Community Service at MANZANITA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and Its Importance in Society: Wednesday Around the Classroom

Manzanita Elementary
They are having a Family Movie Night on Thursday!
How fun!

Today was a very educational experience for myself and the students of Mrs. DeWitt's classroom. I arrived especially early to observe the start of their days only to be amazed by their new customs at the Title One school. Breakfast is served to them daily, at no cost to them, during the first 30 minutes of the actual school day. I asked ferociously what this was all about as I passed the goodies out to their receiving hands. Apparently it is a method to get the students to come to school. Since offering two out of their suggested three meals a day, the parents are more fond of sending their children to school. Also since many are below poverty level, they were never fed breakfast before, and would go hungry until lunch. Fueling these children with their choice of orange juice, milk, string cheese, cereals, muffins or bagels every morning has been a new addition to the school’s minimal funding ever since they were classified as a Title One school this year.
I was surprised to see that the class was extremely focused and ready to listen to the lessons (compared to their excessive afternoon energy that I was used to seeing). First was a spelling pre-test that challenged their memories. I was able to help sound out the words and recite some of their newly acquired rules of phonics to them. Grading them was a bit harsh because many words were not correct. A quick lecture from Mrs. DeWitt opened up my opportunity to lead the children through a writing lesson. I questioned the class on the word admire, and gave them the opportunity to listen to whom I admired. I explained that I admired teachers for what they help the community accomplish, and used Mrs. DeWitt as an example. I wrote a model phrase on the white board, “I most admire _______ because…” and they used their pencils to finish their thoughts. Almost twenty minutes later (I really learned to be patient with these students) I had a few volunteers read aloud who they admired. Some examples included parents, sisters and Mrs. DeWitt, and I went on to applaud them for not picking sport stars or famous people, because admiration requires more intimacy and acquaintance with the person.
Math, Music and Reading all followed as the day went so very quickly, and the early release bell was ringing before we knew it. The class said goodbye to me and gave me numerous hugs. The young children proved to be so grateful for my company that all the services I was assisting in cleared my mind. I really hope that life does not corrupt any of those sweet children, because of where they live or who they are. They are all very bright kids that deserve an equal chance in their pursuits of happiness!