As we wrap up our third week here at St. Matthew's, I've found that I've established so many friendships here. While it has been both a challenge and a delight to teach and play with the students, I always find it quite rewarding. I suppose the other TAs and I did not quite realize the impact of the students on us--and vice versa. We have shared many laughs and growing moments thus far.
We try hard to incorporate education and teamwork into our afternoon enrichment activities. We began this week with focusing on physics with our "Egg Drop" activity. The students needed to work with their teammates to figure out how to drop their egg from the roof without it breaking.Though this seemed like an impossible task, I watched the wheels turn on each
student's face as he or she figured out how to go about dropping the egg. We did a similar team activity the next day where the students' task was to build the tallest, sturdiest tower out of a limited number of Popsicle sticks and tape. After giving them a time constraint and limited materials, I witnessed the students getting into gear. They were efficient, organized, and pouring out ideas quickly to one another. It was wonderful to see them working as a team now that they have stronger bonds.
I have truly enjoyed getting to know each and every student in these past three weeks. I've seen remarkable changes in their behaviors in the classroom, attitudes towards each other, and in their general energy and willingness to participate. I know that they will continue to grow as we finish up in the next couple of weeks, and I am excited to watch as they gain more confidence in their schoolwork and teamwork.