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Jessica L. May 2

3 hours this week/84 hours for the semester 

These past few times I have attended my internship I have mentored some of the children in their homework. During the mentoring is that I realize how most of the children either guess on their homework or want me to give them the answer. This helps me put my skill-based goal of communication in use since I need to know how to use my words to try to explain their homework so they can understand it. Another form I use my communication is when I need to be assertive with the children when they are rude or disrespectful to one another. Being in this internship this long has allowed me to get know the children which helped me approach them according to their personality and age. Especially the teens, I have come to learn that it is in this stage where they have the need to impress their friends in order to keep the status of their clique. 

The three most important skills I used and put into practice during my experiences was learning the children’s programs rules in order to know and avoid when the children would lie to get away with something. Another skill that I used was my communication, to be assertive but not aggressive. This helped me speak the children based on how they behaved and on their personality which made it easier for me to not come across as mean or angry. My last skill that I used was time-management, I learned how to manage my time wisely in order to get things done and to spend time with the different children. The first time I knew I had to know the rules of the program was when one of the older boys was using youtube on the computer and he lied to me saying that the coordinator had given him permission which was not true. As for my communication skill I used it when I spoke to the children and reprimanded them when they did something wrong for example, when they would break the rules, it helped me learn how to be assertive but not aggressive. It also helped me communicate with the supervisor when I would inform him of the things the children would do. For my time management I used it when I learned the routine the program had and later used it to manage my time on what I had to get done as well as helped me make time to interact with the children. These three skills I developed during my internship will help me use them in my future career by allowing me to make an agenda in order to maintain a schedule. This will also help me use my time wisely and make time for myself. As for communication I will be able to use that when speaking with my supervisor, to be able to express my ideas in a good manner not demanding. In addition, in learning the rules I will know what is expected of me and know what I can and cannot do which will help me do a good job at work. 

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Jessica L. April 20

3 hours this week/75 for the semester 

On Tuesday I mentored one of the girls in her math, spelling, and reading homework. It was in her spelling and math homework where she had the most trouble in which is relevant to her thinking and learning of her age group, of facing more academic challenges in school. I also noticed that she has an increased attention span than that of a preschooler which I observed while another volunteer was helping a preschooler girl. While mentoring the girl in her homework I used my skill-based goal of communication in using my words to try and fully explain/assist her to reword the sentences she was making up with her spelling words. I helped her fix her sentence structure when she would not make sense. I also tried not to give her the answer even when she would ask for it because it would not benefit her. 

My internship experience has been great thus far and I have learned a lot not only about myself but about the program and the children. I learned that I can adapt and be flexible based on a situation. I also managed to use my time wisely and get to know the different children and their different personalities. This helped me learn the programs rules and observe the children when they are lying in order to get away with something they are not allowed to do. At first the children would take advantage of the “new girl” to try to get away with for example, being on youtube when they were not allowed to use the computer for social media. As I got more familiar with the programs routine I began to catch on. My attitude towards the children changed from being more serious to letting lose and being more comfortable for them to approach me. My values changed as I saw the families situations and was grateful for what I had. My interests on the other hand, remained the same in that I still want to work with children and try to impact them in a positive way. The challenges I encountered during my internship such as: children lying to break the rules and not listening to what I would say, helped me learn to communicate with my supervisor and ask how I can improve to build with the children and earn their respect. 

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Jessica L. April 13

3 hours this week/69 hours for the semester

It has been a while since I last blogged and many events have occurred during my practicum. One that really struck me was when I was mentoring one of the Spanish speaking boys in his math homework. I only got to help him with half of it because he disliked how I would not give him the answer but rather made him work and practice reading his answers in English. Him being a 13 year old he is in the traditional phase from childhood to adulthood. It is in this stage of being an adolescent that brings up issues on self-identity and tough choices on schoolwork. Him being at a disadvantage than his other peers, being born in Mexico and not speak English, he is struggling to maintain this appearance in front of others. Making him practice his English made him uncomfortable however, I was only trying to help him, not judge him. 

When I met my supervisor, he was currently working at Thomas House Family Shelter part time due to him going to school. But once he graduated from California State University Fullerton with a major in Child Development and Adolescence he became full time worker. He was also in the army in which he completed his six year contract and whom is looking forward to go to Grad School by next year. My supervisor conducts meetings with the volunteers and I at the end of the day where we can express comments or concerns based on what we observed from the children. This where he takes the opportunity to provide feedback to us and how we can do better based on specific incidents. As for career advice he speaks to us when we are waiting for the children to come to the program and he shares his college experiences. 

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Jessica L. March 23

3 hours this week/55 for the semester 

The apartment complex of Thomas House is under construction which lead use to mentor the children in the courtyard. There were not as many children as usually because some of the families were staying in hotels in the meantime. Having fewer children I had the opportunity to interact with the children that were there and made me observe the younger girls specifically. Ranging in ages between 5-9 the girls tend to have their own clique in which in this case they pretend played mom and daughters. I noticed that the girl playing the mom was one of the oldest and she tended to be more demanding and controlling of the other girls. The other girls being younger they complied to what the older girl would say. It was at this point that I realized that each girl being in a different development stage had a different way of thinking and seeing things, which helped the older girls control the younger ones. There were instances where the younger girls would not like to receive demands and wanted to play the role of the mother but they were not given the chance. This relates to human development in peer attachment where the girls would do as they were told in order to continue playing with each other. They also engage in pretend play but their play is becoming more ruled-governed, do as mother says. 

One of the most frustrating occurrence I have had during my practicum thus far is having the older children not listen to what I say. There was an incident where on the older boys did not want to get off the computer after the program was over, I had to intervene and remove the mouse from him. He got upset and threw a chair on the floor. What helped to overcome this frustration was that his mother witnessed what he did and reprimanded him and send him to apologize to me. I also informed the children’s coordinator and said he was going to look into it. I would say that I am not exposed to frustrating experiences very often which does not impact the level of my service. Another frustrating occurrence I usually face is the conflict of not getting along between two of the younger girls. They cannot play or interact together because they begin to call each other mean and they fight. What I do to overcome this occurrence is to first allow them to problem solve on their own, when that fails I have them play different games in order to avoid confrontation. 

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Jessica L. March 16

3 hours this week/49 hours for the semester 

Every Thursday as usual, supper was provided for the families. I was placed with two other volunteers to supervise the younger children of ages four and under while their parents were in a meeting. In addition, this week they also had parent night on Friday, where the parents got together and did a potluck and afterwards they played loteria together. All of the families understood the game except for one of the families who did not speak Spanish, it is important to note that I was not aware that the family was Native American and were English speakers. I explained to them that the game was a Mexican version of Bingo where they would call out the name of the picture and they would place a bean on the card, once the whole card was filled they would say loteria indicating that they had won. This relates to my skill-based goal of taking initiative by helping the Native American family play the game in order for them not to feel excluded. Overall, the parents enjoyed thier evening interacting with each other and playing games. 

My expectations before beginning my internship was to only mentor students and assist when they had supper. My internship so far has not only met my expectations of mentoring the children but also has provided me an environment where you can interact with them and get to know each individual. In addition, Thomas House has helped me get out of my comfort zone by communicating with people from whom I did not know but also take initiative to problem solve when there is a situation. Not only do I build bonds with the children but also with their families. Interning at Thomas House has humbled me in being thankful with what I have and has given me the opportunity to give back to others who are struggling, in hopes of impacting someones life for the better. My internship has overachieved my expectations as of right now and I hope it continues to do so. 

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Jessica L. March 9th

3 hours this week/40 hours for the semester 

Every Tuesday as usual, I help mentor children with their homework. I assisted this specific boy with some homework assignments he had been behind on and had not turned in. We were working on one of his math assignments, with every intention to help him, he would not cooperate. His lack of interest and seriousness made it difficult for me to tutor him effectively. It was not until he tried eating a candy bar that I told him he was allowed to eat it after he was finished with his assignment, in hopes that would motivate him to finish his work. It was until then that he showed effort to find the answers on his own. Taking initiative to problem solve (skill-based goal) by using delay gratification helped me encouraged him to get his homework done. He was able to resist temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a greater reward of getting to eat his candy bar with a finished assignment. 

In my practicum, I have learned to establish professional relationships as well as maintain professional boundaries through the children’s programs rules and volunteer guidelines, which were provided to me at orientation. Knowing the rules of the program not only helps me ensure the safety of the children but ensures my safety as well. For example, there was an occasion that one of the younger girls wanted to sit on my lap because there were no other chairs for her to sit on. She was already climbing into my lap when I told her I would give up my sit in order for her to sit. On the other hand, I have witnessed an incident of poor boundaries committed by one of the other volunteers. This individual was reading a book to one of the younger girls while having her sit on his lap. It was not until I reminded him of the volunteer guidelines and rules that we are not allowed to let children sit on our lap, that he took the girl off his lap. This situation may have been better handled if he informed the young girl that he would read a book to her while sitting next to him in her own chair. Rules and guidelines are provided to maintain our safety which will help us provide a safe learning environment for the children. 

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Jessica L. March 1

3 hours this week/34 hours for the semester 

Since I last posted the children have had their usual homework mentoring, on Thursday however, the Thomas House families and their children had supper through a church organization. While supper was being prepared, another volunteer and I were placed in a room with children four years of age and younger. We had five children in total, they were provided toys and coloring books to keep them entertained. Afterwards, we assisted the young children in getting their food plates while their parents attended a meeting. Overall, the evening went smoothly since we had no difficulty with the children whatsoever. After the children were picked up, we were informed by the program coordinator that one of the children had been accidentally left behind in the room with a locked door by the previous babysitters. Having undergone such a traumatic event he was surprised that that particular child did not cry or had fear in staying a room with us. It was at this moment that I realized, him being one year of age and being left behind it affected his trust vs. mistrust stage in Erickson’s psychosocial stages. He cries whenever he has to stay with the other babysitters because they failed to met his needs but most importantly they failed to provide the attention he needed when he was alone in that room.

In my practicum I have learned thus far that a child’s behavior differentiates based on their age. For example, the older children tend to have a clique or a group of people whom they always interact with and hesitate to let others in. As for the younger children they tend to not worry of who they play with as long as they are having fun. Culture also plays a role in these interactions such as men socialize or converse among other men and dislike when a girl interrupts their “man talk” and try to get rid of her by calling her annoying or nosey. My learning needs are being met in that I am being able to interact with the different children which is helping me in my communication of speaking to them in an assertive manner without coming off as aggressive.  My learning needs may be further met in my continuation interaction with the children which is where time-management skill plays a role as well. Interning at Thomas House is helping me observe and approach the different children based on their different personalities which will help me built that bond/connection to facilitate my affective goal of impacting the children in a positive way. 

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Jessica L. Feb. 16

3 hours this week/ 22 hours for the semester 

The children watched the movie Pete’s Dragon, there was an incident where three of the younger girls were sitting together and one of them did not want to  play with one of them. The girl that was in the middle of the situation took initiative and problem solved by communicating with the girls and encouraging them to all be friends, she was able to verbally resolve the conflict between the two girls which lead them to enjoy the movie together. The girls are in the preschool phase where their vocabulary is expanding which assists them to communicate with each other when it comes to problem solving.  

The CLA Panel on How to make the most of your Internship helped me approach my internship differently by not being afraid to ask questions when I do not know what to do, that it is better to ask questions so the supervisor know you want to be productive and care about the program. The advice given by the panel made me feel capable of doing great in my internship, feel comfortable enough to not be afraid to speak up and be able to communicate with my supervisor. As for my HDEV 470, it made me feel less scared of the workload and helped me realize that making a schedule each week will facilitate me get my assignments done.  Lastly, one question that I wished the panel would have addressed is how to make in my case the children respect you and listen to what you tell them to do.