The After School Program (ASP) Environment
When you enter your ASP site for the first time, it will likely not meet your expectations. Many volunteers in the past expected the programs to be highly-structured like a regular school classroom. In contrast, the nature of the ASP varies greatly from that of the regular classroom. The kids that attend these programs have been sitting in school all day and the last thing they want to do is sit still while quietly finishing a math worksheet. Their brains need time to relax and they need to "let off some steam," so to speak. That being said, the environment of the ASP can seem very chaotic to you as a volunteer. Students will probably try to run around, yell, misbehave, etc. to keep themselves entertained after a long day of school. When you are at the sites, do all you can to try to keep the kids safe and support them in doing their work, but do not stress out about the somewhat chaotic environment. It is the "nature of the beast" and you just have to remember that, even if it doesn't always seem like it, you are making a difference just by being present and engaging with these students to the best of your ability. Focus on building relationships with these kids and the environment won't seem so bad.
Journal Response #10
What about this description of the environment concerns you? How do you plan to stay calm and collected in the chaos you may find at your ASP?
Do not put your journal responses in the comments section below. Please use the Google document that we shared with you on Google Drive to respond.