A Job to Love

Korrin B.

November 24, 2008 - 3:11 PM

This is the third year that I have worked at Meadowlark Elementary School in Eugene, Oregon. It all began during my freshman year when I was looking for a work-study job. After doing some searching in the UO Career Center, I ended up finding one as a tutor in an after school program for children in grades first through fifth. The program was through the Eugene School District 4J and was called ACE. It was a program that was designed in two parts. During the first half of the program, the students were split up into groups based on their age and instructed in writing skills. During the second half of the program, the children were brought back together and led in a recreational or craft activity. I was excited for the unique opportunity to be involved in such a program, but I didn't realize at the time how important the experience would be for me.

I continued with the job my sophomore year. I created strong connections with a lot of the children. It made me feel great to be able to be that person in their lives who they could talk to if they needed. When they would say things about how they wanted to go to the University of Oregon just like me when they grew up, I couldn't help but smile. When I left to study abroad in Greece spring term, the children were upset, but I sent them postcards from everywhere I traveled and they loved them. It was so much fun when I received letters from them as well. They all wanted to know how much calamari I had eaten, if there were McDonald's in Greece, and if I had met any new people from other countries. I kept a strong communication between the program and myself and was completely planning on coming back for a third year. Then I received my financial aid award letter for the upcoming school year. No work-study.

I immediately contacted the program coordinators. I knew that they could not afford to keep me on without the work-study money, but I was determined to still find a way to be a part of the program. Eventually, after talking to many of the people in charge of the program, I was hired on through the City of Eugene as a recreational leader. I was so excited to be hired into this position. I was given the opportunity to still interact with the kids, while taking on a larger leadership role within ACE. So far, this year in the program has been wonderful and it reminds me everyday why I worked so hard to remain a part of this special group of people.

About a week ago, the staff organized an event called Family Fun Night. These nights happen about four times throughout the year. After the usual program with the kids runs from 2:30pm-5:30pm, parents, siblings, friends, and other family members show up for a great night of food and activities. It is a wonderful way to bring family together and it creates a strong sense of community.

This year, our first Family Fun Night was New York themed. ACE is a Title I funded program, so a large majority of the students participating in it come from low-income families. A lot of them may never gain the resources to be able to go see New York in person, so it was a very special event being able to bring New York to them. The staff worked overtime for this event and it was entirely worth it in the end.

We transformed the gym into an airplane where the students and their family members entered and prepared for take-off to New York. We passed out snacks and had flight attendants to make it as realistic as possible. Once everyone arrived in New York, they entered the cafeteria that we decorated fabulously. We made a full night skyline and a subway with the kids' names written on it in graffiti-style letters. We had hot dog, pretzel, and pizza vendors and we had a taxi with the windows cut out so that the students could get their pictures taken in it. The staff was dressed up like various characters from New York. Many were Yankees or Giants fans, some were tourists, our program coordinator was the Statue of Liberty, and I was a Radio City Music Hall Rockette. We gave out prizes and the children made scrapbook pages of their travels or wrote New York postcards to people. It was a truly special night for everyone involved. The hard work the staff put into it really paid off in the end when we got to see the joy in the kids' faces.

Every time I walk into Meadowlark Elementary school I wonder if I'm picking the right major. I enjoy working with and teaching elementary school kids so much. No matter how bad my day is going, seeing the kids' smiles brightens my day beyond belief. I have a feeling that as I move on into the future, I will end up working with the youth. Programs like ACE are immensely important to communities like Eugene and I am so happy to be able to be a part of it.