Community Service Reflection

Cole Urban
Over the summer, I was given the opportunity of working 30 hours over the span of six

days at a local daycare in Presho, South Dakota. In that time, I got to spend time with and get to

know nearly 20 different kids. I had heard of this daycare a few times, but I never visited the

place before. I was very nervous at first, as I didn’t know how many kids there were, how old

they were, or how they would react to me. It wasn’t until about half an hour in when I started to

realize that the kids liked me. Most of the kids were still in elementary school, but there were a

few who weren’t in school yet. I mostly worked with the elementary kids on various activities.

These activities included playing games with toys, having contests, and playing at the park.

Throughout these activities and getting to know each child, I received valuable information about

leading and working with children.

I believe this experience contributed to my growth as an educator because it allowed me

to be in charge of a group of school-age children while doing various activities. I got to learn

firsthand what leading a group of children felt like. I had an abundance of responsibilities while

leading. These included planning on what activities we could do, where to do them, where to get

the necessary supplies, and making sure everyone is safe. This experience made me realize how

much planning educators have to do each day to meet their student's needs. The part I was most

stressed about throughout this experience by far was making sure everybody was safe, especially

whenever we went to the park. This made me realize why teachers would always tell students to

stop what they were doing whenever students were climbing on top of things, roughhousing, or

doing anything that could lead them to harm. They weren’t there to prevent them from having
fun, but to ensure that the students remained safe. If anything happens to the students, that is on

whoever is supervising, because they are responsible for the student’s health and wellbeing.

The second reason I believe this experience aided in my growth and development as an

educator is that I began to understand how unique every child is. As I was leading different

groups of children, I noticed that each kid had their preferences, as well as personalities. This

allowed me to try and figure out what worked best for each child while keeping everyone happy.

These Children not only varied in their preferences but also in their emotions. While most of the

kids were happy whenever we went outside and had contests, there was one kid who always

doubted himself and thought he was the worst at everything. Even though I always provided him

positive reinforcement, he still doubted himself, which was very hard for me to see. To help him

become more confident in himself, I would give him activities I knew he could complete and

provide positive reinforcement. As time went on, I noticed he was becoming more confident and

eventually he became excited whenever we went to the park. Helping this child made me realize

how much of an impact I can have on a kid’s life.

The final part of this experience that I believe contributed to my growth and development

as an educator was when I got to work and play with a young girl who had down syndrome. I

only got to work with her a couple of days for about an hour each, as she was only there on

certain days. I found it difficult to work with her at first because she liked to try and rip logos

and symbols of people’s shirts. but once I gave her something to do, such as play with a doll, she

was much more manageable. I wasn't teaching her anything, but I enjoyed working and playing

with her. Someday, I hope to further understand how to work better with students who have

special needs. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and hope to have more like it.