By Katie McGregor, Aberdeen High School Intern
According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Many would agree with this statement. Education prepares us to face whatever we might encounter in the future and helps kids, eventually, become knowledgeable adults.
This story is kind of an inside job. To be more specific, this story is about my job. And about kids – kids I wasn’t even aware of and a wonderful program that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of.
Way back when, about 14 years ago, someone had a great idea. Someone, somewhere, had a thought and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if…” As is the case most of the time, over the years, the person who had this idea has been forgotten. But I am certain that it is the kids of the Aberdeen School District who do and will continue to benefit from this wonderful idea. The idea was, of course, the After School Program.
At the beginning of my sophomore year at Aberdeen High School I was told that there were job openings for tutors at the After School Program. Having grown up hearing about this program, I was aware of what it was but had never experienced it myself. Despite that, I was interested in the job and filled out an application. A couple of weeks later I was called in for an interview and got a job at AJ West Elementary. That’s when I began learning what exactly the After School Program was and how it worked.
When the After School Program started at AJ West Elementary, it was created so students would have a fun and safe environment they could be in from early in the morning all the way through dinner time. While academics were not part of the original plan, they were added in after a few years. Over those years the program expanded to the other elementary schools in Aberdeen, as well as Miller Junior High and the high school.
At AJ West alone, 135 students are enrolled in the After School Program and about 20 staff members show up every day to give students additional help and tutoring. While the program now focuses on improving math and reading scores, other activities such as arts and crafts, STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math), and keyboarding lessons are offered as well. Although, to better understand what the After School Program fully entails, let’s take a look at the program’s daily schedule.
AJ West’s After School Program begins at 3:00 p.m. when 3rd-6th graders have an after school snack. At about 4:00 p.m. all students attend what is referred to the “Power Hour.” During this time stduents go to their classrooms where they complete all homework assignments and are given time to study and read.
This is where my co-worker, Mrs. Conley, and I come in. Our job is to make ourselves available to the 15 kids in our 4th grade class. At this time, they’re usually working on their times tables – and they’re pretty good at them! Since the class always finishes their homework early, we occasionally give them practice spelling tests and, sometimes, do partner reads with them. It’s always interesting to watch and listen. Their intelligence shines through their daily conversations and they’re a very fun group to work with.
As a staff member, I find it extremely satisfying to see the light bulb turn on in a child’s brain and watch them work out a problem that was difficult for them. The feeling you get when you see a student comprehend and learn something new is great.
After Power Hour, students attend daily activities until it’s time to go home at 5:00 p.m. At AJ West, the students rotate through activities: computer lab, arts and crafts, STEM, and time to go outdoors. It’s set up so each grade is assigned to an activity and everyone gets a chance to attend all of them throughout the week. These activities not only provide some “fun time” after students complete their homework, but they are also educational.
The STEM class activities can be anything from trivia games to doing experiments in order to see what the best structure is for a card house. Meanwhile, the arts and crafts program allows students to let their creativity shine with projects like eggshell Christmas ornaments, paper lanterns, baking, and countless others. If students aren’t in STEM or arts and crafts, you’ll find them on the playground outside or in the computer lab where they either play educational games on iPads or learn useful skills like typing. Not only is this activity enjoyable for students, but it also provides them with knowledge that will take them far into the future.
I work in the arts and crafts program and it’s complete mayhem! But an extremely fun type of mayhem. A common favorite project of the students is baking cookies. Time is at a premium and many of the projects take all of the time available, so my co-workers and I run around trying to help kids with their cookies and trying to maintain order at the same time. By the time all of the students go home, the tables (and sometimes my co-worker and I) are covered in flour, but this is what we call a fun and successful day. If the kids have fun, we usually do too.
While the program may look effortless from the outside looking in, none of it would be possible without the hard work of all of the staff members, which are either high school and college students or teachers. The student to staff member ratio is currently about 10-1, so as you might imagine, the After School Program is always looking for new workers. That would be you! Each and every member of the community, from school age to retirement, has skills that could be used to better the education of these great kids.
Having experienced the job myself, I find the After School Program to be a wonderful environment full of amazing people and a great place to get work experience. While having a general knowledge of things like reading and math are commendable, the only real thing you need to apply for a job at the After School Program is a love for children and a desire to help make their lives better.
And, as is usually the case when helping others (especially when helping kids), the person doing the volunteering benefits at least as much as the kids. I know I do.
Click here to see current After School Program and other Aberdeen School District job openings.
