Jessie

January 39 Internship Reflection

Today instead of having math with one group of boys they had science instead because they had math yesterday. It was very interesting to see the group in science. One boy who I rarely hear speak was much more vocal throughout the class. They were learning the respiratory system and how the diaphragm works. The made a bottle with two balloons to simulate the lungs and how the diaphragm works. I accepted the boys to have some difficulty following the instructions on how to make it but after watching the teacher do it they all were able to make it with minimal help. It seemed as though the demonstration was the key factor in the success. With the older boys the same boy as last week was missing from science class. The older boys had the same lesson about the diaphragm but it was in more detail and more in depth. After class I asked the teacher why the boy was missing. I knew he was having some trouble but she told me that he had issues when he didn’t get his way. He will act out when he cant do what he wants. Acting out will often involve throwing himself and swinging his arms, spitting, and screaming. She said that he can go months with out acting out but ever since he came back from vacation he has been acting out very often and at times will need to be put in restraints. She said that at Reed they try to not put restraints on anyone. They think that trying to deal with the child in other ways then just holding him back they find more effective and long lasting but when it gets out of hand as it has been for this boy recently restraints are necessary.

My research paper will be based around research on what is going to happen to these boys after they leave Reed. How they will affect the economy, when kind of jobs they will hold, and if they will be able to live and take care of themselves. I will look into how the ones who can be self-sufficient will be self-sufficient and what will the ones who can’t, will do. Will they have to live in a home, or with parents, and what happens when their parents can’t take care of them anymore. I will look into how this plays into and affects the tax money and donators.

February 5 Internship Reflection

Today was mostly the same as it has been in the past weeks. I spent the first hour with the one group of boys where I helped them with math. One finished his fractions book which was a very big deal for him and he was quite please with himself. The other was working on multiplying decimals and i didn't get to see what the third was working on. In the next hour I worked with the another group of boys just a little bit older than the last with science. They were making the bottle that represented the diaphragm that they had not gotten to last week. For some reason the bottles the teacher had were crumbling when the boys tried to put on the balloons so I finally had a reason for keeping all the empty bottle i have in my car. I went to my car and brought back about 15 empty vitamin water bottles. They had to be sterilized so I didn't get too see the bottles get put to use but i acepcct they will be. Because I have a cold they told me i should just go home after the science class because normally after that i help the youngest boys prepare lunch.

February 12 Internship Reflection

Today was my last day at Reed. Even though it should technically end next week they have February break. My last day was pretty interesting and eventful. In my first class where i normally help out with math there was a boy who was thinking about going to the school visiting who was the same age as the boys i was with so we he was shadowing them for the day. Two of the boys seemed to be very friendly and excited to show him the school. The other boy who hadn't wanted to do any work since the beginning of class barley acknowledged the new boys presence. He would put his head down on his work book and say he didn't know how to do it and refuse to do his work. I talked to the teacher after class about this and she said that they had spent a long time learning how to multiply decimals (the work book he was supposed to have worked in) so she knew he knew how to do it and it was much more or an attitude issue. While that boy complained about his work the rest of the boys, the teacher and me gave the new boy a tour of the school building. te boy who wouldn't do his work had to stay back to finish it. When we got back from the tour the work was all finished. In the second class it was science and they were a little unfocused because they had come into class talking about their vacations and were pretty excited about being out in only a day. The teacher recognized not much new material was going to be taught so she let them have a free period of sorts. The boy who had to finish up a worksheet from last week did so and the other boys worked on their book report books. After this class instead of going straight to lunch prep with the youngest boys stayed with the teacher and talked about Reed and asked her a bunch of questions to help me write my paper. She gave me lots of material to work with and was very helpful.

After my meeting with the teacher I went to help with lunch prep. There wasn't too much for me to do so I sat in the classroom with the boys who had finished their jobs and helped them with the worksheet which was really just a word search about the tongue and taste buds. Two boys finished quickly and decided to play a card game when they were done. At the end of the first round there was a dispute about whether or not they were keeping score. The boy who had won the hadn't wanted to and the boy who hadn't didn't. After bickering a bit they decided to ask me if they should keep score or not. I told them that it was up to them but if keeping score was going to be stressful than I didn't think it was a good idea. They of course decided to keep score. About half way through the second round the boys stated fighting. One claiming the other was cheating. The fight escalated to yelling very quickly. I was the only adult in the room and wasn't too sure what i should be doing. I tried to calm them down but that did nothing. It wasn't until the teacher from the room next door opened up the connecting door to tell them to settle down did they start to do so. But in a matter of minutes they were fighting just as much. Finally the principle came in and one of the boys stormed out. The other still enraged thew a chair. We gave both boys time to cool down but when ever they were asked to discuss what happened they became very upset. Overall it was quite stressful but an interesting last day.