Reflections #1

1. Explain what you did in your service. Next, tell what you did that was effective or ineffective in serving others. Finally, describe any incident that occurred today that was meaningful to you.

Over these past two weeks (one week left!) I have primarily worked as teacher's assistant at Westside Christian School (WCS): I have taught the first grade class, the first-third grade Bible class, and have occasionally taught the third grade reading class; I have administered more spelling tests than I could say without the aid of a running tally; I have stood watch (and have run, skipped, hopped, and laughed) while monitoring recess for the elementary kids; I have graded what must amount to a mound of homework pages and have tutored kids anywhere from first-sixth grade, and helped my aunt watch/tutor three children who are in her care most every day after school is let out; and I have done whatever I can to tidy up the classroom in my free time.
I have not only worked inside the school itself, but I've also helped one student as she did some school fund-raising in her neighborhood. On two or three occasions I have gotten to run errands (it was only this morning, in fact, that I discovered the panic of having left a pre-algebra teacher's workbook on the kitchen table).
Finally, I have participated with activities for the church affiliated with WCS, Westside Baptist Church. As is more thoroughly described in my previous blog post, I participated in the church's Halloween outreach, have sat in on and participated in the Wednesday night prayer service, and by the day after tomorrow, will have sung a special in church with another young lady.

One thing I've done that seems to me to have been especially effective while serving at the school is this: I came intending to alleviate whatever workload-related stress my aunt and the other teachers have been experiencing. Because of the timing of my trip, I have been able to act as substitute teacher for the first grade class (their teacher, the head pastor's wife, had been wanting to go visit her out-of-state mother who is battling Leukemia). My aunt and both other main teachers have noted that they feel more relaxed since I’ve been around, and facetious plots have been circulating about how to keep me around longer. At least I do hope this is all pointing to the fulfillment of my intentional help being what they need!
On the other hand, I do think my very presence creates a bit of a distraction for a number of the students. Fortunately the majority of the buzz has died down, now that I’m not 100% new and exciting, but still it can be more than the usual hassle at times to get the classroom to quiet. Also, I realize that I do not yet fully understand how to keep a proper balance between being friendly to the kids and teens at the school while maintaining a level of respect as someone almost on the same level as their teachers. This hasn’t caused any real issues, but it does make me feel like my help loses some of its effectiveness.

A meaningful incident from today? Oh my goodness, so much happens every day that is meaningful in some little way or other! I am working with children, after all. Alright, I suppose one special incident that is seems particularly meaningful to me is from just after today’s lunch break. A little four- or five-year-old sister of one of the students rushed to me the moment I stood up to clear away my lunch things, and glued her little arms around my knees in a sweet embrace. (I had seen her before and knew her name is Gracie, but hadn’t interacted with her at all until this instant.) She pulled away with an adoring gaze cast up at me, and begged me with her expression to come and play. Forget that I was in a skirt that was NOT intended for play of any sort; how could I resist? Long story made quite short, by the end of the break, she had hardly left my side. I didn’t hear her speak much until it was time to clean up and one of her big third grade buddies came over to the gym doors. She tugged his sleeve and said excitedly, one tiny finger aimed at me, “Santiago! I want you to meet my sister!” I only just managed to hide a giggle before correcting her that although yes, she does have a lot of sisters (three or four, I think), I am not one of them. She just sighed and nodded, “Oh, okay. I still like you.”
Why is this meaningful? It struck me at the moments when Gracie hugged me, and again when she identified me as her sister... God won’t always send me to those who need me or need my help. Sometimes He will send them to me, and I need only recognize them for who they are and for what they need. In this scenario He also showed me that huge blessings sometimes have very little and rather unexpected packaging. Here I was not the blessing, but the blessed one.