Personal Reflection

Working at Oakridge Elementary this round has definitely been challenging, especially for a first project, but ultimately a rewarding and worthwhile experience. Our team has definitely had a rocky start and often I felt out of place, I was afraid this project would be the end for me. Although our job may have seen simple compared to a physical and labor intensive project, there were many unseen challenges that faced the team.
Yes of course we were indoors most of the day, sitting and chatting with kids, but we were also responsible for the goal of improving the students standardized test scores by 40%. We also were at a first round project spending most of the day alone, without our team to back us up. In the classroom, each team member expressed different experiences, with students, teachers, relationships, time management, and especially diving head first into something we thought we were unprepared and untrained for, teaching kids from kindergarten to 5th grade? I asked myself, really?
At first, I sometimes felt that our presence would be insignificant compared to the teachers and volunteers who would be at the school for the entire year. The team eventually found its groove, moreover we became an integral part of the class, working with each student, personalizing how we spoke, relayed information and even looked at each individual student in our charge. The improvement now seemed apparent.
Our responsibilities didn’t rest in the classroom, however, we were tasked with providing a presence in the playground, acting with so many hats, one would think, how could you do it all? From playing with the kids in all grades, to supervising and acting accordingly as newly trained mandated reporters, to refereeing basketball, wall ball, and four square games to working with the afterschool START program acting as role models and tutors, I think we managed quite well as a team.
Furthermore, this experience has been very rewarding to see the niche that we’ve created and the influence on the lives of young minds. We’ve accomplished quite a bit and I’ve actually enjoyed our project so much that it’s sad to see it come to an end. I’ve also realized that there are often times conflict comes into play from when we’re children to when we are adults, however, from that we grow bonds, strengthen our resolve and become not just a team, but a family, and I’ve come to appreciate my teammates much more.
Although we were only there for about two months, I will always remember my time at Oakridge, and hopefully I am able to come back to visit and see those we’ve affected, because if there is only one thing I can say, I didn’t so much touch the lives of these kids, they’ve touched mine.
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- Ron Kunateerachadalai