Students teach in ‘Real World’ opportunity

by Submitted article | January 25, 2013 1:47 pm

Students at Sandy Creek High School participated in a recent project that gave them an opportunity to experience what parenting is all about – teaching.

Family and Consumer Science Teacher Marsha Maxon paired seniors in her Real World class with students in the district’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten program for a play dough-making lesson.

While fun and engaging for the young UPK students, the unique activity gave Real World students an opportunity to see two very different perspectives – that of a parent or teacher and that of a student or child.

Students experienced the pre-planning and preparation that goes into organizing an activity as well as gained a greater understanding of how to communicate and relate to young children.

As a follow-up to the activity each Real World student was asked to write a reflective paragraph on the experience and their observations.

Many of the students’ reflections talked about the importance of patience and communication when dealing with children, but Tyler Reff summed up the activity best by saying: “While you’re working with children you have to have patience. You can’t get mad at them for going slow or doing something wrong. You have to teach them so they know how to do it right.”

The play dough activity was coordinated as part of a parenting unit in the Real World class.

During this unit the students study key foundations of parenting and the role of serving as a child’s most important and life-long teacher.

Students participate in classroom discussions and activities that cover topics such as parent-child communication, dealing with feelings of anger or frustration, disciplinary alternatives as well as modeling virtues of respect, honesty, and responsibility.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/community/students-teach-in-real-world-opportunity/

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