Cindycapatekc's Blog

This semester I did CAP as an elective. We have to do at least 7 hours of community service to pass this subject.  Everyone had to apply for 3 placements in case we didn’t get accepted in the specific one we wanted. I applied at Avondale Primary School, Milleara Primary School and Avondale Preschool. I got accepted at Avondale Primary School which was my old Primary school.

The first week we had to attend our placement, I was so nervous  and had butterflies in my stomach. I was with the Grade 1 and 2s. Going back to my old primary school has made me realise how much the school and teachers effort they spend trying to give us the best education. It is a good feeling to finally give back the time they have spent on the students. Since I went back the teachers there now treat us as adults and not children anymore. Primary School was the best times of my life so far when you get that freedom of being a kid. I miss being a kid. Every week i look forward to going back tohelp out the children.

The second week was a very tiring week because i wasn’t feeling so good. I wasn’t sure if i should go to my placement or stay at home. I descided to go and hopefully i would be okay. Once i got to Avondale i relised i had made a good decision. The kids their make my experience so fun and enjoyable. When i got there i was late again because the bus came late. When i got there, the kids where having their lunch.At lunch time, there was so many kids following me that it was hard to walk. After lunch, I helped the kids with their work and read a story to them.

The third week i helped at Avondale Primary School for 2 and a half hours. That means after 3 weeks i have done 8 hours of community service. I have loved all 8 hours of helping the teacher and the kids. Every week the teacher gives me more responsibility over the kids.When all the kids went out to play they all followed me it was so funny. All of them were fighting over me and whose friend i was. I remember when i was a kid and always fighted over my friends and other stuff that wasn’t that important.

The fourth week Mrs. Nugent came and saw how was i doing. She also asked me if i liked my placement and i told her i really enjoyed it. Sindis and i got there early so we bought lunch at McDonalds, we bought chips for our brothers as a bribe so they won’t annoy us when we were at Avondale.At lunch time, Ali ( sindis’ brother) asked Sindis and me to play soccer with them. We lost 2-0 but we let them win. The bell went and all the kids ran into lines to get ready to go inside. A girl named Tori was crying. I asked her why she was crying, and she said that 2 people in the same class had pranked her at lunch time. She was really upset. The teacher told everyone in class to go inside. Once we got inside, she took the girl and the 2 classmates outside to sort things out. I was left in the class by myself with the everyone starring at me. I didn’t know what to do and starting playing heads down thumbs up. The kids were very good and listened to me.

The fifth week Sindis’ parents dropped me of at the Avondale Primary School. But before we got there, Sindis needed to pick up some book from the library for her nephew and herself. But once i walked inside, everyone got off their seat and started yelling my name and hugging me. The teacher (Mrs. Cibert) told them all to go finish their lunch and sit back in the seats. A little boy named Luca lost his spoon for his yogurt and started crying. The teacher told me to go with him to the canteen and ask for a spoon.At lunch time, when Sindis and i went out to play with the kids, i noticed that every week more and more children was around us and wanted to play with us. I played with the kids hide and seek, Sindis didn’t want to play. At the end, I gave up because the person who was counting would find me after 30 seconds because all the kids followed me. So it was impossible to even hide. When the bell went for the children to go back to class, everyone all started asking me to be their partner in line. I said i would take it in turns to be everyone’s partner but some of them started crying. So instead they all grabbed my hand and was pulling me like i was a rope.

We only have 2 weeks of going to our placement left. I am really going to miss the teacher and the students when i leave. I have learnt so much  from this amazing experience . I have really enjoyed working with younger  kids and when i grow up i want to have a career involving with young children.

This week Sindis’ parents dropped me of at the Avondale Primary School. But before we got there, Sindis needed to pick up some book from the library for her nephew and herself. When i opened the door of the classroom, the children where eating their lunch. But once i walked inside, everyone got off their seat and started yelling my name and hugging me. The teacher (Mrs. Cibert) told them all to go finish their lunch and sit back in the seats. A little boy named Luca lost his spoon for his yogurt and started crying. The teacher told me to go with him to the canteen and ask for a spoon.

At lunch time, when Sindis and i went out to play with the kids, i noticed that every week more and more children was around us and wanted to play with us. I played with the kids hide and seek, Sindis didn’t want to play. At the end, I gave up because the person who was counting would find me after 30 seconds because all the kids followed me. So it was impossible to even hide. When the bell went for the children to go back to class, everyone all started asking me to be their partner in line. I said i would take it in turns to be everyone’s  partner but some of them started crying. So instead they all grabbed my hand and was pulling me like i was a rope. We only have 2 more weeks of CAP, once it is finished I’m going to miss it a lot because i have found out that i have really enjoyed working with young children.

This week Mrs Nugent came and saw how was i doing. She also asked me if i liked my placement and i told her i really enjoyed it. Sindis and i got there early so we bought lunch and McDonald’s,  it was also a bribe so my brother wouldn’t annoy me. At lunch time, Ali ( sindis’ brother) asked Sindis and me to play soccer with them. We lost 2-0 but we let them win. The bell went and all the kids ran into lines to get ready to go inside. A girl named Tori was crying. I asked her why she was crying, and she said that 2 people in the same class had pranked her at lunch time. She was really upset. The teacher told everyone in class to go inside. Once we got inside, she took the girl and the 2 classmates outside to sort things out. I was left in the class by myself with the everyone starring at me. I didn’t know what to do and starting playing heads down thumbs up. The kids were very good. I have 3 more weeks of CAP and will enjoy every second of it.

This week i helped at Avondale Primary School for 2 and a half hours. That means after 3 weeks i have done 8 hours of community service. I have loved all 8 hours of helping the teacher and the kids. Every week the teacher gives me more responsibility over the kids. i get given more opportunities to show my appreciation for what the teachers give each of the students that go to that primary school. When all the kids went out to play they all followed me it was so funny. All of them were fighting over me and whose friend i was. I remember when i was a kid and always fighted over my friends and other stuff that wasn’t that important. 

This week was a tiring week because i wasn’t feeling so good. But as i got to Avondale Primary School it was worth it. The kids their make my experience so fun and enjoyable. When i got there i was late again because the bus came late. When i got there, the kids where having their lunch. They all wanted to show me what they had in their lunch boxes, it was funny. Although i don’t remember doing that when i was in Primary school. At lunch time, there was so many kids following me that it was hard to walk. After lunch, I helped the kids with their work and read a story to them. I hope next week is just as fun and that i am not sick.

For CAP this term, we get to do community service for our placement. Everyone has to do a minimum of seven hours to pass this subject for this term. I went to Avondale Primary School to help the grade 1 and 2s. Going back to my old primary school has made me realise how much the school and teachers effort they spend  trying to give us the best education. It is a good feeling to finally give back the time they have spent on the students. Since I went back the teachers there now treat us as adults and not children anymore. Primary School was the best times of my life so far when you get that freedom of being a kid. I miss being a kid and I can’t wait for next week to help the children agian.

This week our last topic we covered for this term is Communication. Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person data about that person’s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes. People communicate with each other in a variety of ways that depend on the message they want to deliver and the context in which it is to be received. As a result, there are a variety of forms and modes of communication.

* Auditory: relates to speaking and listening

* Visual: relates to seeing and perceiving

* Kinaesthetic: relates to the other senses, such as touch and smell.

A type of communication is the specific vehicle utilised for the communication. Various types can include: Spoken Language, Silence, Clapping, Letter, Email, Poster, Signs, Vehicle, Statues, Eyebrows, Posture, Age and Odour.

This week our topic was Humanism and Empathy. I have  never heard of the word “Humanism” till this week. I have learnt that Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. Modern humanism stands  in sharp contrast to supernatural religion which is based on the existence of a God or Gods. Its principal concern is the advancement of humanity, and it does so using the methods of rational thinking and analysis. Empathy is the intellectual and emotional awareness and understanding of another person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It is identifying completely with an object or person, sometimes even to the point of responding physically such as crying when watching a sad movie or, when watching a baseball player swing at a pitch, feeling your muscles flex.

This week we looked at how to write a application form. We also discussed why we should write a letter instead of phoning or going to the actual place to ask if they accepted us to do CAP at the placement. One reason is if we write a letter they can read it in their own time when they are not busy and another reasons is that writing a letter shows them we are responsible by showing we are initiative to apply in more of a professional way.

This week was a stressful week because we had to send the three drafts of the application letters to the place we wanted to apply for. It was very hard at first because i haven’t written an application before. Cliff checked my draft and said it was good and i was so happy. When i am 14 and 9 months then i can apply for a job, and know what is needed in an application. Also this week Cliff gave us so much time to work on the blogs and letters that he didn’t talk that much unlike other weeks were he goes on and on. But the things Cliff tells us are very interesting and relate a lot to our lifes!!!