Before traveling to Barbados for my third time I was more anxious than usual. It was for my senior may program and I was a lot more involved in the planning and decision making of the trip. It was actually a lot easier than I anticipated to plan and get ready for the trip. Once we arrived in Barbados I was initially stressed because we found out we weren’t expected to arrive for another week. This was very worrying but ultimately we ended up with two schools and everything was great. My group went to Good Sheperd Primary School. Observing and helping the sophomores teach at the school was an awesome experience. They did a great job teaching and I was very impressed by how they handled some stressful situations. It was a really cool thing to watch them handle rough situations and try to figure things out because I knew exactly how they felt. At the school, the students and faculty were very welcoming and excited to see us which made it a easier place to teach in.Every year that I have taught in Barbados I always had the same take away which is that in some way our group has impacted the kids we taught. Whether it was just us being there exposed them to new kinds of people or if our lessons introduced them to coding that could potentially be their career or just a hobby. I will always remember the stressful yet fun times that I experienced on the OLPC trips and am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to go on them.
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With this trip, I have learned that different places have different ways of teaching. With the schools in barbados I noticed that their computers are not valued to them. We saw that the kids aren’t very exposed to the internet and have little to no experience with the computers. With these kids, we had to help expand their knowledge of the computers and help them understand the inside of computers. At CSG we value the internet and use our computers on a daily basis. With this different teaching style we had to focus on the kids understanding of this knew lesson. Also, because the kids and the computers it helped me realize how different everyone is and how lucky we are at CSG to have what he have.
Teaching the kids I feel that as a class and individuals there were many highs and a few lows. With our second day teaching, we saw that the kids were not totally able to understand everything we were teaching. In response, Ms.Gullett and the student teachers discussed a new plan of teaching and different tactics to use in the classroom. One of the great highs while teaching was seeing kids start to understand what we were teaching and not ask as many questions. I was able to walk by and see students code and assure them that everything was correct. After saying this I watched as students face light up with excitement that they had completed a set of coding. This light inside them made my trip and furthered my joy for being on this trip. A big picture idea that I learned is that us coming to teach did impact these kids. Not only did they enjoy the coding but some of those kids caught on really well. As we encouraged them to keep going and try harder they were excited. When they figured something out for themselves they were so happy to show us. Knowing that these kids could go into coding for college because we introduced it to them is a great feeling. A teach down side is that when we first started teaching them they were confused with our vocabulary. We had to simplify a lot, and the first day was super slow. We had a meeting the night after to go over how we were going to slow down our teaching pace. And be more simplified when talking to the kids. They took our changes great and we were able to get through our lessons better. An upside is that we were able to pick out the kids who caught on easily. We were able to give them more advanced things to do and help them figure out things for themselves. They were able to explore scratch and help their classmates. We also had the idea of allowing their classmates to come up to teach the rest of their class.
On our way to Barbados I was obviously intimidated by becoming the role as a teacher. I was never the smartest kid in a classroom, and with children looking up to me for advice and their lessons was quite nerve racking. But, once I saw the smiles on their faces I realized that I could do it. I felt that as long as I knew I could do it, it did not matter what others thought. I never thought that I would ever want to be a teacher, but even in that single week of teaching I grew to love it, unlike anything I’ve ever done. I saw photos of me teaching and I saw not only my expression, but my eyes lit up as I taught. With each lesson the students became more confident and more eager to learn. While I cannot take credit for their developments, I could pride myself in knowing that I helped them find apart of themselves through this program. I also found it interesting that so many of the kids were interested in technology fields, when they are older, for university and employment, but they knew quite little about coding. I was glad that those who succeeded and liked coding became even more interested, and those who did not like coding as much realized that it may not be a great career choice. I feel that by helping the students learn I also taught myself that something’s in life that you want have always been there you just could not see it by not taking a leap of faith. I never saw myself as a teacher, but coming back from that trip I am very interested in what my life could become if I continue with this career choice.
Teaching coding to class one and class four students at Good Shepard Primary School was one of the best experiences of my life. When volunteering you normally do not know who you are benefiting, however, while teaching in Barbados you directly see how you are making a difference. As I saw the different students' faces light up when they finished a project I knew that my group's hard work paid off. The students' jubilant personalities also made a huge difference in my teaching experience because they were eager to learn about Scratch. My favorite part of this experience was learning about the various personalities of each student inside and outside the classroom. My favorite lesson to teach the children was the maze game because my group and I were all blown away at the talent the class four students had for coding. I think the most important thing I learned from this trip is to "go with the flow," or go at the pace of which the students are learning while teaching. Through teaching, I was able to learn from my mistakes by going too fast at the beginning to going at the right pace by the last day. This trip to Barbados was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget thanks to my amazing teachers, teammates, and wonderful students.
By Kennedy
Today was our last day of teaching and it was fun to teach the kids a new game our group made up on the spot. I was surprised with how quickly the kids were able to code the game. Many of the skills they needed were taught earlier in the week and we taught them new skills like ‘operations’. Watching their faces when they figured it out was great. And of course the part where they all wanted you to try their game. A challenge for today was keeping the kids focused since it was Friday. To overcome this we gave them more tasks, and more things to add to their game to make it more original and harder. They loved it. Now that the kids are more advanced with scratch and the vocabulary. They understand what I mean by ‘sprite’, ‘operation’ and the X and Y axis. My communication is less simplified and it’s great that they understand and now can explore scratch on their own. Some of the kids are catching on a lot faster than others and it would be amazing to see with those kids do with coding in the future. To explore Barbados more I could ask the kids and teachers places that are popular the dinner or lunch. To get a feel of the way they live. My experience is different from my expectations in a good way. I wanted the kids to like what they were doing, they did and some of them went on to figuring out their own add on to the games we taught them. The kids had so much fun and I can’t wait to do it again next year. The experience I had in Barbados through one Laptop per Child was one that I will never forget. I not only got to teach amazing children but I also got to explore the Barbadian culture. I had no idea what to expect coming into this trip but it definitely blew away all expectations I had. When pulling up the first day to Deacons Primary School, I was filled with excitement for all the children seemed to happy and excited to see us. We were so fortunate to be welcomed into their school with open arms. Teaching the 3rd and 4th graders really opened my eyes to the differences between education in America and Barbados. I had never really taken on a teaching role before. However, getting the chance to introduce and teach Scratch to the students was incredible because each day we made progress not only in Scratch but in our development as teachers. One of the things I appreciated most was the fact that we were able to fit right into the school. I really loved getting to experience how a morning in their school day looked. II never felt as if we were unwanted or unappreciated by the students or teachers. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Teaching the children never felt like a burden for they were so eager to learn not only about coding but about us as well. I was overwhelmed by joy as we left the school each day and were bombarded by all of the children (even those who we didn’t teach) giving us hugs and high fives. Each night back at the house we were able to analyze what we did well at the school and what we can improve on for the next day and I could really see our progression through the week as we became more organized and efficient. I am so thankful for my time at the school and I have taken away so much from this experience.
Before leaving for Barbados this year, many different thoughts were going through my head. I was constantly wondering how the trip would go and if everything would work out because the teacher that had led the trip for the past five years, was no longer going with us. Although I knew that our new teacher leader, Ms. Gullett had everything together and wouldn’t let anything go wrong, there was still a part of me anxious to leave.
After my trip to Barbados last year, I knew I would have to come back one day. Almost a year later, I was back in this amazing country and I am so glad that I was able to have an experience like this again. Barbados is a country of its own and I have no specific words to describe just how amazing it is. As soon as we stepped foot off of the plane, we were immediately greeted with warm smiles and excitement. The people in Barbados are all so nice and it amazed me how well-mannered everyone was. Just walking the streets, I felt so welcomed and invited because everyone had such a big smile on their face and was always willing to guide and help us find our way. I could tell how much pride these people had for their country and It was such a pleasure to be apart of. I didn’t really know any of the other students going on this trip and I was nervous that people wouldn’t get along and I wouldn’t have people to talk to and hangout with but looking back on the trip now, I am so glad I went with the group that I did . We all got to know each other and they made the experience I had on this trip, that much better. We all enjoyed exploring the island, going to beaches, jet skiing, tubing and hanging out around the pool, but most of all being in the classrooms. Being a part of One Laptop per Child and teaching in Barbados was an amazing opportunity and I’m so thankful I was able to be a part of it again. It was such a rewarding feeling to know how much we were helping these kids and I was always excited to teach them and watch them all grow individually. I also learned a lot about myself and how rewarding it actually is to help these children and their community. I didn’t really realize how much patience I had and I didn’t realized how hard teaching actually is. I felt so good after each teaching lesson though because I could tell how much of a difference I was making in their lives. air was some of the simplest things that made this trip as amazing as it was. As soon as my teaching group and I pulled into the parking lot, kids were swarming our car and they were all so excited for us to be there. We all got out of the car each day and we were greeted with big smiles, hugs, high fives and “good morning’s”. It felt so nice to know that these children looked up to us like we were some kind of celebrities. Teaching in the classrooms was the best, most rewarding part of the entire trip. The kids this year were so enhanced and always wanted to learn more. There was one child in particular that stood out to me. His name was Draved and he was the sweetest 10 year old so have ever met. At the beginning of our week, he said nothing at all and my fishiest thought was “does he speak english?” or “can he read and understand what we’re giving him?” After two days went by, I decided to go over and sit down next to him and see if I could somehow get him to say a few things for me. In my head, I thought of something to say in spanish that maybe he would understand and respond to. I asked in spanish if he knew or understood english and he turned up and looked at me, smiled and said “um what?”. From there on out, he was nothing but a joy to be around. He got so excited to do the lessons we were giving them and every time he got something to work and we would come over and look, his excitement and joy was contagious. After that, he never stopped asking questions and raising his hand for me to come over to him, just to praise him about the amazing work he was doing. I will be forever grateful that Deacons Primary School allowed us to come over and teach their wonderful students. I couldn’t thank them enough for accepting us and I will miss each and everyone of their smiling faces.Overall, going to Barbados was an experience of a lifetime and I’m so glad I was able to educate and connect with our future leaders in such an amazing country. By Sydney
The trip overall has been a truly amazing experience. We have not only taught kids how to code, but also learn how to assert ourselves as authority figures and earn respect. I was astonished by the speed of the time it took them to code. They learned so fast and we have to create a new game for them to play the next day. I have seen an increase in attention, discipline, and enjoyment throughout this week. I have been able to see their confidence grow by asking friends for help and not having fears to ask us. In the beginning I was fearful of not teaching them well or being a bad teacher, but once I got up in front of the kids the fear was lifted and confidence was born. With teaching I had to describe words a lot like “press the drop down key, it’s a black tiny triangle next to the word.” I think that all students that venture to Barbados should just review what they are teaching the students and tell themselves not to be scared, because they got this! I was scared when I first came to Barbados, but with the smiles and attentive students and Good Shepherd Primary School I had total confidence in my teaching and grew connections to the students. By Kayla
Today, Friday, unfortunately, was our last day teaching the amazing students at Deacons Primary School. We arrived at our usual time around 8:45 and got straight to work by turning on the computers and organizing the XO laptops. To our surprise, one of the form 4 teachers asked us to come down to their usual prayer service in the morning with the whole school. We then we introduced again by the principal, Ms. Jordan, who then handed the mic to some of the students we taught over the week. Then then gave amazing speeches where they thanked us “On the behalf of the principal and students” for coming all the way from Ohio to teach them new things. They then gave each of us gifts with mugs, bracelets, key chains, and homemade goods inside them. After the service we then all went upstairs and taught the students to code a knock knock joke and create a quiz. After class, the students and the CSG girls went down to the courtyard and took pictures with the student. One event from this trip that impacted me was when one of the students brought up the sheet of all the coding blocks to me and asked me what some of them mean. While being done for the day, many student went and played games on the XOs with the remaining time we had, but one student kept working. He came up to me and asked about different blocks and how he could use them. I then explained to him what they did and asked him to try them out on his laptop. Seeing this, I realized that many people are not able to have technology and are not as exposed to different topics as others. This boy saw the opportunity to learn more of a new thing and took advantage of it. He loved learning more new stuff and it had a forever impact on me. |
Deacons Primary School
Good Shepard Primary School
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