved every minute of it.
I was actually originally assigned to a different project but something fell through so Professor Blau allowed me to join the Abbey Court.
It is truly amazing how much an impact you don't realize that you are making on someone. This kids are very humble and appreciate of all of us coming to Abbey Court. I know the few times I missed and had to come another day and student would say "you left me or did you forget about us?" They just really got to me and although this started off as just completing volunteer work for a class I found that I wanted to go simply because I wanted to help not because of a grade.
I was actually a little worried about being a tutor. I never saw myself as I teacher, but when those students needed help I racked my brain to figure out how to make them understand whatever they were working on.
I think the Abbey Court project is simply great. I know that there are many places like this that need help and tutors but we have to start somewhere and I think we are off to a wonderful start and the beginning of something huge. I definitely plan to volunteer in some capacity next semester with Abbey Court and spreading the word about he program to some of my other organizations.
One thing I think we need to make sure we do is to follow thorugh with our grant requests. We all had great things we thought would add to Abbey Court and aide the students so we need to make sure that gets done.
Also another thing I did with a few other students was to pass out brochure about volunteering at the center around various places in Carrboro. One thing I saw is that we were really just laying the brochures down and hoping someone would see them. I think we should think of a more proactive way to get volunteers, because those small brochures can easily be overlooked. I took some brochures to the Public Service Scholars Office and she suggests we send the information to the PSS listserv that way she could put the information on the site. This will definitely attract volunteers.
This is a wonderful project and I am glad you are taking it on and continuing to make it grow. I appreciate you allowing me to be apart!
-Allegra C. Jerman
I am not part of this group permanently because of schedule conflicts but I had a chance to come during the Fall Break and it was a great experience. I baked some snacks for the kids and they were very happy to eat them and ask me how to make it. This gives me an idea of possibly doing some simple baking classes to bake snacks with the kids. I also helped a girl with her homework and it brought back memories of when I was still in elementary school. I think that coming to tutor at the Center is a very fun and rewarding experience. You not only help the children but you are gaining experience and bringing smiles to yourself. The children's innocence and the dedication that the members at the Center are showing is remarkable. The teachers were also friendly and helpful and I was glad to see people who are willing to help and give their time and effort to help these children enjoy their childhood and bridge the gap in achievement. I think that if anyone has a chance, they should stop by and see the Center. Everyone has something that they can do at the Center or you can bring your skills or hobbies to share.
Thao-Van Thai
I was one of the fortunate students that got assigned to tutor at Abbey Court Learning Center. Abby Court is an impoverished apartment complex that attracts a large number of families that are immigrants or refugees because of the inexpensive rent. The majority of the children that come to the center have parents that can hardly speak English and can barely afford putting meals on the table. This language barrier and low socioeconomic level created a disadvantage for the students because their parents can not help them on their homework, read English books with the children, or provide the students with computers. In Elementary School becoming a successful reader requires practice at home because at school it is impossible for the teacher to give each student the one-on-one attention everyday that is needed to excel. The children have a right as a student to have the same opportunity to learn and develop these skills as a student from a higher socio-economic background. In order to fix this problem, my peers in Sociology 273 and myself went to Abbey Court to work with the children and provide them with the one-on-one academic attention that the parents are unable to provide at home and the use of computers.
At the center I worked with children of very different academic levels. To show exactly what I do, I will describe my experience with two of the children that I worked with on a regular basis.
Kaitlin is a third grader at Mary Scroggs Elementary school who I worked with the most during my Wednesday sessions. She is a very bright student, but has a lot of trouble with math. I have helped her with the concepts of rounding, number families, multi-step word problems, and memorizing multiplication tables. After each session we always read for 15 minutes. For a few sessions we read a chapter book on Magician’s secret tricks. We would read the explanation of the trick and then try to perform the trick to work on her re-call and comprehension of the passage. Kaitlin and I also enjoy playing Apples-to-Apples together when none of the other students need help on their homework. The purpose of the game is to increase the student’s vocabulary. This is an effective teaching strategy because Kaitlin started using synonyms in her paper about Bunnies that we constructed together.
I also have worked a lot with Shannon, a fourth grader at Mary Scroggs Elementary School. We have worked on multiplying by zero and tons of reading! I try to incorporate games at the end of each of our reading sessions to test her comprehension of the passages. We have also worked on creating alternate endings towards the end of the stories. This gets Shannon’s creative juices flowing.
The work that we are doing at the Learning Center reinforces everything that we learned about human rights in Sociology 273. In class we discussed a quote from Roosevelt. He said, “Where do human rights begin? They start at home.” As previously mentioned, the children that come to the center are generally from very low income families with parents that speak little, if any, English. Due to their home lives the children are at a disadvantage to the majority of the students at Mary Scroggs Elementary School. The discussions that we have had in class emphasize that it is our right as humans to all have equal opportunities. The work that we do at the center aligns with Roosevelt’s quote because we are providing the student’s with the opportunities that they are missing at home.
Through working at the center I learned the rights that these students would not have if they did not come to the center. First of all, I was so surprised to learn that the students had so much work that they could be doing online. The students at Abbey Court are at a disadvantage to the rest of their classmates because they could not afford a computer. I love to see how the students worked so hard to finish their homework so they can get the chance to do school games on the computers. It is the student’s right to have the same opportunities as the students who have computer in their homes. Second of all, I saw first hand the result of a student not having a parent that could help the child read and do homework. I could not imagine trying to complete my homework when I did not know what was going on in class and could not ask my parents. The task of learning how to read would be extremely hard to do if you did not have a parent that could read. The ability to read will only come from one-on-one practice with a skilled reader. It is the student’s human right to have the same opportunity as their classmates to become a skilled reader. The students are getting the one-on-one attention to perfect their reading through the work done at the center.
While working at Abbey court I went every Wednesday and some Mondays to tutor. In addition to tutoring I tried to constantly generate new ideas to improve the center which can be read on the blog. Some of my suggestions include getting more grade level appropriate books that the children will be interested in, packs of manipulatives, and EOG practice books. During the food drive for Abby Court, I also went to all the greek houses on campus to collect food.
I also went to a meeting and provided my input on a group that they are suppose to start for the mothers at Abby Court- Madres para Ninos. This group is going to be set up to help the mothers in Abbey Court with a sense of isolation. A survey showed that the parents of the children did not have emergency contacts if something bad ever happened. For this program there will be 10 sessions that will help the women understand the development of the child. There are multiple goals for this project. First, they want to show the mothers how to create a learning experience for the child through being resourceful and not spending money. For example, create a book from pictures at home. Second goal is that the program will help the mothers set up procedures and standards at home to help reinforce the procedures and standards at school. The third goal is for the facilitator to start discussion that will lead to the women learning from each others’ experiences with their children.
The next contribution that I made was to help be a lead organizer for the Las Posadas at Abbey Court. This would show the children that we respect their culture and that we want to learn more about it. I also am trying to find candles for the children and adults to carry around during the time where we are going to be walking around to doors.
The final contribution that I made to the Abbey Court Project was that I wrote a grant for headsets with microphones. I am emailing this to Professor Blau to have a student submit it next semester since I ran out of time.
Chelsea Journigan's Final Project Paper Post
Although Abbey Court Center Project was not initially my Apples or class project, it soon became both. After my first Apple Project fell through, I began volunteering at Abbey Court on Mondays from 3:00-5:00pm.The Abbey Court Center Project reminded me of my tutoring with the America Reads Program (promoting literacy amongst disadvantaged youth in underprivileged areas), however the Abbey Court Center Project provided me with a sense of connecting to and having an impact on a community. The Abbey Court Center Project is an example of human rights in progress and I was happy to be a participant in this project.
Admittedly on my first day of going to Abbey Court I was quite timid for several reasons. For one, the impoverished neighborhood was quite unfamiliar to me and I was entering alone and did not know what to expect. In addition to a general sense of slight fear and apprehension, I was also starting the project a week or two later than most of the other tutors at the Center that Monday, so I was unsure as to how I would be received by my classmates and the students (they may have already bonded and become attached to each other). However all of these fears were quickly pushed aside when I walked into the Center and sat down to help my first student with her math assignment. As mentioned several times in class, the children were great. They were warm and playful and most were eager to learn and complete their home work assignments. I also found that they were also quite grateful for our assistance (as were their parents). They would frequently express this gratitude via smiles, exclamations, and thank you notes.
At Abbey Court Center I helped the children with a wide range of school assignments, from math to science, handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, etc. Initially when helping the children out on easier topics, such as simple math, I wondered why their parents were incapable of helping them with the assignments; however I soon came to realize that I had to keep their parents education level and knowledge of American skills and facts in mind. These parents may know the basics of American schooling, however they are even further removed from it than I am from middle school science as a college senior. Once I remembered this, I began to really realize the impact that I was making on the community and I was quite excited. I began to feel as if I was doing more than merely helping the children learn simple math, but rather boosting their self-esteem and giving them confidence to feel as if all things are possible for them outside of their community. I felt as if I was showing them that they have the right to knowledge and the expansion of their knowledge as well as the right to dream big and attain those dreams. This is how the project related to human rights for me. I looked at the children, their families, and community and saw them deprived of access to privileges that many other youth have and found it my duty to take part in remedying the problem.
I feel as if my presence at Abbey Court helped further the goal’s of the agency, because of the support I provided as well as the collaborative group discussions for improvement of the Center that I participated in. On top of this Abbey Court Center project I also was the person keeping up with and keeping the class informed on Tech without Border’s pursuit of wireless internet connection for Abbey Court for a low price. I followed this group’s actions as they sought numerous grants and reached out to businesses in order to acquire computers and funds to make their goal a reality. In the end the group ended up acquiring a grant from ISOC Community Grant. Now that they have acquired the funds, they are now ready to push their project even further and get the wireless internet in the center (more on the acquisition of the grant is located under the topic of wireless for abbey court project update).
Abby Court Project
This semester I felt like I became part of the Abby Court “family.” I was there 2-3 times a week helping with the after school program on Wednesday and with ESL classes through LINC on Thursday afternoons and Sunday nights. It was truly a rewarding experience watching the children and the parents at the center as we helped them in more ways than one. I realized that though students at UNC helped the children with their homework and the adults with their English these individuals take home more than that. They take home the idea that there are people out in the community who genuinely care about them and their needs. They know that the effort put for by the student is genuine and sincere. The reason I know this is because through my time at the center I saw more and more children who got attached to students who went. The children asked about the students when they didn’t come. I saw more and more new adults at the LINC ESL classes who eventually become regular students. This made me realize that though we may think that our contribution to the center and the people who use it may be small it’s not. The center wouldn’t be filled with children every day during the week and the adults wouldn’t keep coming to the ESL classes. As a Latina I find it wonderful that UNC students have been able to contribute to our community in ways that they might not even be aware of. The experience at the center this semester was truly one of a kind.
I will continue to visit the center next semester as the LINC ESL classes will continue next semester also. I hope that we are able to reach out to even more people and that the children and adults continue to take advantage of the services that the center provides because from what I saw this year, without the center this community may not be where it is today. I’ve noticed that they have more confidence in the community and know that there are people out there who genuinely care about them and are willing to help them in whatever way they can. I’d like to give a special thanks to Dr. Blau who has allowed the establishment of the center to flourish and provide assistance to a community who is in great need. To Nancy who has been an amazing help to the children and the center and too all the UNC students. It was nice meet you all!
My project/service work at the Human Rights Center at Abbey Court helped me understand that human rights are not always guaranteed by our constitution’s equal rights laws. For instance, theoretically, we have a public school system that guarantees every child in this country receives an education. However, the economic and social circumstances of the children at the center prevented them from receiving the same level of education as their peers. Many of their parents could not understand English well and therefore were not in the position to help their children with their homework. Unlike their peers, they did not have a parent to work with them on their reading skills or makes sure they come to school with homework completed correctly. As a result, these students began to lack confidence in their academic potential.
The Declaration of Human Rights states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Although all students had equal access to education under the US law, in reality they have do not have equal access to the same kind of education. That kind of equality is apparent at the town and community level. Therefore, grassroots organizations are necessary to pursue the goals of the HRD because they initiate the day-to-day personal interactions that change communities. Organizations, such as the Human Rights Center at Abbey court is one example of an extremely powerful community organization. The center not only brings awareness to the unequal educational conditions, but has an immediate impact on changing those conditions.
I my service/project was the most memorable aspect of this course. After my first tutoring session, I was pleasantly surprised by how rewarded I felt. I had participated in community service organization in the past, but I never knew how much I would enjoy tutoring elementary school students. You can see the effects of your efforts instantly on the children’s faces whenever they pronounce a word right or complete a math problem. Their faces light up, and immediately you know you have made a difference in their day. At times I became frustrated when the students would lose interest in their assignments and would want to stop working before completing their work. However, for the most part the students were very eager and dedicated. Furthermore, I enjoyed the challenge of reengaging students whose attention had wondered and working on improving my patience. I really enjoyed my experience at the center, and I often visited the center more than the requisite once a week. In fact, I enjoyed the work so much I intend to continue my service next semester.
What a delightful learning experience this has been!!! As I have blogged several times earlier and mentioned during our class presentation, volunteering at Abbey Court has been one of the best volunteering experiences I have ever had. I always imagined what it would be like to be an elementary school teacher; no other experience could have gotten me as close to the experience! Every time Saturday rolled around, I eagerly looked forward to the soccer games on Sunday and tutoring at AC on Monday. This experience introduced me to the challenge of teaching and underscored for me how important such after school programs can be to engage students in their learning and foster cooperation and teamwork skills.
As others have mentioned previously, going to AC every week and tutoring the same children gave us the opportunity to build trust and friendship. It was really rewarding to have kids come up to me and ask me for help with their homework and reading. I was amazed to observe how engaged and dedicated the students were. Several experiences that I have explained in detail in previous blog entries stand out. I taught Emely how to better use Microsoft Paint tools. Together, we read instructions and tried to set up a new wireless router, which I thought was a fun and unique exercise. Working through several math problem sets with Kelliet, I would occasionally quiz her on her times tables, multiplication and addition skills. I taught and occasionally quizzed Kathia on coin denominations. I helped Thautu with his math homework. I also had several kids read to me their favorite books.
As I mentioned in one of my blogposts, learning how to read and write well are key foundations of education and directly impact one’s ability to be successful in the future. The elementary and middle school years are a critical time period when one’s belief in one’s abilities to be successful are sculpted; therefore, it is very important for them to regularly receive encouragement from college students who can serve as role models. In this regard, the center provided these kids a place they could interact with college students and be motivated to work on their homework. Working on homework in isolation can often times be boring and tedious and the center provided for the kids an environment full of ‘infectious’ enthusiasm and a sense that studying and working on homework can be fun.
The soccer games were a great opportunity for the kids to have fun, engage in healthy physical activity, and develop teamwork and leadership skills. As I noted several times, when we first started out, the games would be haphazardly played—no form, no passing, lots of mild expletives, no taking turns, etc. As the semester progressed, I noticed that the kids became more disciplined in their approach to the game, frequently passing the ball to their team and playing very seriously. One memorable occassion was when we had two of the youngest kids become captains and choose their team members one by one. I believe that by giving them this responsibility we showed them how much we believe in their abilities and gave them the confidence and encouragement to give the game their best.
The center has so much potential to do so much good for the community! I envision that this may even become a model afterschool program in the future for similar communities to implement. All in all, this has been a wonderful experience and I hope to continue to volunteer there next semester and whenever I can make time for it.
--Pranay Prabhakar
My experience at Abbey Court this semester has been immensely rewarding at a personal level, and has hopefully been beneficial to the kids as well.
I think that the program was run as efficiently as possible, and really focused on being able to provide individual attention for each child. There seemed to be kids who were able to motivate themselves to learn, while others required a little push that the volunteers were able to provide. Hopefully the effort given by the volunteers will help to form effective study habits in the future.
At a personal level, working with the students at Abbey Court was fulfilling because of the kids' collective attitude. In high school, I worked at a summer camp in Cary, NC. The children I worked with were very hard to entertain and seldom appreciated any effort to have fun. The Abbey Court kids seemed thankful for the energy given by the volunteers, and were able to enjoy their free time while still working hard.
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