Michelle Lee

EDUC 160
Final Reflection
Summer Learning at Lea’s

For my fieldwork, I was privileged to revisit my elementary school, Lea’s Christian

School, and volunteer for their summer program for five weeks. I worked the most with the

Kindergartners and first graders, as well as the 4th, 5th and (rising) 6th graders. Through my time

spent at Lea’s, I can confidently say that the main purposes of the summer program are 1) to help

students transition to their next grade, and 2) to combat the summer learning gap.

The weekly schedule is as follows:

M-TH FRI

8:30 am Morning Check-ins Morning Check-ins

9: 00 am Math/reading lesson In-class rec activity

9:50 am Recess Recess

10:05 am Math/Reading rotation Activity

10:50 Recess Recess

11:10 Activity rotations Fun Day of the Week

11:55 Packup

12:00 Dismissal

LCS SUMMER’S HIGH QUALITY ASPECTS

SEL Competency Promotion

Self-Management

One of the key SEL competencies that is highly emphasized in the summer program is

Self-Management, with a hint of Initiative! This will basically be a review of what I have said

before, as my reasoning is the same. Self-Management competency refers to an individual's

ability to monitor / acknowledge their own emotions, thoughts, progress, etc. As a result, it
Michelle Lee
EDUC 160
Final Reflection
relates to an individual's ability to navigate or adapt when attempting to achieve goals or desired

outcomes. Some of the main areas in which this competency builds upon is responsibility

(self-discipline), as well as initiative in the way they build confidence to be able to do things

more independently. This, of course, also overlaps with other competencies (i.e

self-management is highly dependent on one's self-awareness).

At LCS, I feel this competency is heavily focused on! Participation in the summer

program can be voluntary, but it also is required for new & incoming students. One of the

reasons for this, from my observation, is to help the kids establish routines that will help them

during the upcoming school year. It's basically prepping them for the school year and class

structures. This proves to be super helpful for students like Kindergartners, as the structure of

learning may differ greatly from pre-school if they attended one, or in general if they do not have

any prior school experience. From my experience with the Kindergartners, the routine building

starts off with things such as how to properly unpack (in the structure that the school usually

does), where to put things or where to play, etc. Though it is seemingly simple, I think it really

helps the students start to learn to be a little more independent, especially as they start to be able

to follow the unpacking steps by themselves as time goes on. Not only does it give them a sense

of agency and they can know how to be a little more organized, but it also would in turn save

them a lot of time and stress knowing how to do these things before the school year starts.

Though not necessarily the same, it reminds me of the hierarchy of needs (maslow), and how you

really have to have the basic needs met in order for you to achieve more. As a person who

personally needs an established routine for me to really get anything done properly (or at all in

general), it really put into perspective just how much implementing a simple routine could

impact the flow of things in a classroom. They also have rotating roles of the week (i.e. line
Michelle Lee
EDUC 160
Final Reflection
leader, weather person, etc), which makes the kids feel special and often excited for fulfilling

their role that week!

Leadership & Teamwork

As the amount of students during summer is often quite small, the teachers end up

combining grade levels together to accommodate the amount of staff. I also feel that this is done

to allow different grade levels to interact with each other, building friendships between more

students. No matter what classroom I was in, everyone was always friendly with each other or at

least talking, which is really cool in my opinion. Even when there were new students in the class,

most students are very welcoming to them, once again, probably due to the nature of the school

and the small class size –helpful for people transitioning into the school!

Alongside the interesting relationships the students are able to form with their peers,

having multiple grade levels in one classroom gives the older students opportunities to be role

models for the younger ones. For example, in the Kinder/1st grade classroom, the teacher would

often refer to the first graders when unpacking or doing something that is essential to the routine,

and would encourage the Kindergartners to ask them if they needed any help in those areas. The

first graders were already used to the unpacking routines and could do so by themselves, which

allowed them to be able to have a sense of leadership in the classroom. They’re like slight

mentor figures for the Kindergartners, especially as they’re going from pre-school to actual

school structure! Helpful and fun.

High Quality Leadership/Staff

As emphasized by Huang and Dietel, high quality staff have a high education level, a

low turnover rate (3+ years at one place), and foster positive interactions/communications with
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EDUC 160
Final Reflection
other staff and students. These aspects of staff are definitely met by the staff at Lea’s, and their

impact reaches beyond the classroom!

First and foremost, this school has some of the most long-running teachers I have ever

seen or met. The school was established in 1978, and there were teachers that have been working

since then in the school working there up until just recently, one of them retiring a few years ago,

and another one just two months ago. Additionally, the current staff still have teachers that have

been with the school for almost equally as long, or at least from the 90s. The turnover rate is

incredibly low, and it just comes to show how dedicated these teachers are to the school, its

mission, and the families it serves. Two of the teachers who had been there since the 70s just

recently retired in the last few years, but many of their previous students/families continue to

keep in touch with them. Their love is felt, even after many years! It honestly seems the same

now, as it’s such a warm and friendly atmosphere when I see teachers and parents interacting

alongside teacher-student interactions. They are all truly driven by their love of teaching and

their passion for education.

Additionally, a lot of the more recently added staff are all people that previously attended

the school, or were closely affiliated with the school in some way before. For those who have

turned into teachers, they did act as an aide for at least two years as well. The amount of

continuing teachers, as well as teachers/aides that have first-hand insight and experience at the

school allows for a well-running team that is able to keep the mission, familiar atmosphere, and

the fun traditions alive!

The students and families are also very in tune and tend to really enjoy the teachers and

school. There was even a week I spent with the Kindergarten/1st grade class where every single

morning during attendance, the kids would respond with “I love you [teacher’s name]”. With the
Michelle Lee
EDUC 160
Final Reflection
amount of years of teaching experience and the positive experiences of many students, it kept

families returning or sending more of their children to this school, as they feel the education and

quality of staff is worth it.

Program Design!

A Call for PBL!

A high functioning afterschool program often means: there are three or more activities in

a day (homework help, academic or enrichment, recreation), is engaging students in activities

that they enjoy, and is extremely consistent with communication among parents about their

respective students. Not only are parents always in the know about any concerns or issues that

may arise, or are asked if there may be anything happening causing any issues (things like

tardiness, anything concerning what a child might have said, etc), but they also just are always

there to send a picture or two of their child having fun doing activities! I thought that was really

cute. This aspect is highly due to the fact that there aren’t as many students, so it’s easier to have

more immediate contact with the parents (usually through text).

A Call for PBL!

Something that I feel is a bit missing during the summer program is definitely is the

aspect of promoting community involvement or character development. Though the students are

often given chances to speak their mind or have the mic at an equal rate, I feel that there could be

a lot more happening in terms of identity growth! Additionally, with that, though students are

encouraged to talk about and give their opinions on current events, news, or anything they’ve

heard recently, there is still not much room for exploring the sort. This is where, as

aforementioned, the summer program could definitely benefit from PBL!

Michelle Lee
EDUC 160
Final Reflection
As mentioned in previous tabs, the schedule of the summer program goes by so quickly,

as each day has many sessions squeezed into a mere three and a half hours. However, I do think

that if it is possible, the benefits could expand for students, mainly for those in 4th through 6th

grade. One of the most common aspects of many afterschool or summer programs is ultimately

the inclusion of a long-term project. I think altering the schedules / lesson plans for the 456

group to have their curriculum be project-based would more deeply promote their critical

thinking and collaboration skills, especially as it is a loosely structured and repeated process,

rather than a mere 40 minute activity. Additionally, after observing even the simple review

lessons the 456 students have, they have an immense (and overwhelming) amount of drive and

enthusiasm to completing or navigating new tasks. With a long-term project, I think they would

be able to channel that enthusiasm and high energy into their various roles and tasks, and they

would strive for their levels of satisfaction. Even if they may overideate, the teachers/volunteers

would be there to help guide them back on track, but still with their ideas in mind. This in

particular I would relate back to SEL, to which changing the 456 curriculum to a project would

help the students maintain initiative, build their teamwork skills, and it would add more

real-world connection and social awareness to their everyday life.

Overall, this summer program is great for what it is! It helps the younger students

incorporate routine and a bit more self-sufficiency in preparation for their next educational

milestone, and it allows students to review what they’ve learned the previous school year to

maintain a fair grip on it. Most importantly, it keeps the students busy and having fun. The

students continue to be enthusiastic about everything they’re given, even when they’ve done

some of the activities before! They just get to build their experience and experiment/approach it
Michelle Lee
EDUC 160
Final Reflection
differently this time around. It’s a genuinely fun time for both the students and teachers, which is

what makes it even more great. :)