FIRST YEAR OF BONNER
I came to Emory and Henry in 2012, and I arrived early for Bonner Orientation. As part of orientation, we visited several different service sites, and we learned where our placement would be. The first year I was at Boys and Girls Club of Abingdon, Virginia. During my first summer of service, I served at the Mt. Calvary Daycare and Academy at my church in Axton, Virginia. Below tells a little about my service sites, and my experiences there.
When I first started volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, I was not too thrilled about it. I knew I wanted to go into the medical field, so I would have rather been at a service site that was medical related. However, I did want to work in a children's hospital, so this service site gave me the opportunity to find out if I could work with children every day.
While serving at the Boys and Girls Club I had the opportunity to form relationships with the students there. Although I often left with a headache, it never failed that those children always made my day a little brighter. They were always excited to see me, which made me feel good, and if I missed a day they insisted on knowing why I had not been there. During my time at the Boys and Girls Club, the site went through about three or four different directors. It could be frustrating trying to constantly learn the different requirements for each one, but they were all great people, which made the transitions a little easier.
I ended up spending a year and a half at the Boys and Girls Club, and it was a great experience for me. I learned that I definitely wanted to work with children in my career, but it was time for me to move on to a new site. Although it was sad to leave the children, it was exciting for me to do something new.
While serving at the Boys and Girls Club I had the opportunity to form relationships with the students there. Although I often left with a headache, it never failed that those children always made my day a little brighter. They were always excited to see me, which made me feel good, and if I missed a day they insisted on knowing why I had not been there. During my time at the Boys and Girls Club, the site went through about three or four different directors. It could be frustrating trying to constantly learn the different requirements for each one, but they were all great people, which made the transitions a little easier.
I ended up spending a year and a half at the Boys and Girls Club, and it was a great experience for me. I learned that I definitely wanted to work with children in my career, but it was time for me to move on to a new site. Although it was sad to leave the children, it was exciting for me to do something new.
FIRST YEAR SUMMER SERVICE
After my first year of college, I began my summer service. I completed 280 hours at Mt. Calvary Daycare and Academy, which went by really quick because I worked 40 hours a week. At this service site I was able to do a variety of tasks, and I worked with various age groups. From the work I did, I learned that I definitely did not want to work in a daycare. I loved being with children, but I did not like that daycare setting.
One of my main jobs was to oversee the class of two and three year olds. It was a handful to say the least, but they were so much fun to be around. I was in charge of leading them in lessons before lunch time, and after lunch I was responsible for having fun activities for them to do. I was able to work with these children most of the summer because the teacher that was with them was out because of an injury. There were times when I was able to work with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, which was also a fun experience.
During my time at the daycare and academy, I was able to assist the director with clerical work from time to time. It did not consist of just filing away papers, so it was not too bad. I was able to see the work and effort that went in for her to run the daycare and academy. The director is a close family friend, and I was able to build my relationship with her. This also gave me the chance to see some of the "behind the scenes" work she had to do that I did not even think about her having to do.
One of my main jobs was to oversee the class of two and three year olds. It was a handful to say the least, but they were so much fun to be around. I was in charge of leading them in lessons before lunch time, and after lunch I was responsible for having fun activities for them to do. I was able to work with these children most of the summer because the teacher that was with them was out because of an injury. There were times when I was able to work with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, which was also a fun experience.
During my time at the daycare and academy, I was able to assist the director with clerical work from time to time. It did not consist of just filing away papers, so it was not too bad. I was able to see the work and effort that went in for her to run the daycare and academy. The director is a close family friend, and I was able to build my relationship with her. This also gave me the chance to see some of the "behind the scenes" work she had to do that I did not even think about her having to do.