#genius within

This summer I also worked part time at a YMCA camp called Power Scholars. This was the second year of this new summer camp. Right now, San Antonio is one of only 8 sites around the country that offers this program! The camp was held at Hawthorne Academy, a school in SAISD, and was open for registration to all students ages 5-13. This is a YMCA camp that integrates both academics and physical education. The Power Scholars camp works to close the achievement gap and helps children who have not yet begun school prepare for reading and math. Like many YMCA camps, Power Scholars Academy has a split staff of four mentors/teachers assistants paired with a teacher in the morning and four different mentors who work alone during the afternoon. Power Scholars Academy runs according to the BELL Summer program. This learning experience combines academic instruction with hands-on enrichment activities, field trips, and service projects.

A day at Power Scholars Academy starts with breakfast and a recitation of the BELL Pledge. Scholars then transition into classrooms, where certified teachers and trained teaching assistants, like myself, lead small-group instruction in literacy and math. I worked as a teacher’s assistant for the pre-k-1st grade group, nearly always a group of 20 or more. I wrote lesson plans for the math portion of the morning using the curriculum they outlined. For the younger students, the curriculum usually included reading a children’s book that used math. I supplemented the lesson plan ideas they gave with some worksheets or activities I found from outside resources. This experience was extremely challenging and I have learned a little more about just how hard it is to be a teacher!

After lunch, scholars rotate through a series of enrichment courses and activities focused on topics such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), creative arts, and health & exercise. Fridays, the students are taken on field trips to local museums, universities, parks, or other fun destinations.This experience has shown me how important it is to have staff that are willing to work hard to enrich students. It was a challenge for me to have so many students in one classroom, particularly students of such a young age.

GENIUS WITHIN: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould