I currently volunteer with local Title VI program as a tutor. The director of the program, Meredith Lam, suggested I contact Shaun Yellowhorse who works at Canyon Crest elementary school in Provo. I emailed Mr. Yellowhorse and haven't received any response. This was particularly disappointing because Mr. Yellowhorse works with the age group that I feel I would enjoy working with. While I wouldn't mind teaching any grade between 1st and 5th, I would prefer to work with older children. On top of teaching the age group I would like to teach after graduation, Mr. Yellowhorse is a Native American and a man in a female-dominated area of work. I was hoping that I would be able to learn from Mr. Yellowhorse's experience as I am also a Native American man entering the same field.
Having received no response from Mr. Yellowhorse, I decided that it might be good for me to branch out and get to know a wider variety of educators in the area. I have worked with Mrs. Vitters, a first grade teach at Orem elementary school, so I decided to go a bit farther west. I reached out to the secretary at Vineyard elementary and was unable to get a response from her either. In an attempt to be proactive, I drove to Vineyard elementary with hopes to speak with someone in the office about my desire to volunteer with their teachers. The doors were locked and I couldn't find a way to enter so I decided I would wait to hear back from the secretary.
At that point, I figured I was starting to run out of time, if not options. I visited Orem elementary and was greeted enthusiastically by the office staff. They were excited to see me and learn that I was again looking for opportunities to volunteer in their school. The secretary was eager to assist me and offered to email all the teachers to inform them that I am willing to help in their classrooms as well as let them know my availability and contact information.
While I was hoping to be able to branch out and experience something different, I am very excited at the thought of volunteering at Orem elementary school again and hope that one of their teachers will contact me soon.
Orem Elementary school is in a semi-residential area. It is located at 400 west and 400 South in Orem. Being so close to UVU and downtown Orem makes me feel like the homes are a little more expensive, and the families typically a little more well-off, than would be the case on the west side of the freeway. From what I saw while volunteering with Mrs. Vitters last year, the class sizes are not very large. The class size seems to be manageable for a single teacher.
If I hear back from anyone at Vineyard elementary, I am not sure quite what to expect as far as class size or demographics go. Being that it is on the west side of the freeway and farther from the downtown shopping, I expect that housing is a bit less expensive. My initial impression would be that a larger percentage of students at Vineyard would come from low-income families than at Orem elementary. I would really appreciate the opportunity to work with students from low-income families as I came from such a home myself.
All in all, I'm very excited to be able to observe an experienced teacher's classroom and assist in the education of their students. I love service-oriented learning because it gives me a chance to practice and apply what I learn from textbooks and classes. While I am practicing those things, I am able to refine my approach and deepen my understanding of any principles being taught in my UVU courses. I hope to be able to begin volunteering next week on Tuesday.
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