Personal Narrative: A Christian Senior Service Experience
After the ceremony sending the seniors off to our respective service site on March 27th, I drove over nervously to my service site. I did not know what to expect or how soon I will become comfortable there. I decided to do my senior service at an elementary school in Brockton called Head Start, so I was thinking about how the kids will react to a new kid coming in the middle of their class. The drive from Xaverian to Head Start was about 25 minutes, so during the whole drive I was so impatient, because I wanted to see what I was going to do for the next six weeks. When I finally arrived to Head Start, I walked in the school and was greeted by some women behind a desk. They asked me if I needed help and I told them my situation. They showed me to
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my class of where I’m going to be staying for the next month and a half. I entered the room and was immediately greeted by the teachers there, Ms. Shannon and Ms. Helen. They told me how happy they are to have me here helping out. I noticed when I entered the room, the kids immediately stopped talking and just stared at me. It was lunch time for them, so most of them stopped eating just to stare at me. I sat down at a table with a group of kids. I kind of felt uncomfortable with all the kids staring at me and how it got all quiet as soon as i walked through the door. One kid seemed to not be shy at all, because he introduced himself and started to tell me about his new bike he got. When the kids went home, the teachers started to tell me what I’m going to be doing for the next couple weeks. They gave me a tour of the school and introduced me to some of the staff. They also told me I was going to have to focus on a special needs kid in class. They did not exactly told me what was wrong with him, but nonetheless I was excited for the opportunity. Ultimately, they told me to interact with the kids and show them a good time everyday. During these six weeks of service, I have dealt with some lessons that I learned from the people I served. I learned how this senior service was a humbling experience. I felt humbled to get the chance to help these kids and share them some of my advice I have been given throughout my life. I feel The Beatitudes can be used in my situation as an example of the person I should be. I believe being a beatitude person means to be an all around good person. You have to have good morals and recognize that you are blessed with the life you're living. Doing this service also made me think of what it means to be a Gospel Witness. I believe being a Gospel Witness means you live out your life through the Gospel. You follow the teachings of the Bible verses. In most Bible verses, it talks about how we are called to serve others, so I feel this service work is one step in how I am helping others. The gospels tells me that my service work is productive work, since I am helping others. The senior service work I’ve been doing has also made me think about how I can continue to reach out to others throughout the remainder of my life. As a Christian, I have been taught to help serve others when they are in need. I can personally help anyone, does not matter who it is, whatever they need help with. The task can be difficult or easy, it does not matter unless I know that I am helping the person in need. Also, I can be there for them whenever they need a friend. I can help give them advice for whatever their struggling with and just be the best person I can be for them. The experience of service has opened my eyes in many ways. I have realized how much I love helping others whether they're in need or not. I like to see them happy and enjoying life. Also, I have learned how to be a more responsible person. During service, you have to put others first before yourself. I feel have opened the eyes of the people around me by giving the kids from my site some advice about life and how to be a morally good person. In addition to my service work, I have been going to weekly meetings with my mentor, Mr. Morse. The weekly reflection meetings with my mentor were great and very informative. We talked about how my service at my particular site was going on a weekly basis. He always asked me if I was having any problems at my site or with the people there. I never had any problems at my site, but I know if I did I could have gone to Mr. Morse and tell him about the problems. I feel it’s important to have a mentor you can actually talk to and have a real conversation with. It’s good to feel comfortable talking to your mentor about the problems and even the good times. He gives me advice on how to continue to be mentally strong through these six weeks. He told me how I know I would be feeling anxious about graduation coming up, but all I need to do is relax and just live in the moment. Having these reflections meeting made me learn more about myself. I learned how this is a major responsibility for me to help taking care of many kids for numerous hours a week. I really realized that I’m growing up and I’m becoming an independent and responsible man. However, I also realized that I am not alone in this process. I have so many people I can turn to for some advice. I an in the middle of a major transition in my life. I will graduating high school and going off to college to explore and learn more about myself. Going through all these changes can be very stressful at times, so it’s good to have people in your life that you can talk to, like my mentor. I chose my mentor, because I felt like I had the best relationship with him throughout the whole school. I can have a conversation with him about anything, so I’m glad I made that decision. Lastly, I learned how much I’m really making a difference in the lives of the kids at my site. Mr. Morse told me these kids at my site really look up to me as another person they can talk to about anything. I realize maybe some of these kids don't always have someone to talk to, so just being there for them and putting a smile on their face is enough fulfillment for me.I love making them happy and smile when they are having a bad day. I like to give them advice after a teacher has just yelled at them for acting up in class. I love being silly and joking around with them just to make them laugh. I realize I’m not just doing service to get out of class for six weeks, but I’m doing it to put a smile on other people's face and just making each day the best day ever. I have made a lot of new relationships during these last six weeks that I will remember for a lifetime. My relationship with my supervisor, Ms. Helen is like she’s my second mentor. She was the first one to let me know what exactly I was going to be doing for six weeks. She basically took me under her wing for that time. She was nothing but nice and appreciative to me for everything I did. Also, Ms. Shannon was another teacher there that had a major impact on me for my time at Head Start. She gives me advice on how to interact with the kids and what the kids like to do. Ms Shannon and Ms. Helen both taught me how to be responsible and told me to just be a good person in the world. They told me whatever I want to do in life, I should try my hardest at it with a smile. I interacted with them by having conversations with them during our lunch after the kids leave to go home. They told me about their college experience and told me that I’m going to enjoy every minute of it. They would tell me stories about high school, past jobs, and even their prom back in the day. They have been truly amazing during this experience and i couldn’t have asked for anything else. They have been there for me whenever I needed help with the kids or even some advice with my own life. I just want to thank them for everything they did for me these past six weeks and wish them nothing but the best. This Christian Senior Service experience gave me some great memories that will last a lifetime.
From the first day there to the last day, everyone has been so supportive and appreciative towards me that it made me feel blessed to have been a part of this experience. Everything during this experience has been very beneficial for me, including my mentor meetings. The weekly mentor meetings made me reflect on the work I’ve been doing for that week. I would think about what I did wrong and things I can continue to work on. I also reflected on the kids I am watching over. I think about if what I’m doing is helping them in the long run. Mr. Morse would always give me good advice on the work I’m doing and how it is not just my ticket to graduate, but more importantly helping the kids around me. My relationships with my supervisor and the assistant teacher were influential during this experience. They both put me under their wings and let me know how to do certain things around the classroom. They told me how to interact with the kids and how to make them laugh. Also, told me how control the children when things got too hectic. I feel I couldn’t have gotten through these six weeks without them showing me the
way. My weekly meetings with my mentor and my relationships with Ms. Helen and Ms. Shannon were all important through this experience, but I can’t forget the most important role throughout this whole service, which was my relationship with the kids. I will miss the kids the most after leaving on Friday. I still remember when I first walked into the class and seeing all the kids stop what they were doing just to get a good stare at me. However, now they all give me hugs and high fives the first thing in the morning. They all want me to play with them even though there are about twenty kids in the class. I had a different relationship with each good, but they were all in good spirits. I had different ways to make each kid laugh. I will miss the times where I just acted silly with them. I will miss the times where they tell me about their days and what they have at home. However, I will truly the miss the big smile I put on their face. When I do that, I feel like I really am having a big impact on their lives. Going back on March 27th, I thought this experience was just going to be a hassle, however I was wrong. These past six weeks were some of the best days of my life. I created new relationships, discovered some new aspects of my life, and hopefully had an impact on the kids. I am blessed to have been a part of this experience and will cherish it for the rest of my life.
my class of where I’m going to be staying for the next month and a half. I entered the room and was immediately greeted by the teachers there, Ms. Shannon and Ms. Helen. They told me how happy they are to have me here helping out. I noticed when I entered the room, the kids immediately stopped talking and just stared at me. It was lunch time for them, so most of them stopped eating just to stare at me. I sat down at a table with a group of kids. I kind of felt uncomfortable with all the kids staring at me and how it got all quiet as soon as i walked through the door. One kid seemed to not be shy at all, because he introduced himself and started to tell me about his new bike he got. When the kids went home, the teachers started to tell me what I’m going to be doing for the next couple weeks. They gave me a tour of the school and introduced me to some of the staff. They also told me I was going to have to focus on a special needs kid in class. They did not exactly told me what was wrong with him, but nonetheless I was excited for the opportunity. Ultimately, they told me to interact with the kids and show them a good time everyday. During these six weeks of service, I have dealt with some lessons that I learned from the people I served. I learned how this senior service was a humbling experience. I felt humbled to get the chance to help these kids and share them some of my advice I have been given throughout my life. I feel The Beatitudes can be used in my situation as an example of the person I should be. I believe being a beatitude person means to be an all around good person. You have to have good morals and recognize that you are blessed with the life you're living. Doing this service also made me think of what it means to be a Gospel Witness. I believe being a Gospel Witness means you live out your life through the Gospel. You follow the teachings of the Bible verses. In most Bible verses, it talks about how we are called to serve others, so I feel this service work is one step in how I am helping others. The gospels tells me that my service work is productive work, since I am helping others. The senior service work I’ve been doing has also made me think about how I can continue to reach out to others throughout the remainder of my life. As a Christian, I have been taught to help serve others when they are in need. I can personally help anyone, does not matter who it is, whatever they need help with. The task can be difficult or easy, it does not matter unless I know that I am helping the person in need. Also, I can be there for them whenever they need a friend. I can help give them advice for whatever their struggling with and just be the best person I can be for them. The experience of service has opened my eyes in many ways. I have realized how much I love helping others whether they're in need or not. I like to see them happy and enjoying life. Also, I have learned how to be a more responsible person. During service, you have to put others first before yourself. I feel have opened the eyes of the people around me by giving the kids from my site some advice about life and how to be a morally good person. In addition to my service work, I have been going to weekly meetings with my mentor, Mr. Morse. The weekly reflection meetings with my mentor were great and very informative. We talked about how my service at my particular site was going on a weekly basis. He always asked me if I was having any problems at my site or with the people there. I never had any problems at my site, but I know if I did I could have gone to Mr. Morse and tell him about the problems. I feel it’s important to have a mentor you can actually talk to and have a real conversation with. It’s good to feel comfortable talking to your mentor about the problems and even the good times. He gives me advice on how to continue to be mentally strong through these six weeks. He told me how I know I would be feeling anxious about graduation coming up, but all I need to do is relax and just live in the moment. Having these reflections meeting made me learn more about myself. I learned how this is a major responsibility for me to help taking care of many kids for numerous hours a week. I really realized that I’m growing up and I’m becoming an independent and responsible man. However, I also realized that I am not alone in this process. I have so many people I can turn to for some advice. I an in the middle of a major transition in my life. I will graduating high school and going off to college to explore and learn more about myself. Going through all these changes can be very stressful at times, so it’s good to have people in your life that you can talk to, like my mentor. I chose my mentor, because I felt like I had the best relationship with him throughout the whole school. I can have a conversation with him about anything, so I’m glad I made that decision. Lastly, I learned how much I’m really making a difference in the lives of the kids at my site. Mr. Morse told me these kids at my site really look up to me as another person they can talk to about anything. I realize maybe some of these kids don't always have someone to talk to, so just being there for them and putting a smile on their face is enough fulfillment for me.I love making them happy and smile when they are having a bad day. I like to give them advice after a teacher has just yelled at them for acting up in class. I love being silly and joking around with them just to make them laugh. I realize I’m not just doing service to get out of class for six weeks, but I’m doing it to put a smile on other people's face and just making each day the best day ever. I have made a lot of new relationships during these last six weeks that I will remember for a lifetime. My relationship with my supervisor, Ms. Helen is like she’s my second mentor. She was the first one to let me know what exactly I was going to be doing for six weeks. She basically took me under her wing for that time. She was nothing but nice and appreciative to me for everything I did. Also, Ms. Shannon was another teacher there that had a major impact on me for my time at Head Start. She gives me advice on how to interact with the kids and what the kids like to do. Ms Shannon and Ms. Helen both taught me how to be responsible and told me to just be a good person in the world. They told me whatever I want to do in life, I should try my hardest at it with a smile. I interacted with them by having conversations with them during our lunch after the kids leave to go home. They told me about their college experience and told me that I’m going to enjoy every minute of it. They would tell me stories about high school, past jobs, and even their prom back in the day. They have been truly amazing during this experience and i couldn’t have asked for anything else. They have been there for me whenever I needed help with the kids or even some advice with my own life. I just want to thank them for everything they did for me these past six weeks and wish them nothing but the best. This Christian Senior Service experience gave me some great memories that will last a lifetime.
From the first day there to the last day, everyone has been so supportive and appreciative towards me that it made me feel blessed to have been a part of this experience. Everything during this experience has been very beneficial for me, including my mentor meetings. The weekly mentor meetings made me reflect on the work I’ve been doing for that week. I would think about what I did wrong and things I can continue to work on. I also reflected on the kids I am watching over. I think about if what I’m doing is helping them in the long run. Mr. Morse would always give me good advice on the work I’m doing and how it is not just my ticket to graduate, but more importantly helping the kids around me. My relationships with my supervisor and the assistant teacher were influential during this experience. They both put me under their wings and let me know how to do certain things around the classroom. They told me how to interact with the kids and how to make them laugh. Also, told me how control the children when things got too hectic. I feel I couldn’t have gotten through these six weeks without them showing me the
way. My weekly meetings with my mentor and my relationships with Ms. Helen and Ms. Shannon were all important through this experience, but I can’t forget the most important role throughout this whole service, which was my relationship with the kids. I will miss the kids the most after leaving on Friday. I still remember when I first walked into the class and seeing all the kids stop what they were doing just to get a good stare at me. However, now they all give me hugs and high fives the first thing in the morning. They all want me to play with them even though there are about twenty kids in the class. I had a different relationship with each good, but they were all in good spirits. I had different ways to make each kid laugh. I will miss the times where I just acted silly with them. I will miss the times where they tell me about their days and what they have at home. However, I will truly the miss the big smile I put on their face. When I do that, I feel like I really am having a big impact on their lives. Going back on March 27th, I thought this experience was just going to be a hassle, however I was wrong. These past six weeks were some of the best days of my life. I created new relationships, discovered some new aspects of my life, and hopefully had an impact on the kids. I am blessed to have been a part of this experience and will cherish it for the rest of my life.