The purpose of this webpage is to share with you our experiences of working with minority children at a local community center in Wilmington, Delaware. This site was created by Lisa Markowicz, Krissy Walrath, Kim O'Planick, Devorah Weintraub, and Danielle Finlay. We were undergraduate students for EDST258 class "Cultural Diversity, Teaching, and Schooling" in the Fall 1998 semester at the University of Delaware. We hope that you will enjoy this website as much as we enjoyed making it. :o)
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about our impression on EDST258-98F La Red Mágica class |
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teach is +2 touch lives 4 ever |
From: Heather Young
Date: 12/7/98
Time: 7:08:33 PM
I was first attracted to the La Red Magica program in the beginning because of the small class size, the no-test format, and most importantly, the practicum that went along with it. This class was an excellent opportunity to work with real, live children. In the beginning, it was a little intimidating going to the Latin American Community Center because, for one thing, I speak absolutely no Spanish at all. I really thought that this was going to be a problem in communicating with the children, but I found out that that was not the case at all. The language barrier turned out not to be a barrier at all. Also, in the beginning, I was a little intimidated by working with such a large number of kids at one time. But, again, this did not turn out to be a big problem. This class really helped me to feel more comfortable in interacting with a large group of children at one time. I learned so much from this class about what it is really like to be a teacher and to work with students, and not just any students--but minority students at that. I learned a lot about the culture and how in many ways these students are no different than our cultural norm of white middle class students. I really recommend this class to anyone interested in becoming comfortable with working with children. This class has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to experience many of the situations and experiences that a real teacher usually faces. I feel very grateful to have been given the chance to take this class and I definitely give it two thumbs up:)
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From: Danielle Finlay
Date: 12/7/98
Time: 8:46:24 PM
I took this class simply because during orientation it was offered to me because of my high school GPA. I thought, "Okay, what the heck?" I was very apprehensive at first because I know next to nothing about computers and I was nervous about spending time with children from a "tough" neighborhood. Looking back, I am so thankful to have been in this class. Going to the LACC was so much fun! I took four years of Spanish in high school, so I got to practice my conversational Spanish with the kids. But don't worry if you don't speak Spanish. The kids were so open and friendly with us, and they spoke English to us once we tried speaking Spanish to them. I think the kids really look up to us as mentors and friends, and that is a really great thing. You will become very attached to these children; they are all very sweet. Tonight a few of us went to the LACC for the last time this semester and some of the kids actually cried. They make us feel so loved. We all want to go back there for visits periodically, and we will definitely keep in touch with these kids for a long time. This class was definitely a wonderful experience! -Danielle :o)
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From: Kim O'Planick
Date: 12/10/98
Time: 4:51:55 PM
My advice to future La Red Magica undergrads is to come into the program with a completely open mind. It is such a rewarding class and it truly is a fun time. I cannot even relate to you how much fun it was for me to go to the LACC. Obviously, it is a big time commitment, twice a week, but still, the feeling you get from it is wonderful. We have made so many bonds with the kids in that program!!! There are no tests or quizzes or anything, so that is really nice. Getting back to the practicum, don't be worried if you have no Spanish background or computer background. I speak no Spanish at all, and I was fine. Most of the kids speak English, sometimes broken English, but it's English nonetheless. And computers, let's just say that I am not the most literate computer person. Again, I was fine though. Sometimes it's better to work through a problem with the child rather than solving the difficulty for them. Anyway, I highly recommend this class!! Eugene (our instructor) is fabulous and very supportive. And you can make mistakes!! Everything is very laid back. It's such a nice change from the rest of my classes. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at koplan@udel.edu Kim O'Planick
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From: Devorah Weintraub
Date: 12/11/98
Time: 10:44:03 AM
I came into this class not knowing very much about it. All I knew was there were no tests and we would be working with kids. I did not know what to expect. Once we established what we were supposed to be doing at the LACC, everything went pretty well. Going to the LACC was the best part of the class. We got to form a bond with the children there, and really make a difference in their lives. I feel that having this hands on experience will help me more in my future career as a teacher than reading a book or having a test. I am glad I took this chance.
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