My Service Learning Experience :: Community Service, Volunteer Work

I wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter since I am majoring in Pre-Vet, but at the last moment, I decided to do something very different. I chose to student teach first graders at County Elementary. It is very surprising to me that I chose to do this. I always said that I hated kids and had no desire to ever work with them I even said I would never give birth to any kids because I hated them so much. The thing is that I actually enjoyed my experience very much. I chose this activity because I wanted to try something different that I thought I wouldn't like. The teacher that I did this volunteer work for was my 1st grade teacher at County Elementary when I went to school there in 2000. The reason that I hate kids so much is because had a really bad experience with them. In the summer of last year I baby-sat these kids across the street from me that moved here from New York. They were the kids from hell. They were so annoying, and ungrateful. For instance they always asked me to buy them Taco Bell, and when I did, they would say, "why did you buy me this?", or "I want more, you better buy me more." I hated them. I was so stressed from them that I would cry at night. I really didn't want to baby-sit them anymore but I felt bad if I said no. So I thought I couldn't judge all kids on those three. I had to give others a chance, and didn't want to give up on having kids. I did many fun and exciting things while I was working with these kids at County Elementary. The first day Mrs. Aiken introduced me. She said, " Boys and girls this is Taysha, and I was her teacher when she was your age." They were all in awe. They couldn't believe that I had her as a teacher. The first kid I helped was a black girl named Shontele. I helped her with her math work and reading. I taught her to group thins in Math when you are adding or subtracting. For example: Say you have ten subtract three. I told her to put ten into groups of five, then cross out three, and count how many there was left. She enjoyed that and thought it was now much easier to do her Math.

Managing Time as an Adult Learner Essay

Proper management of our time can be described as using skills and techniques to manage time in order to complete a designated task or goal. Time is a valuable thing, it should not be wasted. One needs to be very careful how they use their time. Adult learners have unique difficulties with time management due to other important aspects of their lives, which require much time and attention; some of these aspects may include family, a home, and full time employment. However, with a little organization and better time management skills, the adult learner can find more free time for family and reduce the stress in their personal lives. One important aspect of adult learning is study goals in order to help focus ones time and energy. Use a calendar to keep track of all class work and personal obligations. Often a personal organizer is best, something like a palm or blackberry. Do not forget to schedule in some break time and be sure to take them. Study goals should begin with large, long term goals. Start with a year plan and work down from there. Continue to break down the year into semesters, then months, weeks, down to the days. (Karr, M. & Siebert, A. 008) Create a daily to do list to be sure one completes everything. Always study in a specific place that works well for the individual learner where one is comfortable and be sure there is good lighting. Remember distant learning can be more difficult, so do not fall behind. Work hard to reduce noise distractions while studying. Some examples may be television, children, and anything else that may cause one’s mind to drift. Often, a studying student will benefit from a low white noise in the back ground to help drowned out other noises. It is recommended for students that are working full time to take no more than two classes at a time. For every hour in class, the student will need two to three hours for homework. (Karr, M. & Siebert, A. 2008) One aspect that is very important when working a job and taking classes is being able to adjust your school work load during busy work times. For example, if a student works in a retail job setting, one should lighten their school load during the Christmas holiday season. A student should be aware of their learning style before beginning college courses (Steinbach, R. 000). For example, if a student is a visual learner they need to see information in order to learn it. They learn through seeing. This type of student enjoys maps, charts, graphs and diagrams. They take detailed notes and benefit from power point presentations and videos. On the other hand, if a student is an auditory learner they will benefit more from lectures, lessons, and discussions. This type of learner rarely takes notes and often reads aloud in order to comprehend the information (Siebert, A. & Karr, M. 2008). Keeping the stress out of one’s life is another important aspect of being an adult learner. It is important that the student understands how to separate regular life events and activities and school work. This can be a very hard balance to find, but if done correctly it can reduce the stress of going back to school tremendously. Remember to keep on track with your schedule and do not procrastinate by putting things off until the last minute. Doing this can cause unwanted stress and may possibly effect your grade. Something else the student can do to keep stress under control is to set aside some time to do the things most enjoyable to them. Include ones family and friends, and this can double as family time. Social life and family time are another area that needs to be kept under control while attending school as an adult. The student needs to be open and honest with the family regarding the time commitment and the help that will be needed as one travels down this road. It may take six months to a year before ones family has truly adjusted to the student and the schedule (Smelser, L. Ph. D 2009). The student must be very specific in asking for help and support and do not forget to say thank you to those that do help. If the student has children, consider including them in a study session and always reserve special time for them each week, remember quality is better than quantity. As an adult student it is easy to get caught up in the activities of the day and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a job, children, spouse, and a home. Remember, one needs to take care of their bodies and minds in order to be a successful student. One important aspect is to continue to eat right. Do not skip meals or rely on sugar and caffeine to get you through your day. Healthy, small meals throughout the day will keep your energy level up and your brain active. Also, do not underestimate the need for sleep, the temptation will be there, but ultimately this is one of the worst things a person can do. Exercise is another activity that is important but often over looked. Exercise can reduce stress and strengthen muscles. â€Å"The more sensory systems and muscles involved in learning, the faster you learn and more you retain. † (Siebert, A. & Karr, M. 2008). There are some study tips that a student should take into consideration when taking college courses as an adult. It is important that the student learns how to increase studying efficiency, comprehension, and one’s ability to remember. For example, this can be done with a chapter review. The first step would be to skim through the chapter objectives or questions, then continue to look for the chapter summary. Second, read through the chapter and turn titles, subtitles, and highlighted terms into a question form. Now is the time to read the chapter, but read it fast. Next, right a summary in your own words and finally, recite what you remember out loud. In conclusion, a student needs to keep their stress to a minimum, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and learn to delegate other responsibilities out to family and friends when the need arises. The busy student should allow some personal time doing things enjoyed most. Always maintain a support system of friends, family and classmates, one never can tell when a favor will be needed. Of course, keep an open line of communication with the instructors for the college as well.

When to Use the Partitive Article in Italian

In Italian grammar, the partitive article (articolo partitivo) is used to introduce an unknown amount. Ho trovato dei fichi a poco prezzo. - I found some cheap figs.A volte passo delle giornate impossibili. - Sometimes I have some impossible days.Vorrei delle mele, degli spinaci e dei pomodori. - Id like some apples, some spinach, and some tomatoes. The partitive article is formed much like articulated repositions (preposizioni articolate): (di definite articles). Similar to articulated prepositions, partitive articles vary depending on the gender, number, and the sound that follows. It gets its name from the fact that it normally indicates a part of a set or a whole and is used in Romance languages, such as French and Italian. You Can Also Say...​ There are no fixed rules for the use of the partitive. You can often get the same meaning by using the words â€Å"qualche - some,† â€Å"alcuni - some,† and â€Å"un po di - a bit of.† Berrei volentieri del vino. - I would gladly drink some wine.Berrei volentieri un po di vino. - I would gladly drink a bit of wine.Berrei volentieri vino. - I would gladly drink wine. A distinction is usually made between the use of the singular (much less frequent) and plural (more common). The partitive singular is used for an unspecified amount of an item that’s considered non-countable: Vorrei del vino fruttato. - I would like some fruity wine.I viaggiatori presero della grappa a poco prezzo ed andarono via. - The travelers had some cheap grappa and left. In the plural, however, the partitive indicates an undetermined quantity of a countable element. Ho visto dei bambini. - I saw some children. In this case, the partitive article is treated as a plural form of the indefinite article (articolo indeterminativo). While definite articles have a plural form, indefinite articles do not. Therefore, when referring in general to objects in the plural, use either a partitive article or an (aggettivo indefinito) such as alcuni or qualche (alcuni libri - some books, qualche libro - some books). Some nouns, depending on the context, can be considered both as countable (prendo dei caffà ¨ - I’ll have some coffee) and as uncountable (prendo del caffà ¨ - I’ll have some coffee). In Italian, in contrast to French, the partitive article can often be omitted. For example, certain combinations of prepositions and partitive articles are not recommended, either because it doesn’t sound good or because of its use combined with abstract words. Ho comprato delle albicocche veramente eccezionali. - I bought some truly outstanding apricots. In this example, it would be preferable to use an adjective (or indicate a certain kind of apricot) with the noun. Where it would be appropriate to omit it, the partitive article can be replaced by an expression that depends on the context. ARTICOLO PARTITIVO SINGOLARE PLURALE MASCHILE del dei dello, dell degli FEMMINILE della delle