Author: zoezhoussis

June 7

Today we had a camp day again, and we did some “grand conversations” and continued to write the letters.  In the afternoon, I helped the teacher make some copies and some book marks.

  Camp day.

  Receiving mail.

  Campfire stories.

June 8

Today is my last day as a teacher’s assistant.  I made S’mores for the kids, and they were very happy about it.  They asked me some questions about China, and we had a “grand conversation” about China.  They wrote me many letters, and I received gifts from the teacher.   Today is one of the student’s birthday, and her mother made some cupcakes!  In the afternoon the students had some free time and designed their own art projects. They have been so nice to me that I want to stay longer.

  The S’mores.

  Eating the S’mores.

  Birthday cupcakes.

  Art projects.

  Art projects.

  Art projects.

  Reading stories.

  Answering questions about China.

  Letters from “my” students.

Zoe Zhou

June 5

Today we continued doing the camp, and we did some reading.  Later in the day, we wrote letters to the our friends and to the teacher.  We took the picture for the “screaming faces” to place on their final year evaluations.

  Reading by the camp fire.

  “Screaming faces.”

June 6

Today is still a camping day.  We did some camping maths games in the morning, and in the afternoon we continued to write the letters.  We had a mailbox to receive the letters.  When the students received their mail, they were very happy about it.  Also we went to a special event.  The fifth graders made some science projects, and we went there and asked some questions.  Very cool.

  Science projects.

  Science projects.

  Science projects.

Zoe Zhou

June 3

Today we started our camp trip, and kids really liked it. We wrote letters to each other, and we had a “grand talk.”   The kids start a conversation just like an adult. They wait until other people finish. I helped the teacher put the summer gifts for the students in a small bag.   Also, we had an all school meeting to thank this years’ volunteers.

 In class camping trip.

 Sitting by the camp fire.

 A two-person tent.

  A single person tent.

 Volunteer thanking meeting.

June 4

Today we did some of the camp reading and had another “grand talk.”   The students had a grand conversation, and we did some math games called “camp bump.”

  Playing “camp bump.”

A “grand conversation” about bee stings and sunburns.

Zoe Zhou

May 30

Today the students had a reading test in the morning.  Afterword, we continued on the animal report because this Friday they need to do the animal report to their parents. So, in the afternoon, we practiced the speech with the first graders, and the kids in the class were very scared, but they did a awesome job.   In the afternoon I helped the students with cutting paper and removing stables, and I need to be very patient because I had to remove hundreds of staples.  I helped more kids put the string one their masks.

May 31

Today is the last day for us to practiced the animal report, and in the morning they had a math test on computers for 1 hour.   I helped organize the mouses and putting the copies into different binders.  Again, I needed a lot of patience.

Zoe Zhou

May 24

Today, a half day, we took the field trip to the Whale Museum, and we learned a lot about the whale spices around San Juan Islands.

May 29

Today we practiced the animal report in the morning, and each of students needed to remember at least five facts about the animals.  Then we did some DIY bees for the thank you board.  The students like to do finger netting while they are listening the story.  Also, they made a big Thank You card to all of the volunteers.

Zoe Zhou

May 21

The kids in my class are nice, and, before I started my internship, I was worried about not being able to understand them or that they would speak too fast.  However, since I started my internship, I feel like they are talking a lot slower, and, if I have something that I don’t understand, I just tell them to repeat it again.

The classroom is different than a Chinese classroom.  My mentor Darlene treats her students like they are family or friends, and her students treat me the same way, helping me go through any process I don’t understand, like where is a printer.  Chinese teachers just tell Chinese students what to do and don’t listen to the students’ opinions.  In China, teachers and students can not be close.  In Darlene’s class, she greets her students with a hug.  This would never happen in China.

May 22

Today we worked on the animals report again, and I poked the holes and made the strings for their masks.  We read a little, and we played Duck Duck Goose. The students and teachers are being really nice to me.

May 23

Today we did some math problems, and one girl in my group has really hard time with it.  I tried to explain to her, and she get some of it.  I learned that a teacher needs to be very patient and must try different ways to help students learn.

Zoe Zhou

Day 1 – May 17

Today was my first day of helping my mentor Darlene with her second grade class.  In the morning we sat in a circle introduce ourselves. Then we did some math problems. I helped some of them read some of the books and work on their animal reports. The second graders where nice, and I had a lot of fun.

Day 2 – May 18

Today, a student from the high school walked me through the process of how to make copies and some other things.  In the morning, we did math problems, and we did some reading together. We had a outdoor lunch, and we did some more reading.  I got to read to them.  At the end of the day, we did some PE.

Zoe Zhou

I will do my internship with Darlene Clark, a second-grade teacher in the primary school at Friday Harbor Elementary.  She had been teaching middle school for 11 years and then she became a primary teacher.  Darlene teaches Math, English, Reading, and Writing.  The mission Friday Harbor Elementary School is  to instill a love of learning in all students and to nurture creativity, imagination, and leadership in all children.  I will be Darlene’s classroom helper.

I want to do my internship in teaching because I like children a lot, and my brother is in the first grade in China.  I want to see the differences between Chinese and American schools.  I am excited but also nervous about my internship.  As a English is my second language, I am afraid that I will not be able understand the students.  This will be a good time for me to practice my English skills.

Zoe Zhou