How Do Before & After School Programs Benefit At Risk Children?

Some children don't have a nutritious breakfast every morning at home. Some children don't have a snack or even a hot meal for dinner when they get home from school. Some children arrive home to empty houses, having no supervision for hours on end. These children are at risk. We might consider children at risk when they are living in poverty/low-income community, come from broken-families, has a disability, or has been abused. What these children are at risk of, is not progressing and succeeding in their lives.

Fortunately, there are programs set up for these children, and all other children as well. Before school programs allows children to arrive earlier to school, and provides them with breakfast. When school is dismissed, after school programs give children a safe and accommodating place to spend their afternoon time. These programs have been seen to improve behavior of children in school along with improvements in their grades. Adding to that, most programs include extracurricular activities which has been seen to deter kids from using drugs, having sex, and from developing violent behavior. Keeping children busy in after school programs avoids them being out in the community during the hours when juvenile crime is at its peak.

Most after school programs are structured similarly. There is a time to work on homework, time for relaxing and snacking, along with time for activities and fun games. Children are provided with mentors and tutors at these programs so any difficulties they are having with their school work can be dealt with while they are there. Also, being there with many other kids helps ripen their social development skills. For more on how after school programs better a child's development you can click here.

 

Included here are some after school programs offered in and around the Boston area as an example of what types of programs are available.

• YMCA
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America



Imagining My Future: Personally & Professionally

My collage is a response to the question, "What do you imagine your future might hold? Personally or professionally, how is your future likely to be similar to and different from that of an aspiring teacher in another nation?" Professionally, I feel that any other aspiring teacher may share the same image of their future. In my collage I included a quote about teaching. This quote is important to me and hopefully to other aspiring teachers, because as a teacher I want to learn from my students each and every day and keep those memories with me. Another part of my collage is a quote that states, "The influence of a good teacher can never be erased." I hope to be an influence to as many students as possible, and by providing them with good influence, I will surely feel accomplished. This leads to another part of my collage that shows how in the future, I want to be proud of myself. Moving on, I also included some personal hopes for my future including getting married, buying a home, starting a family, and enjoying life by simply living, loving, and laughing.

What Drives A Person To Become A Teacher?

Have you ever looked at a person and wondered, 'Why did they enter this particular profession?' Many people ask themselves this question when seeing teachers. Most people would say that teachers aren't doing it for the money, as the average salary of elementary school teachers in the U.S. is about $41,000 a year. For most teachers though, becoming a teacher is based on many more important factors than the pay.

 

One factor that contributes to the choice of becoming a teacher for many is that they have a certain personality that entices them to become educators and care givers of children. Most teachers have great enthusiasm, either for the subject matter that they teach or simply because they are able to help students grow and achieve a variety of obstacles. In addition, many teachers are passionate in regards to their work, and in my opinion every teacher should be passionate about their job.

It's obvious that teachers will always be needed. There are so many schools in the U.S. and many are in need for people who actually have a desire to teach. Being a person who wants to share their knowledge, values, and beliefs with others in hopes to inspire, educate, and guide them is pretty spectacular if you ask me. These people are not always easy to come by either. You can usually tell by walking into a classroom, if this teacher is here for the paycheck or if they are here for the children. I agree that the best teachers are there to unlock the students' potential and  help motivate them for success!

Why Become A Teacher?

Good Reasons for Becoming A Teacher

 

All About Me

 

Welcome to my blog and my first post! Here I'm going to let everyone get to know me a little better. First off, my name is Rachel, I'm twenty-three, and I've lived in Malden, Ma which is about 10 minutes from Boston, my entire life. I've always felt a strong passion to guide and help others, so I feel that pursuing a career as a teacher will help me to do that! In my spare time I love to spend time with my family, boyfriend, and friends including my one year old god-son Oliver and my two year old nephew Mason. Many of my friends have children as well so I definitely can say I have some experience with kids!Currently I am a junior at Salem State University, majoring in Elementary Education with a double major in History. I am most interested in teaching third or fourth grade simply for the age of the children and the subject matter they are being taught. I genuinely feel that I can positively help invest in their educational experience and hopefully I will be able to achieve my goal of being able to guide and help as many children as I can.