Nikki - Playworks - Blog 1

Day one was a very exciting day for us. We started off the day by getting an introduction at the Playworks headquarters in Denver. We played an icebreaker game with the staff in the office and talked about the reasons why we were volunteering. I enjoyed talking about the reasons why we volunteer because it really made me sort through my reasoning. My reasoning was getting a better feel for different cultures. I am not sure why this is a big deal to me but in order to be a good citizen I feel you must see all people’s perspectives. I always try to keep an open mind while I am volunteering. After our brief meeting we than got to go to Altura Elementary in Aurora, CO! I was skeptical of what to expect and how the children behave. I was so impressed with the staff and faculty at this school. They have many behavioral strategies that I have learned in my applied behavioral science classes. The kids were polite to other children and took turns playing the many games. When we sat down and talked to our Playworks leader she explained some sad truths to us. She explained how many of the children do not read very well and read below their grade level. This is very sad and I kept trying to think of ways to fix this. I asked her what she suggested and she said they need a little more structure at home in order to implement the effective techniques to teach them to read. This is hard because most families are in severe poverty and their parents must work two or three jobs in order to keep up. This does not leave enough time to spend with their children. I am going to keep exploring solutions over the course of this week!!!