Organizing Like a Squirrel

Happy Halloween! Bringing cool breezy weather and pumpkin pie lattes, October has been a much awaited month that has lived up to its expectations. The pharm-life has been great with renal block flying by quickly and not to sound cheesy but I’m learning so much. The teachers at KIPP this month were busy setting up for their fall fest celebrations where they planned to dress up in costumes and play carnival games with the kids. Though some volunteers were put on the job of setting up for the fest, I was put on the duty of organizing the character lesson books. Every month each class is taught a different character lesson such as self control or forgiveness through a book with a moral. It was great to see that the KIPP curriculum not only focuses on academic subjects but also real world issues that will help these kids become better people. When we sat in the library/media center organizing the character lesson books we saw how dedicated and caring the teachers at KIPP were as they enthusiastically participated in their weekly meeting. As they addressed various issues and worked through possible scenarios it was visible how much they cared to be a lasting positive influence for their students. I hope to learn such dedication and more from these inspiring educators.

Volunteer Hours:

10/27/14--4

10/30/14--3

 

September

I love being part of the KIPP school program. Though I may be doing little things such as organizing file folders and worksheets or arranging school supply kits, in the end I’m helping. It is one less thing for the teachers to do so they can focus on the job they were trained to do; to educate and inspire these young kids. The positive impact and influence that the KIPP program has on these kids’ futures is inspiring. Exposing them to the concept of higher education and the educational opportunities they have before them at an early age is a huge part of the KIPP school’s curriculum. It is so sweet the way that their classrooms are named after universities so they can proudly proclaim “I'm in LSU” or “I'm in Tulane”. These kids are constantly reminded to aim higher. Ms. Hong tells them “when you get to and through college, you can call me by my first name.” It’s nice that from a young age, they think about the future and learn about the world outside of their micro-environment. I’m lucky that the importance of education has always been very apparent in my life; I grew up learning how different my world would be without it. Despite growing up in a mainly agricultural community with less than a primary school education, my grandfather understood the importance of education. As he sold farmland to finance his childrens’ education and encouraged them to pursue higher studies, people in his community thought he was a joke. They would say “who sells land for books?” If it weren't for my grandfather’s forward thinking and respect for education, I wonder if I might have been sitting on a buffalo, drinking from a coconut right now. I don't know, maybe.

Volunteer Hours:

9/18/14--2 hrs

9/24/14--3 hrs