I gained a lot from my capstone project. Going into it I taught it was going to be a piece of cake, and that all I would do would be watch over kids and play with them. But was I surprised. I had to help them with everything and of course play with them. It was a challenge like I said, helping them with their homework. I had to be aware of helping and not giving out answers. I also believe that the kids helped me out a lot they showed me creativity because almost all the kids I worked with were so creative. They could entertain themselves with practically anything. Now kids my age rather lay in beds then be productive. They also taught me how to talk out my problems. In elementary school you can’t fight, that’s unacceptable and I believe they taught me to talk things out instead of fighting.
The kids I took care of were amazing although at times they acted like rebels and went against what my directions would be. There were a few challenges I encountered the mains ones were I had to act like I was a teacher, and I was definitely not used to that. It was crazy hearing the kids call me Ms. Stephanie. I also had to get used to the fact that I wasn’t their friend I was there teacher. That was probably one of the hardest things I encountered. I had to be there teacher but I also wanted to be there friend so that they could trust me and come to me when they would have problems. Another challenge I encountered was some of the kids would pick on one another and I had to make sure they understood why that was not good. They would also argue with each other and I had to show them that they are each other’s friend. I overcame these challenges by sticking my ground. Even though I wanted to act like a friend to them I knew I was there teacher and I knew if I acted like a friend to them they would show me no respect. I also overcame the challenge by talking things out with them and letting them know that they shouldn’t fight and if they were ever in the position of arguing to talk it out instead of getting physical.
