Every Sunday I go to Forrest Hills Church with a friend of mine who plays football for the new UNCC football team. This past Sunday his kicking coach, Mike Striker joined us and invited me to participate in a community service opportunity called Falcon Fun Night. Thursday afternoon Mike volunteers at Quail Hollow Middle School for Falcon Fun Night. Which is an outreach program organized by Forest Hills Church. Earlier today a few of my Kappa Delta sisters, along with myself, went to Quail Hollow Middle School to volunteer with Mike.
It’s amazing how much the children really appreciate someone giving them extra time and attention. The set up of Falcon Fun Night is very well organized. The church makes use of all the different classrooms by having each classroom have a group leader and a topic. The topics included anything from arts and crafts to biology.
The experience was hilarious, I come from a fairly large family but even I forget how funny kids can be when they aren’t even trying. Mike was also such a good mediator. He had a good balance of letting the kids say what they needed to say, and keeping them on track
At one point Mike asked the kids who their best friends were, and their responses had me in tears of laughter. One kid named Brandon talked about his best friend Wyatt. Wyatt’s family had to move because they bought so many car’s they couldn’t fit them all in their garage. Mike cut him off when he started to talk about all the motorcycles Wyatt’s family also owned. One kid described his best friend as an imaginary friend named Gary. However he was upset because Gary had to move away to California when he parents got a divorce. Mike sympathized with him by saying “yes it’s always difficult when imaginary friends move away”. Another kid named Leshawn really enjoyed having my friends and I in the classroom. I was flattered when he said “I want them to come back next time cuz them girls are grown".
-Anna Kirwan
I agree. Children do need someone that want to spend time with them. I had the opportunity to spend time doing some mentoring last year in one of the local schools, and the children look forward to having someone to reach out to them.
ReplyDeleteThe few times I've worked with children, it has been an interesting experience. Middle schoolers can either be extremely sweet and funny or really on edge. I'm glad you got a chance to work with such interesting kids. The stories you told were really funny! After reading your post, a few questions came to my mind. Have you worked with kids before or are you an education major? Sometimes its hard for people to connect with kids. Sometimes I feel like I don't know how to help them. My roommate on the other hand is extremely receptive when it comes to children. She really speaks their language. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really great program! I know from coaching elementary school soccer that kids can be absolutely hilarious without even knowing it. I'm glad you had such a great experience and I'm sure they all will be!
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