Internship
Summary:
For my internship, I was working for the Alameda Education Foundation over the summer by assisting a supervisor with watching over a group of kids who were attending the summer camp at Bay Farm school. My job was to watch over them and engage them in group activities while also ensuring that they weren’t wandering off. Whenever I could, I was assisting my supervisor with giving the kids snacks and things to do.
Log:
7/2/18 12pm—5pm
7/3/18 12pm—5pm
7/5/18 12pm—5pm
7/6/18 12pm—5pm
7/9/18 12pm—5pm
710/18 12pm—5pm
7/11/18 12pm—5pm
7/12/18 12pm—5pm
7/13/18 12pm—5pm
7/16/18 12pm—5pm
7/17/18 12pm—5pm
7/18/18 12pm—5pm
7/19/18 12pm—5pm
7/20/18 12pm—5pm
Total: 70 hours
Week 1:
Even though I’ve done it before, this week proved (once again) to me that taking care of kids is a huge responsibility. What I mostly I had to do was take care of them and keep them entertained. This year was different from the previous ones—while I took care of a much larger group before, they were also a lot younger. The group I took care of this week were all nearing middle school age and I knew I had to treat them differently. If I had tried babying them, they’d most likely get upset. So, I treated them the way I treat my younger sister, and they all warmed up to me. There were two boys in the group that kept going off to do their own thing, and I wasn’t used to having to manage them and the group of remaining girls who didn’t want to do what the boys did. I managed to pull them all back in with stories and riddles, so it all worked out. I’ll miss seeing this group.
Week 2:
This week was considerably easier than my last one since I have a clearer idea of what I’m doing and what kind of kids I’m working with. This group has different kids (one of them returned) and I gave myself only the first day to learn their names and how they worked. (Last week, I feel like I took too long trying to get used to them and the week ended just when they were working well with me.) Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult this time around. My supervisor was kind to me and was very understanding when I would sometimes arrive late this week because I had college class in the morning. When I told my kids about that class, they reacted with interest and kept asking me questions and going through my textbook. I was really surprised to learn they saw me as an adult when I don’t even consider myself as one; it’s odd being the older one when I’ve always been the younger one. This group also really, really liked riddles. Because I started telling them early on, they asked for more everyday. It came to a point my supervisor had to advise them to think of other things so I wouldn’t become tired, but then they started asking for stories. Of course I didn’t mind. This group worked so well and they felt more united than the last.
Week 3:
This week marked the end of my internship. While I was expecting for it to be the most difficult, as my supervisor had warned, it turned out to be yet another small group of kids. There were only four of them this time while the previous groups had five. It made things a lot easier for me, since this week was also my last week of class. Once again, these kids really liked the riddles I told as well as the stories. One girl, who was in all three of my groups, would fill in any parts that I’d miss, which I found to be adorable. At some parts in one story, I’d turn to her and ask, “Do you remember what happens next?” and she would continue it perfectly. It was really nice to know she genuinely enjoyed and remember what I said in the past. This group of kids preferred not to do their own thing and instead wanted me to engage with them more than my previous groups had. For four days straight, we’d sit inside and I’d keep them entertained. What I really liked about this group was that they created story concepts for me and I would have to think of a story on the spot to tell. At one point, I told a murder mystery using playing cards. The culprit was revealed on the last day.
Reflection:
Working with kids has always been something I enjoyed and could handle, but learning how to do so requires a good amount of effort and, more importantly, patience. Every day I walked in, I would check in with my supervisor, Francis, on who would and wouldn’t be there for the day before going to a cafeteria where the kids would be having lunch. There would be set activities for the kids to do from 12 to 5 PM and my job was ensuring they were engaged with one another and getting along. For each day I spent interacting with them, the more I learned about how kids tend to work. The ones I was taking care of were all ages 11 or 12, and at that age, they don’t want to be babied or treated as something fragile. However, they still require a certain amount of attention to keep them pleased.
Although they were usually easy to get along with, the most I struggled with was having to switch from a friend to an intern. During my first week, there were these two boys who would be rowdy with one another, causing the rest of the kids to not want to play with them most of the time, and sometimes refuse to participate in an activity with the rest of the group. I was at a loss for what to do. My supervisor was fine with letting them do what they wanted and told me to let them be, but I still wished that there was something they and the other kids could all do together. I tried a group game of soccer outside, but they were so focused on beating me, the “adult”, that the rest of the group eventually wandered off to do something else and I had to stop playing so I could watch both. Board games only managed to interest one of them and the other was adamant on not playing. Nearing the middle of the week, I tried to think of the things I had enjoyed as a kid and decided on something. During their snack break, I took advantage of the one set time the boys wouldn’t run off and asked if they wanted to hear a scary story. The entire group was interested. When that story finished, I had all of their attention and they asked for another. So I told another, then turned to Google for one when they asked again and I couldn’t think of one, then I proposed telling riddles instead.
Telling riddles is what ended up being the number 1 thing all three groups I took care of enjoyed. When we played board games, they wanted riddles. When we were outside, they’d randomly ask for one. When they were eating snacks, they’d point to my phone in my pocket and ask for riddles. From the very moment I’d walk in and greet them at the start of the day, at least one or two of would excitedly ask if I found more riddles. They would choose to gather together in a circle and listen to me tell a string of riddles with some stories in between rather than going with the usual activities like going outside. My supervisor didn’t mind at all and would tell me how impressed she was that the kids were so eager to listen to me. I had a “way with kids”, as she put it, and that really sticks with me.
I hadn’t expected for there to be much I’d struggle with, but I had no idea that befriending the kids I’d look after would be so easy. I figured I’d be able to be in “intern” mode for a majority of the time because kids can be and are annoying. However, what made my job easy was when I interacted with them in a way that made them feel I was giving them attention and not bossing them away. Of course, I had to keep professional and wouldn’t go along with a few of them trying to get me to give them piggy back rides or politely denied any questions of my personal information, no matter how many times a few of them asked for my address at the end of the week because they wanted to visit me. It gives a bittersweet feeling knowing that these kids and I most likely will never meet again, but knowing that I had a part in making their summer vacation something a bit more memorable makes it worth it. Of course, it took a lot of patience and having to be responsible for each and every one of them, but in the end it was worth it. I was able to learn more about how kids tend to work in a group, albeit a small group, and it gave me a sense of what it’s like being the “adult” rather than the “kid”.
For my internship, I was working for the Alameda Education Foundation over the summer by assisting a supervisor with watching over a group of kids who were attending the summer camp at Bay Farm school. My job was to watch over them and engage them in group activities while also ensuring that they weren’t wandering off. Whenever I could, I was assisting my supervisor with giving the kids snacks and things to do.
Log:
7/2/18 12pm—5pm
7/3/18 12pm—5pm
7/5/18 12pm—5pm
7/6/18 12pm—5pm
7/9/18 12pm—5pm
710/18 12pm—5pm
7/11/18 12pm—5pm
7/12/18 12pm—5pm
7/13/18 12pm—5pm
7/16/18 12pm—5pm
7/17/18 12pm—5pm
7/18/18 12pm—5pm
7/19/18 12pm—5pm
7/20/18 12pm—5pm
Total: 70 hours
Week 1:
Even though I’ve done it before, this week proved (once again) to me that taking care of kids is a huge responsibility. What I mostly I had to do was take care of them and keep them entertained. This year was different from the previous ones—while I took care of a much larger group before, they were also a lot younger. The group I took care of this week were all nearing middle school age and I knew I had to treat them differently. If I had tried babying them, they’d most likely get upset. So, I treated them the way I treat my younger sister, and they all warmed up to me. There were two boys in the group that kept going off to do their own thing, and I wasn’t used to having to manage them and the group of remaining girls who didn’t want to do what the boys did. I managed to pull them all back in with stories and riddles, so it all worked out. I’ll miss seeing this group.
Week 2:
This week was considerably easier than my last one since I have a clearer idea of what I’m doing and what kind of kids I’m working with. This group has different kids (one of them returned) and I gave myself only the first day to learn their names and how they worked. (Last week, I feel like I took too long trying to get used to them and the week ended just when they were working well with me.) Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult this time around. My supervisor was kind to me and was very understanding when I would sometimes arrive late this week because I had college class in the morning. When I told my kids about that class, they reacted with interest and kept asking me questions and going through my textbook. I was really surprised to learn they saw me as an adult when I don’t even consider myself as one; it’s odd being the older one when I’ve always been the younger one. This group also really, really liked riddles. Because I started telling them early on, they asked for more everyday. It came to a point my supervisor had to advise them to think of other things so I wouldn’t become tired, but then they started asking for stories. Of course I didn’t mind. This group worked so well and they felt more united than the last.
Week 3:
This week marked the end of my internship. While I was expecting for it to be the most difficult, as my supervisor had warned, it turned out to be yet another small group of kids. There were only four of them this time while the previous groups had five. It made things a lot easier for me, since this week was also my last week of class. Once again, these kids really liked the riddles I told as well as the stories. One girl, who was in all three of my groups, would fill in any parts that I’d miss, which I found to be adorable. At some parts in one story, I’d turn to her and ask, “Do you remember what happens next?” and she would continue it perfectly. It was really nice to know she genuinely enjoyed and remember what I said in the past. This group of kids preferred not to do their own thing and instead wanted me to engage with them more than my previous groups had. For four days straight, we’d sit inside and I’d keep them entertained. What I really liked about this group was that they created story concepts for me and I would have to think of a story on the spot to tell. At one point, I told a murder mystery using playing cards. The culprit was revealed on the last day.
Reflection:
Working with kids has always been something I enjoyed and could handle, but learning how to do so requires a good amount of effort and, more importantly, patience. Every day I walked in, I would check in with my supervisor, Francis, on who would and wouldn’t be there for the day before going to a cafeteria where the kids would be having lunch. There would be set activities for the kids to do from 12 to 5 PM and my job was ensuring they were engaged with one another and getting along. For each day I spent interacting with them, the more I learned about how kids tend to work. The ones I was taking care of were all ages 11 or 12, and at that age, they don’t want to be babied or treated as something fragile. However, they still require a certain amount of attention to keep them pleased.
Although they were usually easy to get along with, the most I struggled with was having to switch from a friend to an intern. During my first week, there were these two boys who would be rowdy with one another, causing the rest of the kids to not want to play with them most of the time, and sometimes refuse to participate in an activity with the rest of the group. I was at a loss for what to do. My supervisor was fine with letting them do what they wanted and told me to let them be, but I still wished that there was something they and the other kids could all do together. I tried a group game of soccer outside, but they were so focused on beating me, the “adult”, that the rest of the group eventually wandered off to do something else and I had to stop playing so I could watch both. Board games only managed to interest one of them and the other was adamant on not playing. Nearing the middle of the week, I tried to think of the things I had enjoyed as a kid and decided on something. During their snack break, I took advantage of the one set time the boys wouldn’t run off and asked if they wanted to hear a scary story. The entire group was interested. When that story finished, I had all of their attention and they asked for another. So I told another, then turned to Google for one when they asked again and I couldn’t think of one, then I proposed telling riddles instead.
Telling riddles is what ended up being the number 1 thing all three groups I took care of enjoyed. When we played board games, they wanted riddles. When we were outside, they’d randomly ask for one. When they were eating snacks, they’d point to my phone in my pocket and ask for riddles. From the very moment I’d walk in and greet them at the start of the day, at least one or two of would excitedly ask if I found more riddles. They would choose to gather together in a circle and listen to me tell a string of riddles with some stories in between rather than going with the usual activities like going outside. My supervisor didn’t mind at all and would tell me how impressed she was that the kids were so eager to listen to me. I had a “way with kids”, as she put it, and that really sticks with me.
I hadn’t expected for there to be much I’d struggle with, but I had no idea that befriending the kids I’d look after would be so easy. I figured I’d be able to be in “intern” mode for a majority of the time because kids can be and are annoying. However, what made my job easy was when I interacted with them in a way that made them feel I was giving them attention and not bossing them away. Of course, I had to keep professional and wouldn’t go along with a few of them trying to get me to give them piggy back rides or politely denied any questions of my personal information, no matter how many times a few of them asked for my address at the end of the week because they wanted to visit me. It gives a bittersweet feeling knowing that these kids and I most likely will never meet again, but knowing that I had a part in making their summer vacation something a bit more memorable makes it worth it. Of course, it took a lot of patience and having to be responsible for each and every one of them, but in the end it was worth it. I was able to learn more about how kids tend to work in a group, albeit a small group, and it gave me a sense of what it’s like being the “adult” rather than the “kid”.