For my capstone project, I went to Naylor School in Hartford and taught two 6th grade classes. I taught them about pulmonary hypertension and character education. I chose pulmonary hypertension because my whole capstone revolved around my cousin who passed away from it when she was in 6th grade. Her character was something so special about her, which made it so easy for someone to talk to her and forget that she was only in 6th grade. She was such a mature individual, and I wanted to show kids who are in the 6th grade how much capability they have to become wonderful people. After the pulmonary hypertension lesson, I went twice a week to Naylor with a power-point most of the time and an activity. The power-points consisted of character education aspects, ranging from respect to dealing with pressures of everyday life.
Throughout my research paper, I was looking at the mental, physical, and emotional changes of students when they found out that their peer had died. I found that large percentages of the students were greatly affected, and lost their interest in school at times. They did nothing but think about the peer and how everything had happened just too fast and unexpectedly. The same thing happened while I was explaining Sejla’s situation to the 6th graders. They all became quiet, and had sad looks on their faces. Even though they’re still young, they understood that Sejla was strong and that the doctors couldn’t do anything to stop what happened.
As someone who plans on becoming a teacher, working with these kids gave me a head-start to what I want to do. I’ve learned the many moods that students go through such as when they don’t get what they want, when they’re not interested, and when they’re proud of themselves. While I was doing my capstone, I met up with Wilma Hoffman one day, a lady that assisted Sejla with her Make A Wish wish. We met up in Bulkeley High School which is where she works part-time, and we got information about a plaque I was planning to order in honor of Sejla. After meeting up with Wilma, I outlined how I wanted the plaque to look and what picture of Sejla I wanted to use, and I brought this information to Mr. Trophy, a place near SMSA that makes plaques and trophies. I ordered the plaque and it came out beautiful. I presented it to the students my last day I was with them, and they all loved it and told me how nice it came out. This was when I realized I came in full circle with my capstone. The ideas I started off with and came up with, all came true because of my dedication and want for the students, and Sejla's remembrance.
My decision to start with respect was not only because I thought it was most important, but because I thought it would play out in all the other aspects as well, and it did. I would be teaching and of course there are always kids that don’t really care, so they start talking to their friends and think I don’t see or hear them, but I do. Sometimes I let it slide because it’s not a total distraction, sometimes I used “I-messages” and proximity, and sometimes my other students stood up for me. One student in particular said, “Guys, can you please stop talking? Miss talked to us about respect and you guys aren’t showing any!” Hearing this made me so happy because someone showed me that my respect lesson worked. This made me more hopeful for all my other lessons, and showed me that these kids do hear what I’m saying, and just because they might not show it, maybe they will one point in time. Using I-Messages and proximity only hit me when I got home that day. I remembered the day and would think "Wow, I said that?? Yay me!!" I never thought that these made me look strong, but it did. The kids noticed and made it worthwhile.
Being given the opportunity to teach these kids and spend time with them is something I will always be so thankful for. I can’t even keep count with how many times I’ve thanked Mr. Fuller, and I still don’t know if it’s enough. Not everything was easy, but life will never be easy. Challenges are just things we have to come across, and everyone finds out different ways to overcome them. One person who is forever changed from this experience is me. Mrs. Boutilier was right, working with children is different. I will always remember this group I had, and how different everyone was. Some kids just try to fit in, but others do not. What makes them special is being themselves and doing things they like. My capstone is going to prepare me for the classes I will teach in the future, and the different kids I will meet. All kids have something special about them, and even though I won’t remember their names, I’ll remember their unique aspects.
I've grown to be such an independent person throughout my capstone, where I asked little to no help from anyone. I did what I knew, which happened to be a lot. I did things my way, I just asked my teachers for approval or things that can make my lessons/ teaching better. I did not know how important the kids were going to end up being to me, and it showed my last day. I told them I would most likely pop up into one of their classes one day, so I told them to make sure they're on their best behavior. My heart was full when I heard some of them say "Miss, please come back." I did not think I was going to be anything other than their second teacher, but I was wrong. I cannot wait to start my teaching journey and I'll always be thankful for them for being a part of it, but most importantly, for being part of my growth. I feel so much stronger and wiser than I did at the beginning of the year, and I think that's what I needed the most.
Throughout my research paper, I was looking at the mental, physical, and emotional changes of students when they found out that their peer had died. I found that large percentages of the students were greatly affected, and lost their interest in school at times. They did nothing but think about the peer and how everything had happened just too fast and unexpectedly. The same thing happened while I was explaining Sejla’s situation to the 6th graders. They all became quiet, and had sad looks on their faces. Even though they’re still young, they understood that Sejla was strong and that the doctors couldn’t do anything to stop what happened.
As someone who plans on becoming a teacher, working with these kids gave me a head-start to what I want to do. I’ve learned the many moods that students go through such as when they don’t get what they want, when they’re not interested, and when they’re proud of themselves. While I was doing my capstone, I met up with Wilma Hoffman one day, a lady that assisted Sejla with her Make A Wish wish. We met up in Bulkeley High School which is where she works part-time, and we got information about a plaque I was planning to order in honor of Sejla. After meeting up with Wilma, I outlined how I wanted the plaque to look and what picture of Sejla I wanted to use, and I brought this information to Mr. Trophy, a place near SMSA that makes plaques and trophies. I ordered the plaque and it came out beautiful. I presented it to the students my last day I was with them, and they all loved it and told me how nice it came out. This was when I realized I came in full circle with my capstone. The ideas I started off with and came up with, all came true because of my dedication and want for the students, and Sejla's remembrance.
My decision to start with respect was not only because I thought it was most important, but because I thought it would play out in all the other aspects as well, and it did. I would be teaching and of course there are always kids that don’t really care, so they start talking to their friends and think I don’t see or hear them, but I do. Sometimes I let it slide because it’s not a total distraction, sometimes I used “I-messages” and proximity, and sometimes my other students stood up for me. One student in particular said, “Guys, can you please stop talking? Miss talked to us about respect and you guys aren’t showing any!” Hearing this made me so happy because someone showed me that my respect lesson worked. This made me more hopeful for all my other lessons, and showed me that these kids do hear what I’m saying, and just because they might not show it, maybe they will one point in time. Using I-Messages and proximity only hit me when I got home that day. I remembered the day and would think "Wow, I said that?? Yay me!!" I never thought that these made me look strong, but it did. The kids noticed and made it worthwhile.
Being given the opportunity to teach these kids and spend time with them is something I will always be so thankful for. I can’t even keep count with how many times I’ve thanked Mr. Fuller, and I still don’t know if it’s enough. Not everything was easy, but life will never be easy. Challenges are just things we have to come across, and everyone finds out different ways to overcome them. One person who is forever changed from this experience is me. Mrs. Boutilier was right, working with children is different. I will always remember this group I had, and how different everyone was. Some kids just try to fit in, but others do not. What makes them special is being themselves and doing things they like. My capstone is going to prepare me for the classes I will teach in the future, and the different kids I will meet. All kids have something special about them, and even though I won’t remember their names, I’ll remember their unique aspects.
I've grown to be such an independent person throughout my capstone, where I asked little to no help from anyone. I did what I knew, which happened to be a lot. I did things my way, I just asked my teachers for approval or things that can make my lessons/ teaching better. I did not know how important the kids were going to end up being to me, and it showed my last day. I told them I would most likely pop up into one of their classes one day, so I told them to make sure they're on their best behavior. My heart was full when I heard some of them say "Miss, please come back." I did not think I was going to be anything other than their second teacher, but I was wrong. I cannot wait to start my teaching journey and I'll always be thankful for them for being a part of it, but most importantly, for being part of my growth. I feel so much stronger and wiser than I did at the beginning of the year, and I think that's what I needed the most.