Author: Christine Sullivan
November 7, 2011
Place of Internship: Placer Nature Center
Focus on: Preschool – Grade 8
Journal #4 - Service Learning Project
Entering
this class I was really concerned about having to participate in a service
learning project. As I am not going into the field of teaching or even child
care, I felt really out of my element. As it was, it was one of the most
rewarding experiences of my life. I was able to work with many children of
different ages, and I met a lot of wonderful people who were so obviously
passionate about their work. Working at the Placer Nature Center specifically
was really rewarding because it was a reminder that life exists outdoors.
As a
child I spent a lot of my time running around outside, in and out of woods and
creeks and I loved it. As an adult it was like my entire life transitioned indoors
and it was as if nature was a long forgotten memory. I’ve since learned I
apparently suffered from Nature Deficit Disorder; something my generation
seemed to have claimed as our own. Our young children are not getting the
exposure to nature that they need to fully understand the process of life.
Sharing a Teacher's Moment
The
most exciting part of this entire experience was seeing the young children’s
expressions when they discovered a lizard, or learned what animal made those
tracks. Like so many teachers experience, the moment that an understanding
clicks in a child’s mind is so powerful. This is a moment, a memory that helps
build a lifetime, and you are witness to it. I realized that I didn’t need to
become a teacher to help teach children about life, and the center really opened
my eyes to other ways I can take my passion and knowledge and offer them to
young children.
Each
event that I participated in made me remember things I learned as a child and
have long since forgotten. If it wasn’t a retrieval of memories it was a new
lesson and I’ve learned more about nature in these last few months than I learned
in college biology classes. I think this is in large part because it’s a very
hands on experience and their wonderful teachers, like the centers naturalist.
It’s also because everything is done in small groups and so the teacher-student
ratio is low and that can be very helpful.
Parent Involvement
One of my favorite things about the
way the center does their activities is that it’s all parent involved. The real
focus is providing parents with the tools and ideas to teach their children
about nature. The people at the center are facilitators and the parents are the
teachers. I was moved by the amount of parental involvement, it feels these
days that parenting is only a part-time job and that teachers and child-care
providers are there to pick up the slack. The importance of the child seeing
their parent’s involvement and interest is immense and I loved being part of a
place that really understood that.
Aside
from the joy of working with children directly, both on and off site, I was
also able to help out in more administrative ways. I really enjoy event
planning and running and I loved being able to greet people as they arrived and
deal with the registration and money issues; something they seemed grateful
for. I’m also currently updating the curriculum they provide on their website
and I enjoy being a part of that. I love that I get to help provide this
knowledge and these resources for parents and that I’m now a part of what makes
the center tick.
I’m also using my artistic skills by helping them create
information boards. I have also taken a lot of beautiful pictures of the
facilities and plan on making a wonderful slideshow of the images to give
viewers a type of virtual tour. I’m really enjoying using preexisting abilities
in combination with newfound ones and I feel like I’ve found a way to encompass
all my skills into one place.
All
in all I feel like this has been a wonderful experience. It has shown me that I
am far more capable of working in this field than I originally thought. I have
always had a natural comfort around children and I’ve done a lot of work
organizing things that children can do or learn from and so it seemed silly
that I was so convinced I might fail. I tend to feel that way about anything I
do and I think that this experience has made headway to changing that. I’ve
made friends here and their enthusiasm is extraordinarily contagious. They
never doubted me, even before they got to know me and it was easy to prove them
right knowing I had their support.
This was also something that I was able to
share with my family and it was great being able to take my school and work
life and have my niece participate in it. I love opportunities when I can show
her the positive outcomes from doing well in school, working hard, and helping
others. Not only was she able to see her aunt doing positive things for the
community, but she was also exposed to nature she previously had not been.
She
really enjoyed her time outdoors with us and that alone was reward enough. When
all is said and done, I know that I’ve found a place that I can help make grow
and a place that will help me grow. I’m so grateful this experience was so positive;
it’s definitely made me more confident on my journey into this emotional,
difficult, but rewarding field.
~ Christine Sullivan
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