Service Learning Experience at the Day Care, Essay Example

The three days I spent with the children at the day care center presented me with experiences on a variety of levels, and to such an extent that I find it difficult to comprehend that my time there was so brief. As I reflect, in fact, I am inclined to think of this span of time in terms of weeks or months, not because of any tedium, but because so many unique and memorable moments emerged from it. It would be presumptuous, and probably untrue, to assert that this experience will remain with me always. Nonetheless, I value the impact and influences, and I believe I will retain them for some time to come.

On a very basic level, those days at the day care offered me a treasured opportunity: the chance to interact with many children. My affection for children, which is founded on an inherent respect for them, is a strong component of my nature; here, then, it was allowed full expression. There is something distinct about children between the ages of three and five, also. They seem to me to be entering into new arenas of living and self-knowledge, even as they hold onto the innocence of the toddler. While interacting with over a dozen of them in the class, I was confronted directly with this transitory and exciting state of being. They have a modest awareness of what is in the world around them, yet everything is still new, and I felt I could nearly observe the young minds sorting through the processes called for by this consistent novelty. I particularly enjoy how infectious it is, for I know I am not alone in being an adult who, in such a company, relives again that excitement. For these children, immediacy is everything, even as they are just beginning to take on a linear understanding of what the next hour or day may bring.

One example of this was especially memorable for me. I was engaged with a girl of four, who was herself occupied in what I would describe as crafting a play. A doll in each hand, she was providing each with an admittedly elementary speech, and constructing a basic conversation. The girl spoke in Spanish, as this was her only language. When I joined her on the floor, I sensed being unwelcome, so I kept a reserved distance and simply “watched” her little play unfold. Here was that element of immediacy, in that my presence challenged the exact scenario she was carefully constructing. I was, in effect, a wild card. However, my attention soon had an effect, for I became aware of her making an effort to put on a show for both of us, and not only for herself. Feeling that I had gained some trust, I spoke to her in Spanish, asking her the names of the “ladies.” When she told me that one was Marguerite, I told her that this was “Margaret” in English, and that the name translated to “pearl.” I will never forget the skeptical look in her brown eyes. She seemed to believe me, however, so I took the opportunity of trading Spanish for English with other words, all centered on her play. I was careful to not attempt a lesson because I did not wish to alienate the girl, and my remarks were few. Nonetheless, I distinctly felt – and enjoyed – an awareness of a communication that was natural, educational, and enjoyable.

I also discovered that I had an enormous advantage in relating to these children, and one more likely to be seen as a disadvantage: my imperfect Spanish. As my girl with the dolls was encouraged to educate me in our play, so too did I deliberately appeal to the other children. I was somewhat wary of this approach, chiefly because I did not want to condescend to the children. Then, however, I recognized that my appeal was genuine, and I felt the children would sense this. I believe they did. Children at these ages, as noted, retain a powerful faith in their own intuitive abilities; they are, in fact, only beginning to learn other ways of gaining information. Consequently, while I did not intentionally make mistakes, I honestly sought their help in pointing out items in the room and asking for the Spanish words. Then, in repeating my own “lesson,” I would repeat the words and phrases in English, hoping to reciprocate the education.

By the third day, a different awareness came to me, in that these children reflected a culture beyond the mere language. I had known this consciously, but it was far more helpful to witness how their largely Latin American upbringings had thus far infused their developing characters. On that day, for example, two boys were having something of a disagreement. It was not a fight, but more a bad moment between friends. I approached one of the boys, asking him what was wrong, and he eventually revealed a minor dispute over another friend. Searching for the right Spanish, I discovered that these boys were neighbors, whose families were close friends. This gave me the idea that, by appealing to the one boy’s sense of what his own family would like, I could lead him to see that this silly quarrel might upset his own mother. I was not manipulative, but rather only drawing on the relationships I knew were in place, and it presented the child with an idea knew to him. The friend was more than a friend, so he perceived the dispute as inappropriate, and unworthy of their relationship. This sounds like a grandiose way of describing the thought processes of a five year-old, yet I believe this is what occurred. Before long, the two boys were soon side by side again, having completely forgotten the issue in that extraordinary way children have of “moving on.”

My three days at the day care, as I have said, were literally filled with a multitude of individual moments, experiences, and impressions. I came away from them with an increased regard for the intrinsic honesty of children, as well as for their capacities for kindness and for learning. My Spanish is better for the experience, if by no means as accomplished as I intend it to be. Perhaps most gratifying of all, however, is that I have a renewed confidence in dealing with children, and particularly in regard to cultural differences. Young children, even reflecting their native influences, transcend culture in that they have not yet developed the negative aspects of being protective over their own. These few days at the day care most definitely reinforced for me what may be a cliché, but what is nonetheless a powerful truth: as we are obligated to educate children, we are equally obligated to learn from them.