For my community service, I volunteered at a variety of different places that helped me

grow as a professional: helping at the LifeScape parade, confirmation retreat, Arlington

Community Daycare, and Arlington School District. These experiences, along with some from

high school, helped me know that teaching is the right profession for me.

At the LifeScape parade, I helped set up a variety of activities for children who have

disabilities. One of these activities was making a butterfly or flower, the student got to choose

which one they wanted to make, out of a plastic bottle. Some of the kids required more

assistance than others doing that task. I helped the students who needed the assistance paint the

plastic, but they chose what colors they wanted.

This experience relates to my professional growth as an educator by me seeing the

opportunities that were offered to the students and how the teachers and other staff members

handled the problems that arose. I know how to handle situations that may come up in a

classroom setting better due to this experience. Another thing I learned through this experience is

children need to take a break from schoolwork and relax in order to be more productive later.

Another place I volunteered at is the Arlington Community Daycare. There, I worked

with the toddlers. I kept them busy with activities and crafts that I helped plan. I also read to

some of them while others were working on the crafts.

This helped me grow as a professional by giving me the chance to plan activities and

crafts age appropriate for children one and two years of age. I also learned the attention span of

younger children is not long, so you must switch activities often to keep them actively engaged

in what they are doing.

 At the Arlington School District, I helped in the preschool room and after school tutoring.

In the preschool room, I worked with students on activities and crafts. I also worked one-on-one

with students who struggled a bit more on certain activities and tasks, such as patterns and letter

recognition. At after school tutoring, I helped kindergarteners and first graders with reading and

math.

This experience helped me grow as an educator because I saw how the teachers used

technology in the classroom setting and how lesson plans were executed. It also helped make the

idea that every child has a different learning style more concrete.

The last community service activity I helped with is the confirmation retreat. There, I led

small group discussions and facilitated opportunities for reflection. The main age group I worked

with were sophomores in high school.

This helped me grow as a professional by giving me the chance to work with older

students. This experience showed me that I do not have a preference as to what grade level I

teach. It also made me realize that the way you teach older children and young adults is way

different than the way you teach younger kids; older kids have a longer attention span, so you do

not have to switch activities as often.

Before coming to Dakota State University, I had some experiences while I was in high

school being a peer mentor and student aide in some elementary classrooms: preschool,

kindergarten, second, and fourth grade. Additionally, I went and shadowed a special education

teacher during my senior year of high school. While working with the kids, I saw how rewarding

the profession can be and that is when I decided I wanted to become a teacher.
 Overall, these experiences made it clear that I chose the right career path for me, as I

enjoy watching children’s minds grow. I have learned some techniques that I can use in my

future classroom. These experiences also helped me learn to be patient with the group I am

working with. I am excited to continue learning in the classroom and through experiences so I

can be the best teacher I can be.