Return to Forest View

Well, it's been awhile since I have posted to this blog, so sharing another JA adventure was long overdue. The past two years I have been actively seeking employment in the non-profit sector, so I have scaled back on my JA classes as I would not want to find myself having to discontinue a class while in the midst of presenting lessons. So in 2013, most of my JA efforts were centered on two classrooms at St Emily's:

* The 7th grade where we also Skype with students at the mission where I have volunteered.

* The 3rd grade - my fourth year with that classroom that I hope to continue with through their graduation from 8th grade... five more years to go!

But recently I was extended an opportunity to present the "Our Families" curriculum to some 22 first grade students in Mrs. Gandhi's classroom at Forest View Elementary in Mount Prospect, IL. Most of the JA classes I have presented have been at schools in Mount Prospect, be they private or public. Looking back at my records, Forest View was one of the first schools that I ever taught JA at, so back I go, some 110 JA classes later to talk about families, jobs, needs and wants.

In my opinion, Mount Prospect is the definition of a present day Chicago suburb. A middle class town with nicely kept homes and neighborhoods. The children in this classroom were probably the most ethnically diverse group of students I have ever had. With the exception of Australia and Antarctica, the heritage and roots of these children extended across every continent on the globe. Outstanding to see the camaraderie and enthusiasm among the students - our world could learn so much from them.

The "Our Families" program curriculum has been changed a bit, so this class was my first opportunity for this old dog to learn some new tricks. My presentation time was allotted at just over 2 hours, which I suspected might be tough to do all five lessons within that time. So I set out to do four thoroughly, and I'm happy to say that it was a good decision.   

There were many exciting moments during my visit, but one exercise was particularly interesting. This is a new addition to the curriculum - I called one child up to the front of the classroom and held up a job card behind them that they could not see. The other students are asked to provide clues about the job and the student standing in front of me tries to guess what job it is. It's an interesting exercise as it "requires" students to think in a descriptive manner. However, the clues one may hope to hear versus the clues that students often share can be two different things. Let's say I'm holding up a "Firefighter" job card...

Clues that one would hope to hear include:

> This person saves lives

> This person wears a helmet

> They drive a red truck

Clues that students typically shared were:

> The word starts with an "F"

> There are 11 letters in the word

> This is a compound word (kudos to the student for applying their grammar knowledge!)

I must confess that on this job, the students in Mrs Gandhi's class actually did pretty well - but on the other occupations, clues were more of the latter type than the former. And yes, there was one "compound word" response, though it wasn't exactly correct. Nonetheless, all the students seemed to enjoy this exercise.

Well, I've saved the best for last. One of the key messages within the "Our Families" program is distinguishing the difference between "Wants" and "Needs". Lesson 2 digs into this concept and the new curriculum has added a "Drop Me a Note" piece that asks the student to fill out a template note written to someone they know (often a parent or sibling), describing something they want or need and why they want it. The bottom includes verbiage stating that the student can work a job to earn what they need or want - then the student writes in their name.

As a JA presenter, one always hopes to see "Needs" written in on a note like this as then it is evident that the students understand the different priorities. But the way this note is set up, it's more prone to generate "Wants" and this class was no exception...  X-Boxes, scooters, bicycles, other toys, etc. Of course, every class has a student who is an "exception" and Jenice was the "exception" in this class. In hindsight, I wish I had taken a photo of her note to share here, but in its absence, I've tried to recreate it below:

____________________________________________________________

(Today's date)        1-24-14

Dear       mommy

Hello! I really want or need (a)       hug

I want this because       I love you

I can work a job to earn what I want. Is there a job I could do for you?

Please write back soon. Thank you.

(Your name)         Jenice

____________________________________________________________

I don't think there's any job that Jenice can do that will earn her what she wants - I bet her mom showers her with them!