BLOG 10: My last day at WLE
Today, I prepped a lot for my project - the science fair. I created posters for the different stations, so people would know what each station is and is about. The staff members were all assigned a station that they will be in charge of on the night of the science fair. I am in charge of the static electricity station, where I will demonstrate how a balloon can pick up black pepper using static electricity. Also, I helped students prep and perform their experiments. I helped one group create their solar oven out of a pizza box, foil, plastic wrap, lots of tape and newspaper. I helped another student test pressure build up, using a closed water bottle, baking soda and vinegar. I learned that I could probably handle becoming an elementary school teacher, which is pretty surprising. Also, I learned that I have better people skills than I thought because I worked with a bunch of different people are my internship. That is definitely going to be important in the real world. I learned that in the world of work, Effective and Persuasive Communication is important in getting the job done well. You always need to rely on others in completing big tasks. My project is not completely finished but it's on schedule to being done. The science fair will take place next Friday. It did not happen today because the students needed a little more time to complete their experiments and write ups. It's better to give them more time so that the science fair turns out good, compared to a halfway put together one. I am going to try to go to my WLE as many times as possible before the science fair, to ensure the kids get as much help as they need. Also, I need to collect more pictures and videos for my experiment. I have all of my hours.
POST 9: Description of my workplace
My workplace is an entire elementary school, but is mostly one room. The room can probably hold about 25-30 students, so the entire YEP is divided into groups and assigned to rooms that teachers allow them to use for the day. They use the same rooms every day. The main room is usually for the kindergartens because it has a lot of toys and activities to keep them busy. There are 5 staff members in charge of YEP, and 1 tutor. My mentor is like the boss and helps all of the other staff members as much as she can. The remaining 4 staff members are each in charge of a group for the day - always the same group of students. The tutor pulls out students who need extra individual attention. She mainly focuses on English, like reading and vocabulary. My workplace is an after school program for students. They work on homework, fun and educational activities and fitness. The people who work at my workplace have went to or are in college. They are generally pretty young. My workplace is located in Hayward. It is a public school so the building is not the nicest but I think it looks better than most of the public schools in Hayward. The environment feels warm and welcoming. It is clear that the staff and students alike are there because they want to be - not because they have to be.
POST 8: Looking at other people’s blogs
I think I am learning more than most people at my WLE. Most people seem to be doing a lot of busy work that they will not benefit from. I read Ursula's, George's, John's and Rose's blogs. I think John's blogs are the best because he is really descriptive about his experiences and what he is learning. I think my blog is effective the way it is because I try to be detailed about whatever I am talking about. As long as you take the time to describe what you are talking about, your blog should be pretty effective. People are blogging but are either not completing all of the blogs assigned, or they are not doing the best job that they can do on their blogs. I would show Rose how to blog but I think she already knows how to. I think that she just forgets to blog after her internship because that happens to me sometimes, too. It would be helpful if we had some kind of reminder before each blog was due, to prevent this from happening. My WLE is still interesting because it's a new adventure every day. There is always different stuff that the kids need help with and different steps that need to be completed for the science fair. Today, I helped the kindergartens review the alphabet and continued helping students research information for their science experiments.
POST 7: How my WLE project is going
This week, I researched a bunch of science experiments for the kids. I had to find experiments that were easy, educational and required as little materials as possible. These experiments will be used for the 3rd and 4th graders. They need more structure since they are younger and not really used to completing bigger projects, such as a science fair project. However, the 5th and 6th graders understand the concept of a science fair better and are going to be able to choose their own experiments. This week, I introduced the science fair to all of the participants. Some kids seemed really excited, while other didn't. As an attempt to motivate them, I let them know that whoever participated would receive 100 YEP dollars, which they could use to buy items in the auctions held every month. This helped a lot. My mentor created a worksheet to help guide them with their write-ups, which consisted of an introduction, hypothesis, materials, data, and conclusion, with short descriptions of what each of them are supposed to have. The kids were still unsure about what each term meant so I pretty much had to explain everything to every single group, individually, and help them figure out what applied to their individual experiments. So far, every student has their introduction, hypothesis and materials filled out. Next week, if everything goes according to plan, we should begin experimenting and recording data. The students will have 2 weeks to do this. Then, they will write their conclusions so they will be able to present what the learned at the science fair. The science fair will take place on Friday, February 4th - the last day of WLE.
Blog 5: Friday Dec. 17th, Hours and Project
Today, you met with my mentor and we discussed the WLE project. My mentor mentioned that the kids do not learn a lot of science at their school and it would be nice to have more interactive science activities. She also mentioned that it would be nice to have more community nights, where the parents and kids could get together to do activities together. Because of this, she suggested that I organize a science fair for my project, which I decided to do. The kids will be divided into groups where they will conduct an age-appropriate experiments and complete a write-up together. The write-up will be a standard lab write-up, with essential questions, a hypothesis, introduction, conclusion, etc. They will have 3 weeks to complete this, and I will set benchmarks to ensure it gets done. Their motivation for participating in this event will be 100 YEP dollars. On my final day of interning, the science fair will take place. There will be a bunch of stations, where the kids will be presenting what they have learned to their parents - similar to our exhibitions. There will also be interactive stations where the kids and their parents can conduct simple experiments together. I am on track with my hours. I am not really sure about my essential question and thesis yet. My old one will not work because I am not using my original idea for my project. So, I have to revise that.
POST 4: Friday Dec. 10th, Leadership Skills
At my internship, I am using collaborate productively and communicate powerfully. I need to be able to collaborate productively to be able to come up with lessons and activities for the kids to do. Usually, my mentor and I discuss many ideas for activities until we can agree on the best ones for the day. Then, we work together to prep for the activity. This includes gathering materials, creating a finished product as an example, figuring out what I need to do to support the kids and how I am going to teach them how to complete the activity. I use communicate powerfully when I teach the kids stuff and when I help them, whenever they need help. This is important because I need to make sure that I am making sense to them so they understand how to complete an activity and get the help that they need. I am learning how to work with different groups of people, that I was not used to before. At Impact, I always work with people my same age and in my grade. At my internship, I work with kids of different ages in grades kindergarten through sixth. This is going to help me in the future because not everyone in the world is exactly like me. I am learning to adjust to different people and learn how I need to talk to them. I learned that it is important to change your language when talking to different people. When talking to the kids, I make sure to be extremely detailed and explain every single thing. Also, I have to make sure to use vocabulary that they understand - not too big of words. Mostly, I am using the leadership skills collaborate productively and communicate powerfully. As a student, I rely on my teachers and peers to help me whenever I need it. As an intern, the kids are relying on me to help them whenever they need it. However, I also rely on staff members to help me when I need it, just like they rely on me when they need me - this is kind of how students and their peers work at Impact.
Blog 3
My workplace serves children who are in grades kindergarten through sixth. It is especially beneficial to those whose parents or guardians work all day, and do not have time to look after their kids. My workplace does a good job of keeping all kids entertained, while being educational. There are a lot of fun activities for the kids that keep their attention, but it is also balanced out with homework time, reading time, etc. There are also tons of different kinds of activities, from fitness activities to board games. I did not really pick up on any weaknesses. If something doesn't go as planned, the staff members easily adjust through the difficulties. They always make it work out, regardless of how challenging it may be.
Blog 1
I was at school this day because I did not have an internship yet. Basically, I looked online and made a huge list of places I felt might interest me with their numbers to call them. I called every single number on the list without any luck. I did not find an internship by the end of this day.
Intro Post: How I plan to get my WLE: Oct 26th
I plan to intern for the same place I interned last year, which is CrossFit Oakland. So far, I have emailed my past mentor with information on how the WLE is going to work this year. I am just waiting for her response. However, if she does not reply soon, I am going to call her because I know she does not always check her email. Before this, I looked up a lot of local bakeries. I emailed them the same information but got no responses. When I called them, they told me they were not interested in having an intern. In addition, my mom talked to this lady who is in charge of a daycare center at Chabot college. She said she was interested in having an intern but I can never get ahold of her. I went there in person and her secretary told me that she was in a meeting. Before and after this, I called her multiple times without any luck. So, I kind of gave up on that job. Hopefully, the CrossFit internship works out. If not, I pretty much have to start over.
POST 1: Job Shadow Day: January 6th
My internship is at a Gym called CrossFit, located in Emeryville. My mentor's name is Mike but there was also a lady there named Robyn, who sort of acted as a mentor for me as well.
POST 2: 1st Day: January 20th
My first day felt a lot better than on Job Shadow Day. I was not as nervous since I pretty much already knew what to expect. My mentor, Mike, was not really there. The owner of the Gym, Robyn, acted as a mentor in place of him today. She taught me how to do basic accounting which was really interesting, but also seems like it could be frustrating. She taught me that it is pretty much like a game where you have to keep matching up numbers over and over again, to make sure your finances are in order. I learned how to use this computer program that keeps track of how much you spend, owe, and actually have. It seems like the easiest way to keep track of your financial situation, not just in a business setting, but your individual finances as well. I also learned how you could use Microsoft Excel as an organizer to keep track of how much you owe and payed off. The way Robyn keeps track of CrossFit's finances is she makes different spread sheets for every month. This way she can focus on how much she owes this month, and how much she needs for the future months as well. Because I now know how useful Excel can be, I am interested in learning how to use it more. In addition to the computer work, I filled out a deposit sheet for all of the cash and checks the Gym received. This is also a useful skill because I had no idea you had to even do that to deposit money into a back before today. Also, I folded t-shirts and cleaned up the office area. I was definitely busy the entire time. I think I impressed my mentor by showing her that I am not immature like a typical high school student and can actually take the internship seriously. I do not really have any questions that have not already been answered by my mentor or academic seminar teacher.
POST 3: January 27th
When I arrived at my internship, I immediately starting working on the computer. I learned how to further use the money managing program I discussed in my 2nd blog. I learned that there are multiple ways of keeping track of spending, including using "checks" and "sales receipts". These are all tools you can use in the program. You make sales receipts to keep track of how much money a customer has on their account, so you know when they need to give to more money to renew their membership. I learned how to add new customers to the data base and add money to their accounts. Checks are made for all forms of payment so you can show the bank how much you are depositing and keep track of your earnings at the same time. I didn't learn much about them because they rarely use them. They mostly use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets as an easier, more organized method. I made another deposit slip for the bank. I separated the checks from the cash and counted each pile separately, at least twice. After that, I wrote the bank number and amount of each check onto the deposit slip, along with the cash amount. Lastly, you put the total amount and you're ready to deposit the money into the bank. I also did a little more filing. I filed the payed bills into different month folders. In addition to all of this, I cleaned up the office area.
POST 4: February 3rd
When I arrived at my internship, I had to wait about an hour for my mentor to finish teaching their class. After they were done, I started to do a little filing. Soon after that, Micah arrived and we all had a meeting about what the WLE's expectations were and why we are actually doing it. After the meeting, I finished filing then read over CrossFit's blogs for a while. My mentor and I talked about what my final project should be. She wants me to do a series of blogs for their website, that I could then present on Exhibition night. I like that idea a lot, since it will allow me to write in a super creative way. We discussed this for a majority of the time, while looking over past blogs already posted on the sight. This gave me a good idea of the kind of material they were looking to have on their site. When I arrived at my internship, I think my mentor was glad she did not have to all of the filing because it's pretty boring and tedious. She was most likely thinking of all of the easy, yet boring, jobs she needed to get done. Then gave them to me to do. I think my mentor probably told her friends and family about her idea about blogging. They probably all talked about it, with lots of laughs, of course. I think my mentor knows I am very driven, focused, and hard working, which is probably a huge reason she thinks I can handle posting blogs for their site. I am not sure what my mentor wants to learn about me but I think she already knows a lot because we are always talking about something. I feel like my mentor and I have already built a strong relationship and going to my internship does not even feel like work. It is actually pretty fun.
POST 5: February 10th
I am learning about what it takes to run a business. It is not just about helping your customers and keeping them happy, but mostly about managing your money well. If you do not pay your bills, you will have no business. Although Impact helps prepare you for your obstacles, nothing prepares you more than actually experiencing what a real job is like. Communicating Effectively is a huge skill needed at a work place. You need to know how to talk to people, especially customers, so they feel comfortable and enjoy coming to your establishment. You also need to know how to talk to the people you work with and be professional about it so they want to keep working with you. They are things you should and should bring into the work place, in all sorts of aspects. In addition, you need to use Solve Problems Resourcefully. It is key to be able to finish your work, no matter how challenging it may be, otherwise they will find someone who can. Of course you should ask questions when you need to, but you also need to know how to figure things out for yourself. Being an intern is way different than being a student for one huge reason. As as student, you rely on yourself and if you choose to not do you work, you only hurt yourself. However, as an intern, the people you work with rely on you and if you choose not to show up or do your work, you hurt them. They will have to do all of the work meant for you, in addition to all of the other work they already have to do, and it is not for to them.
POST 7: March 3rd
I looked at Mariela's, Jackselyn's, Alexis', Steven's, and Evyrose's blogs. They talked about their expectations and how their internships really are. They are effective because they are really detailed and specific. I can make my blog more effective by also being more detailed and specific, although I try to be as detailed as possible. Out of those people, most only have a few blogs written, so I guess a lot of people just forgot about it. I will show Steven how to blog. I would say I am learning about the same amount of stuff at my internship, compared to everyone else. My internship is still interesting. Although we do a lot of the same stuff every week, I know it's valuable and that is how you get good at it. I went to Kinkos with Robyn so they could make CFO fliers. I have never even been to Kinkos, let alone make a flier, so it was interesting.
POST 8: Analyzing my Workplace
I work at a small business. There usually is not more than 2 workers there at a time, and very few members compared to a traditional gym. Working at a small business is nice because it reminds me of school. It is really easy going and there is a lot of hard work and determination going on, with everyone in the building. I think in a smaller environment, it is a lot easier to focus, be productive, and take what you are doing seriously. I noticed this is true at school too. For example, today while preparing for exhibition, it was a lot harder to focus in class because there was 40-something people there, compared to 20-something in a normal class. Pretty much everyone reports to Robyn and does what she says because she is the owner and boss. Whenever they need a question answered or something done, they go to her about it. It seems like everyone has a close bond with one another there, including the boss. They have a friendship-like relationship with each other, which probably helps them run their business better. I think my business is professional because there is a lot more to running the gym than just teaching the classes. A lot of office work is required too, which I think would be extremely difficult for an uneducated person to do. I enjoy the environment because everyone is chill and it is not stressful at all. All of the people are cool and they pretty much work as a team to get everything they need done, which makes the work load lighter and go quicker. This experience has made me this that getting a college degree is important to learn skills you can not only use in your one career, but multiple jobs along the way as well.
POST 10: March 24th
I am not sure if I am behind in hours or not. I am pretty sure I am on track, but if not, I am pretty close to being there. If I am behind, I plan on staying later than I usually do to get in a few extra hours. Eventually, they will add up. At my internship, I organized all of the dumb bells by weight. I basically had to put them all on a big rack from the least to most heavy. Also, I did a lot of work in planning my Exhibition project. That took up most of my time. My mentor taught a couple classes. Also, she was busy getting ready for their big CrossFit competition. She had to make sure all of the business aspects of the event is taken care of so the fun stuff can happen. So far, I plan on creating a blog for CrossFit's website and presenting it at the Exhibition in June. I have begun planning for it by making a graphic organizer. My mentor and I decided it would be a good idea to base it off of my first impression of CrossFit and my impression afterward, of going there for months. Pretty much I just have a list showing what I thought about the people, classes, and overall, environment of the gym. Also, how my impressions have changed and stayed the same. It is going to be interesting to see how the members and workers react to my post.
POST 11: Mentor Interview
My mentor works at Crossfit Oakland in Emeryville. She is a trainer and the owner. A typical day for her includes teaching classes and takings care of the office work. This usually includes paying bills, adding clients into the data base and taking care of whatever else needs to be taken care of. She is basically in charge of everything since she is the owner and boss. She became interested in this field because health and fitness is essential to a healthy life, so she wanted to help educate people. It is also a huge part of her life so she wanted to do something that she enjoys for a living. Do not get into this field if you are not dedicated. The work does not end at the work place. Running a business is not easy, but if you love what you do, it is rewarding to know that you are helping people, while having a good time. Also, if you are not a people person, this field is not for you. Their customers have close relationships with their trainers, which helps the gym be successful. People feel comfortable in the environment, which makes them want to continue going. Running a business if not just what you see in fornt of you. There is a lot of work going on behind the cuts as well.
POST 12: How my WLE project is going
This week, I discussed my plans for my WLE project with my mentor. I hope to write a rough draft of my blog this weekend, to show to my mentor on Wednesday. In my Keynote, I would like to include pictures of my work place as well as videos of people working out, to help show the atmosphere of the environment. I would also like to include comments made by the gym members on my blog. I think this would contribute to my project because it will help show what kind of people attend the gym, or how they are like, personality wise. I want to get across the point that the gym is successful due to the close relationships between the people who go there and the staff. Knowing this is going to be helpful in future work places because I now know how helpful relationships you build can be. They can make you successful, or the complete opposite.
POST 13: How my WLE project is going
At my internship, I organized the dumb bells by weight. My mentor and I discussed my ideas for my project. I gave her a rough draft of a potential blog I wrote, for her to look over during the week. I am hoping she will give me feedback on how to improve it as well as share her ideas that I can include in my project. Over the next 3 weeks, I hope to get a bunch of pictures of the gym and the members actually working out, as well as the trainers. I would also like to get a video of it so I can use clips in my Keynote. Hopefully, I will be able to get my blog up on CrossFit's site as well. I am pretty sure I already have all of the hours I need, but I really hope we can focus on my project over the next three weeks because it is coming up really fast. My goal is to get my blog up in 2 weeks or less. I will take pictures and videos for the remainder of the WLE. I would also like to interview my mentor so I can use clips of that in my Keynote.
POST 14: Almost Done
To thank my mentor for all of their help, I am going to probably make her a card or write her a letter in addition to offering to help out whenever she needs help. I am going to let her know that she has helped me learn what working is all about and that thanks to her, I have gained work experience, while attaining skills I can take into future jobs. I just want to let her know how grateful I am for this experience, and more specifically, having an awesome mentor like her. I am not sure what kind of food I am going to bring to the pot luck. Maybe Portuguese food? It depends on what my parents want to do, I guess. I did a little filing at my internship, but mostly worked on my project. Robyn gave me feedback on what she thought of my blog rough draft and ideas on how to improve it. She also is going to help me out by helping me film some of the more intense classes, that show what CrossFit is all about. I hope to get the blog up this week, since time is running out. I am going to improve my draft over the weekend, so hopefully, it will be good enough to publish by next Wednesday. I am caught up on all my hours (I think I actually have more than I need), so I'm good on that. All of my focus is going towards my project.
