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The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
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After School Program at Edison
The Program a
Positive Reinforcement to the Students
By Samantha Buchy, Edison Student Volunteer
The after school program was a great addition to our schools, and our
students. This program was designed to open a free after school program
for students, which provided tutoring and companionship for these young
students. The workers help the students with homework or understanding
new lessons. I feel like the students have benefited tremendously from
this program.
Edison core values were used while communicating to the students and
help the students with schoolwork. Every day the students would come
and they would begin to work on their homework and a volunteer would
come and help with any questions the student may have or just try to
keep the students focused on finishing their work. The students started
to get to know the volunteers and the volunteers started to get to know
the students all through communication. I feel like all of the core
values were used at some point during the duration of the program. Once
a volunteer got to know a student it was easier to keep them focused on
completing the homework and it was easier to keep the student under
control.
The program through my eyes is a way for students to get hands-on help
in a safe and fun environment. I think the students truly do enjoy
coming to the after school program and seeing the volunteers. The
students I sure have grew through the program in the sense that the
students have done better in school and with their schoolwork. I have
enjoyed getting to know some of the students and it is a great feeling
to just walk around town and see a student and they remember you and
wave at you. There is so much positivity in the program; if students
get their work done they get to play a game or watch a movie during
snack. I just feel like the after school program is a very big positive
reinforcement for the students, especially those who have challenges
beyond just getting their work done. The after school program is a
place where the students can feel safe and they can feel happy. The
value of this program is large; there is just so much positive in this
program that the value is very high.
I have gained much more than I thought I was going to when I signed up
to work this program. I have gained a lot of patience and I am much
more understanding when it comes to dealing with younger children. I
have learned that you need to have good communication skills and lots
of patience when working with younger students in this age group. Each
age group has its own need of supervision and patience, the
kindergarteners through fourth graders need more patience and
communication than the fifth and sixth graders do in most cases. Some
of the kids taught me lessons, some taught me that no matter what your
challenges you can still excel in school and continue to be happy.
If there were any changes that I feel like should be made I would say
that there needs to be a group activity or a group game, I feel like we
are very individualized but I think there needs to be a more we are all
here together feel to the program. I think that we need to reach out
more to the community to find more volunteers. The amount of students
that come daily is good but I feel like there needs to be more group
time and fundamental work. I think what is happening right now is
really good, it just needs a little extra when it comes to activities,
like maybe crafts around different holidays or just in general.
The program gives a positive outlook on school and creates good habits
when it comes to completing homework and reading. Students tend to be
happy while they are at the program and the volunteers enjoy to be
around the students just as the students enjoy to be around the
volunteers and I think that the program should continue into future
years and future school years.
Samantha has completed 18 hours in Empowering Darke County Youth’s
After School Program on the Edison Darke County Campus. To get details
about her assignment, go to Edison Students Speak Out
To get more details about Empowering Darke County Youth and the After
School Program, go to the Empowering Darke County Youth link.
This opinion is being published with permission, and was chosen for CNO
readers due to the quality of the assignment submission and relevance
of the topic. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of County
News Online or Edison State Community College.
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