Harishna Hariharan was a volunteer at Woburn’s P.S.’s Leap Camp 2014, funded by the Leacock Foundation. Harishna is a former student at Woburn Jr, and attended Leap Camp when she was a student as well. She wanted to give back to the camp so decided to volunteer. In the future, she plans to become an elementary school teacher.
My experience as a volunteer at Leap Camp brought back old memories: lots of smiles, and laughs. I was the only volunteer in my class, and it was really nice that I got to know each and every student in the class much more. It was great seeing students every morning with a smile on their face and saying hello to me. Several mornings I had grammar lessons with the students, and by doing so, I got to know many of them and watch them learn and progress. I hope that they still remember all of the lessons I taught them and use them in their future.
What I am taking from this experience is everything I learned from the teacher I was helping, Ms. Chun. As I watched her teach, and do her lessons with the kids I learned a lot about what it takes to become a great teacher. She would teach the kids in such a way that they were very involved in the lesson. She made it very hands-on so that the kids got involved and enjoyed her lessons. I really liked her teaching technique, and it is definitely something I will be taking into consideration if I ever become an elementary teacher.
From this experience I realized a lot of the benefits and obstacles involved in becoming a teacher. Some of the advantages are that you get to work with kids and you get to be a role model for them. Teachers are also almost like a “second parent”, in that students spend so much time with them, and teachers must set a good example of responsibility, to keep everyone safe, learning, and happy. I also realized teachers have to work outside of class and spend hours planning the next day’s lesson. They would also have to compromise with their schedules depending how fast or slow the kids work. They always need a back-up plan to run the class. Another thing I learned is that teachers have to set a good example for the students to follow. By that I mean they must show discipline and respect to the students in order for the class to run smoothly.
All in all, my experience at Leap Camp was indescribable and I’m definitely looking forward to volunteering again next year.