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21st CCLC Program Manager
EDUC 802-911
7/12/2019

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"But Miss Erin said I could use it."

This is one of my favorite hot buttons to hit with the program staff. I allow cellphones to be on and in use during program time. Gasp!

The students and I have come to an understanding. Cellphones can be used during the program if it is for educational purposes.

We have a very strict budget that we have to follow. We cannot afford many of the individual products that can be found and used on the cell phone like calculators, translation apps, math games and cursive writing programs. Cellphones can be used as educational tools and students need to learn how to use them as such. If we restrict their use, the students can't learn.

My cellphone is always with me and in plane site. I try to follow the same rules as the students. When a student comes to me with a question that I don't know I model how to find the answer. The students have started to use the same expression as me. "I don't know. Let's Bing it!" Students aren't always going to have others around to give them the answers. We need to make sure they know how to find the answers by themselves.

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I try to take everything I learn from Drexel and apply it to the 21st CCLC Programs. This could be through helping students understand something better or through professional development opportunities with the program staff.

So far this semester I think I have really been fascinated by how many new programs I have learned about. I want to share them with the program  staff and see if we can brainstorm how to use them with our students. I am particularly curious about  Haiku Deck and Mind Map as I never used them before. I enjoy using Padlet and think the students could create projects with it too.

I really enjoyed learning about the brain. I feel that this relates directly to my dissertation topic of Social and Emotional learning and how students learn it through watching the adults in their lives. I would like to learn more about it in order to incorporate it into my dissertation.

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The brains ability to for and/or reorganize synaptic connections after learning or experiencing something new.

This is so important with the summer and after school programs. We are consistently look for new experiences for our students so they can experience the lesson in a hands on approach.

One example is our newest Social and Emotional Program called Lions Quest. Students learn through hands on activities how to handle emotions, stresses and relationships. During the summer, students have a chance to volunteer at a local zoo. Students are able to take what they learned in Lions Quest and apply it to a "work" environment. Two program staff members take six students for each volunteer session. The staff models behaviors taught during the program while the students try to make the connections and demonstrate the same positive "work" behaviors.

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Yet we expect all students to learn the same way.

This is something that I have some concerns with between the after school staff and students.

We have several students who stand out from the group due to learning abilities or life experiences. It is a struggle to get everyone on the same page in order to help students learn to the best of their abilities.

One young lady enjoys causing drama in the program. She is quick to start verbal confrontations with students and staff. I recently found out that from her life experiences, she enjoys being the center of attention. The verbal confrontations are the quickest way to get her there. We have staff who are quick to want to kick this young lady out due to her insults. At the same time this young lady could really benefit from our SEL lessons.

A young man is Autistic. He excels in in building with Legos and drawing. He is often by himself working on something hands on. The program staff want him to work on the lesson they are teaching and join the conversation. It is clear that he feels uncomfortable talking in a group setting.

How can we teach our students to understand and respect differences when we as adults are unable to?

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Differences in brain function and behavior of the individual.

This is helping me see my students and coworkers in a different way. I know each of us is different and come from different backgrounds. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

I believe in using our strengths to help others and finding ways to partner with others to get through our weaknesses.

This term really helped me this week. A tutor and I took six middle school boys on a four mile hike. Each boy had strengths and weaknesses. The three oldest boys were the motivators. They cheered everyone on to keep going and showed everyone where to step when it got muddy. The one boy was the clown. He would tell jokes when things were getting a little to serious. One boy was the nurturer. He held his little brother's hand the entire hike and made sure that the younger bother stayed with the group. The younger brother was our adventurer. He never hiked before and was eager to try new things like walking through a creek or trying to do a mini rock climb. Without all of these students working together, we would not have had a successful hike.