Blog 8 - Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For the thirty hours of independent component one I'd like to conduct several activities with the kids at the day care. Each activity will be based on a core subject such as science, literature, math, or history. My mentor told me that at the day care there are already similar activities that they do with the kids that are educational but instead I will be coming up with ones of my own and "taking over the class." I will then be seeing what activity works best for the kids in every subject and be able to interpret how they learn best. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

To meet the expectations of showing 30 hours of evidence I will be taking picture (with the permission of the parents allowing their kids to be photographed) and also possibly taking videos of the kids doing the activities. 

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

The activities will help me explore my topic more in the sense of seeing how kids around the ages of 2-3 learn best given that this is the age where they start getting more control of their own bodies and more verbal control. 

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert? 

My mentor is Mrs. Martha. She works at Montessori Academy of West Covina as a teacher for children ages 2-3 years old. My topic is Child Development, so I feel that she best suits the position as my mentor because she has the experience of working with different kids of a variety of ages and also has children of her own.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

The five questions I will ask them about their background are:

1. How long have you been working at Montessori Academy of West Covina?

2. Did you have to go through any training/classes to be at the position you are here?

3. What interested you in becoming a daycare teacher? Have you always had an interest in working with kids?

4. Did you raise your kids the same way you are teaching here at Montessori? Is there anything you would have done differently?

5. What is the most difficult position you've been in while working here?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?   

What has definitely worked well for me concerning the senior project this year is the experience I am getting at my mentorship. Though the schedule we follow may be repetitive, there is always some different situation that we deal with that teaches us something. What has made it such a positive experience is the people I get to work with. Not only the kids but the teachers there. They are always open to helping me with the senior project. 

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

What I'm finding difficult concerning the senior project is trying to find ideas for the independent components. Taking a college class about the topic is something I'm not leaning towards because I want to be more hands on with the component. I will turn to my classmates to help me find ideas and also talk to my house teacher about an independent component I had in mind. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned from the interview is to value patience. Asking Mrs. Denise questions about Child Development and the answers that she gave me all revolved around informing myself about the topic and developing patience when working with kids. For other interviews I would like to ask questions that are more into depth.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

The additional resources and contacts I got was to look into a class at Mt.Sac called child 10. Mrs. Denise told me it is a difficult class but it really teaches about the development of children from embryo to birth and so on. Also, she told me to interview Mrs. Nina who is the director of the Montessori daycare. 

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

My interviewee was qualified to help me because she has the experience of what I am looking for. She's had children of her own so she has the experience as a parent. Also, she is a daycare teacher so that alone gives her a different perspective on how to deal with certain children. 

Interview 1

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

Throughout my senior topic on Child Development, I hope to learn more about what I don't already know. The topic name in itself is pretty self explanatory but I want to dig deeper. I want to learn about how a child develops and their journeys along the way. I want to understand why they do certain things they do or why the say the things they say. Just being able to find a deeper understanding on a phycological level would be an accomplishment in itself.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

I plan on interviewing my mentor. I feel like she will have a lot of reliable information to speak on about Child Development. When working with about 20 kids a day in a classroom, there is a lot to learn from each one and how to handle certain situations. She has the expertise to show me the ropes about my topic. I will also ask her who else she thinks I can interview. 

2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

In addition to the five questions, I plan on asking: 

6. Tell me about your experience from working here at Montessori and about being a teacher for two year olds. 

7. What are some of the biggest challenges you have dealt with in your position?

8. What are the best words of advice you can teach me about working with kids at such a young age?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

This is the classroom where I do my mentorship at.

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

The person who I worked with is Mrs.Martha. The phone number of the organization is (626) 917-0767. The organization is called Montessori Academy of West Covina. 

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?

This person has the qualifications as an expert in my topic choice because she is not only a teacher at the organization, but a mother as well. She has the experience to teach me about my chosen topic and is passionate about working with kids.

3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.

1. Does exposing younger kids to technology such as t.v. and tablets affect a child's development?
2. How does setting a schedule for such a young child help them in their lives?
3. When a child reaches the age of two, why do people call it the terrible two's? Is that the age where a toddler acts out the most?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

The most important thing I gained from my experience at my mentorship is patience. Patience is something that I had very little of, but being at the day care really showed me that patience is necessary to be able to learn about my chosen topic. Working with toddlers around the age of 5 and under, a person needs to have patience in order to learn about kids and what they're like. That is one of the most important things I gained from being at my mentorship, because from being patient I can value and learn more about how kids are. 

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.

My senior project topic is going to be Child Development. My mentorship is at a Day Care where I work with kids around the ages of 3-5. My mentor Mrs.Martha and I discussed my senior project and she helped me come to making my decision about the topic. We had two choices, either Child Development or Pre School teaching. We decided to go with Child Development because we are working with such young kids and we even have a set schedule for them to go through every day that they are there. With such discipline that is much stronger that Pre School teaching, we chose Child Development for my senior project topic.