I have also participated in a volunteer lawn service for the past three summers for two widows in our congregation. Several of the young men in our church, including myself, take turns mowing, raking, pulling weeds, etc. each week during the summer. I have really enjoyed doing this as I think of these two elder women like they are my own grandmothers. My own grandmothers live out of state and I would like to think that if they ever needed this kind of service, there would be some young men out there that would come to their aid. The only payment we received was their expressions of gratitude and the occasional plate of cookies. Not a bad trade off.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have been a big part of my life since I was eight years old and I have served in several leadership positions over the years. I also earned the honor of Eagle Scout by completing a project that required installing two concrete pads (10X4) and two metal park benches in the front of the elementary school where my siblings and I had attended for 19 years. I wanted to give back to this school that had laid such a great foundation for me in my early education. I was able to interact several times with the PTA budget committee, the principal of the school and the physical maintenance manager at the school district to obtain donations and approval for this project. I also was able to recruit 20 other Boy Scouts to assist me and we logged in approximately 115 man-hours to complete this task. The most rewarding part was the seeing all the parents and children using the benches. I know that the benches will be around for along time and will be put to use.

In addition to my own Eagle project, I have worked with at least ten to twelve other Boy Scouts to complete their projects. Some examples of the projects: building bleaches for city league fields, gathering and repairing bicycles for Hurricane Katrina refugees, donating blood at a blood drive, gathering worn out American flags and properly disposing them, setting up a computer lab at a women’s shelter, cleaning a natural habitat trail and building owl houses, refurbishing wooden benches at a local sports park, and building and installing wooden interactive displays for special needs children at a local center. I learned many new skills while performing the different types of service but the most important thing that I learned was how it felt to give of myself. I know that the service I was able to provide made a difference to others. Hopefully my acts of service will encourage others to find ways to serve as well.

I also joined Interact, a service-oriented club for seniors at my high school this year and our most recent project was to gather medical equipment; crutches, braces, wheelchairs, etc. to help in the relief efforts of the Haitian people, who suffered from a catastrophic earthquake earlier this year. Though we were not able to personally go to Haiti, I know that what we were able to donate helped to ease some of the burden these people were feeling. They have some many needs and no one person came take care of them all, but together we can.

My youth group at church recently went about collecting and then donating supplies (baby clothes, toys, underwear, socks, diapers, wipes and activity kits which included crayons, chalk, scissors, glue and paper) for a local organization called Vocal Alcove. This is a non-profit organization that offers homeless parents a safe place to leave their children while they work to rebuild their lives, find work and complete their education. They are the only early childhood program in Dallas that provides free service for young children who reside with their families who live in homeless and domestic violence shelters. What a great service Vocal Alcove provides and by donating supplies, we can help them to continue to provide this great service.

All of these service opportunities have helped me to realize how fortunate I am and how I have a responsibility to try and help ease the burdens of others. That even small acts of service are worth it. My parents have taught me that those with an education are in a better position to provide service to others. I know that I will continue to search out and participate as an individual and in groups with those that reach out to help others, both while I am in college and after I have graduated. I can make a difference one act of kindness at a time and through my example came help others to do the same.

I have been involved in St. Gregory’s Youth Group since I was a freshman. The group helps the church by assembling holiday events, but also focuses on community service. In the past, we have done food drives and walks to raise money, but my favorites have always been the midnight runs.
I love facing the bitter cold to help out those who need extra support, because you get to see firsthand whom you’re helping and what you’re giving them. Anyone can donate to a charity, but actually meeting the people who are benefiting from your service means so much more. You don’t know true gratitude until you see despair change to hope in a stranger’s eyes. In this past one, my final run with the youth group, changed my life forever because I came to understand true selflessness. I found the true definition of “giving the coat off your back”, and how you can put others above yourself even when you have nothing.
Before the run, we take in food donations as well as make our own soup, coffee, and sandwiches. The clothing donations are all separated by age and sex. A lot of the clothes are jackets and warm attire, since the runs are usually in the winter, when people need clothing the most. It is a lot of labor work, but it’s exciting to load it all onto the truck and get going to New York City. This past January, the wind was biting and I was shivering unstoppably, despite my warm winter coat and gloves. I stood to the side to get soup for myself when I noticed a man standing to the side of the massive crowd. Whenever we hand out the clothes, the homeless tend to swarm the truck and it can be a bit chaotic. The fact that this man was standing aside from the mass of people made me first notice that something was different about this man. After polite conversation, I asked the man if there was anything specific he wanted.
There was.
White shoes.
The man introduced himself as Steve, and explained his situation to me and why the white shoes were of the utmost importance to him. Steve had just recovered from a drug problem that rendered him homeless, and now he was without a family and somewhere to stay. Being a taller, hefty man, he was lucky enough to find a job offer in a security guard company. However, the only requirement was that he provides his own uniform; black pants, black button up shirt, and white sneakers. Due to his situation, he couldn’t afford to spend money on a new pair of sneakers.
I got right to work. After talking with Steve, he seemed like a regular guy, complete with his own political beliefs about Obama and full of jokes about his situation to make it brighter. He was so easy to relate to, and it gave me more of a passion to help him out. I searched the truck endlessly, but alas, we had no white shoes.
I broke the news to Steve, but he said it was no problem, thanked us, and walked off. Needless to say, I felt unsettled. I wanted to help someone who had such a promise to get his life back together. I saw his desire to rebuild in a genuine way, and felt disheartened that I couldn’t help.
However, I did see a great act of kindness that night that led to an infamous pair of white sneakers. A boy not from our group, Matt, was riding along with us when he spotted a man distraught because the group had no more available coats. Without any thought at all, Matt took his own coat right off his back and offered it to the man, only in return for one thing; the answer to a question.
Where can we find white shoes?
That’s when I jumped in.
I immediately supplemented the question with Steve’s story, and the man with Matt’s coat led us to his own supply of clothing. I was absolutely delighted when I saw a pair of white sneakers lying at the very bottom.
Despite the warnings of the group, I darted down the street to try and find Steve. I did, and happily presented the box to him. Steve seemed really happy about my discovery, and tried the pair on in front of me. They fit, but I saw Steve’s smile fade. When I asked what was wrong, Steve’s answer forever changed the way I look at the definition of selflessness.
Steve thanked me for finding the shoes, but asked that I take the shoes to someone else who could get better use than he. He said, “I have shoes on my feet. Yeah, I want these, but I don’t really need them. Give them to someone who does.”
I was stunned. I didn’t understand how Steve could be so selfless when he was in a tough situation himself. A person who isn’t suffering from homelessness might say Steve did need those shoes, but he was able to differentiate between want and need in such a way that I’ve never seen. I would like to say that those white sneakers went off to someone in need of any shoes at all and that Steve got his job despite not having the proper attire, but I just don’t know. I suppose I will always wonder Steve’s fate, but he inspired me with hope and the knowledge that I have the power to help all the other Steves of the world.
The lesson I learned from Steve and Matt was that you need to put people above yourself. I had been doing community for four years prior to this event, but I had never really put myself aside. Sure, I sacrificed time, but I had never sacrificed something I thought I “needed”, like my coat or shoes. I was really put in awe by the way Steve, although he was in a bad situation himself, realized that other people could be worse off than him. He saw light at the end of the tunnel for himself, and wanted to spread that light to others. I readjusted my ideas on what “wanting” and “needing” actually mean, and now I understand that it’s easy to confuse the two. In the future, I will continue my midnight runs in college or even make an independent group if I have to. The joy I get from volunteering and making a legitimate difference in people’s lives is something I want to stick with me forever. When you are able to support yourself, you feel sufficient, but when you have the ability to help others in the palm of your hands, it’s silly not to throw off your coat and get to work.

The first community service project that I listed on the community service form was the Lokahi Christmas Fundraiser that takes place annually and is designed to provide Hawaii’s homeless and less fortunate with Christmas gifts for children and their families. The 2009 Lokahi Christmas Fundraiser was truly an event that brought the Hawaii people together. The event took place at Hawaii’s Ala Moana Shopping Center. Once inside the shopping center you are able to see the tables laid out with all the brand new Christmas gifts all wrapped and waiting. The joy or receiving a Christmas gift is evident on the faces of the children and the work and the planning the workers do is apparent. This devotion to the children and more importantly how the families are affected was truly an example for me as I volunteered. The willingness and the internal desire to reach and touch the lives of those who were hurting financially during this time from then on was the driving force behind my efforts.
For the second portion of the Lokahi Christmas Fundraiser I collected donations on the side of the busy downtown street located right alongside the Ala Moana Shopping Center. I was moved by all those who, despite the fact that they had a destination, somewhere they had to be, stopped, rolled down their windows and stretched out their hands towards me with a donation. The leader of the outdoor portion of the Lokahi Christmas Fundraiser gave us water bottles frequently and continually thanked us for our time and efforts. The fact that he had given of himself and that he was still extremely thankful towards us made me believe that I was not only touching the lives of those who would be receiving the money and gifts, but also the leader himself. Therefore, this project truly made me believe that when you commit your time, it is just as valuable as money. Also, the effects of your giving are even more powerful when you openly show your willingness to help.
The second community service project that I listed was the Pouhala Marsh Clean Up in Waipahu, O’ahu. Waipahu is a community on the West side of the island of O’ahu. This community is far from my home and therefore I do not travel to that side of the island often. I have done many service projects in my community, but it was truly a blessing to be able to assist in the new developments and maintaining of another’s community. The Pouhala Marsh Clean Up required the volunteers to work on the marshlands and pull out invasive species that were preventing the growth of native Hawaiian plants. This was a task that I really enjoyed doing due to the fact that I was able to make an impact environmentally. The task was more manual labor than interaction with others and working in the marsh itself was an interesting experience. The marshland proved to be more difficult to work in than other hiking clean ups and public park clean ups, because it was messier, and the task was harder. I felt extremely accomplished, however, following the task due to the manual efforts that we put into it. The Pouhala Marsh Clean-up was a highly educational experience because before we got into the marsh we received a lesson on what native plants we were trying to save and the native Hawaiian birds that called the marshland their home. That allowed me to appreciate the fact that we were protecting the Hawaiian species and keeping their home secured and protected. As a group we were learning together the significance of this place that I otherwise would have passed by and never known.
The Lyon Arboretum Conservation Clean-Up was also a hands-on service project similar to the Pouhala Marsh Clean-up. However, the volunteers were required to work with all different plant species in the Arboretum, pulling invasive species, and marking those plants that should remain. The entire experience of working at the Lyon Arboretum was very awarding due to the fact that the Arboretum is located in the Manoa Valley which is a beautiful valley, also where my school is located. The scenery that I am able to enjoy every day is unsurpassed and being inside the Arboretum places you in the center of the natural beauty. The pure and pristine setting that we were able to work in was inspiring. The leader of the service project was a plant Grounds and Collections Manager as well as a Research Associate. He possessed extensive knowledge based on research of each Native Hawaiian plant in the Manoa Valley. Along with the scientific knowledge that we gained from him we also learned how to use the tools he gave us properly. I developed a unique appreciation for the plants that we let grow and what the invasive species looked like.
Serving as a volunteer for Holomua’s College Counseling Night was an extremely helpful event to participate in. This was due to the fact that as a junior in high school I was exposed to the college decision process. I had been researching colleges that year; however hearing information about the reasons for making a final decision was a great experience. I also served as a representative for Mid-Pacific Institute to both the faculty and the parents due to the fact we had to provide the parents with a personal tour around the school campus. I believed I was able to make the parents who were visiting the campus for the first time, and those who did not possess full knowledge of the school feel comfortable. I fulfilled my duty as a member of my school’s honor society by making parents feel as if they were becoming a part of the Mid-Pacific family.
The HI-5 Recycle Fundraiser was a fundraiser for my school where we collected cans and bottles from every recycling bin on our campus. Our state of Hawaii gives five cents per bottle to those who recycle, giving the project the name HI-5 Recycle. Our school also recently obtained a large blue recycling bin so the school was able to receive the money directly on campus. This community service was extremely rewarding because I was able to develop relationships with my classmates who participated in the event. Our school has eight hundred fifty students in high school alone so I believe community service is a way to allow you to associate with classmates you would otherwise never see enough to converse with. This service project allowed us to help both the environment and provide our school with more finances. Building relationships with my classmates as well as strengthening those relationships with close friends and faculty at my school has been a goal throughout my high school experience.

“You are destined to do great things and you can’t do them here…” These were the last words that my church camp counselor, Kris, said to me. I was thirteen years old and I was as confused as ever. Apparently Kris saw something in me that I failed to see. He saw a young woman, striving to help others, when all I saw was a scared, little girl who didn’t even know what she was going to have for supper that night. It was at this same camp that I met Kris that I found my calling, when I met someone who changed my life forever, and no, it wasn’t Kris.
“Uh-oh,” the camp counselor said, “looks like it’s going to storm. We should be hearing the emergency bell anytime now – ” Ding! Dong! “ – guess I was right, better start heading for the dining hall. So we followed our fearless leader back up the hill and out of the incoming storm. Once all of us thirteen year olds made it safely back, I waltzed into the large room and declared loud enough for all to hear; “What a beautiful storm! God truly outdid himself this time. I hope we don’t get a tornado.” I was hushed by another counselor that had a worried look on his face. “Please don’t say that. There’s a little girl over there under a table who is just terrified of tornados.” I looked over to see a little blonde-haired girl crouched under a table, swaddled in blankets…
If I may interrupt this flashback, I wish to make a comment. When I saw that little girl on that stormy July night, I don’t know what came over me. It seems that the only explanation to what happened next in this story is that God had something else planned for my life and in order for that to happen he made me go over to that little girl.
… I went over and crawled under the table with her. She couldn’t have been more than nine years old at the time, and I was only thirteen. At first I didn’t know what to do, I just kind of felt like I should go over to her and now that I was under the table I didn’t know what to do. So I stretched out my arms and wrapped her in them. She was so tiny and frail, like a little lost bird. I started talking to her, telling her about Heaven and about how God would never destroy something he loved. I never let go of her during the entire storm. But I couldn’t help but notice that she was absolutely gorgeous. She had platinum blonde hair only Swedes could dream of, a million freckles like those of red-haired children, and the bluest eyes like the ocean sea. But those blue eyes were red and her nose was running. The storm lasted for about an hour and she never left the comfort of my warm embrace. After the storm had ended, we were dismissed back to our groups. I didn’t see her for three days.
It was the last day of camp and everyone was saying their good-byes and pledging everlasting friendships. I was talking to another camper when suddenly a pair of arms wrapped tightly around my waist from behind. ‘Who is this?’ I thought. I uncoiled the arms and looked down to see my hugger. It was the little girl from the night of the storm, but now her eyes weren’t red and her nose wasn’t running. She looked up at me and said two words, ‘Thank you’. I just nodded my head and smiled, and then she ran off to hang out with her new friends for the few remaining hours. As she ran off all that was going through my mind was, ‘No, thank you’…
That was five years ago. Since then I have had no contact with that little girl, she didn’t even tell me her name. But I wish I new her name so that I could thank her for changing my life. After going back home and thinking about what had happened, it hit me. I like helping people, but what job could I pursue that lets me help people? I thought about being a psychiatrist, then a psychologist, but both of those involve lots of time and money for schooling, which I don’t have. A counselor was the next best thing; it fits the description of the job I was seeking. So that’s where I’m going in life. I will go to college for social work, get my degree, start working, then go back to school and get my masters in counseling. I eventually want to open my own office as a Christian counselor, a counselor that uses The Bible as an optional tool. God willing, that’s my life.
‘Thank you’, her little voice still rings in my ears. When asked to write an essay on a person who has changed my life I thought of many people. Family, friends, teachers, the list goes on and on. It could’ve been someone much older than me, much wiser. But God had other plans. He placed in my life this little girl; someone that I should be giving advice to. God works in mysterious ways, and he shows us everyday that we are not in control of our own lives. My life is forever changed by that encounter with that little girl. She taught me that sometimes the best thing to do is just comfort others in their time of need. Now it seems that my purpose to breathe is to help others. If a kid needs a ride home after a game or practice, I’ll help them. If someone needs a little money, I’ll help them. If they just need someone to talk to, I’ll help them. I mentioned earlier that I want to become a Christian counselor, but here are some other things that I plan to do later on: join the Peace Corps, become a living organ donor, adopt children. This little girl has had a snowball effect on my heart, she sent me spiraling into a path of self-sacrifice and unwavering love. There are angels among us, and this little, blond-haired is my angel… my
Unknown Angel.

Hi, my name is Adam Gaciarz and I’m currently a senior at West Seattle High School, graduating this June. I plan to go to college to study Music Marketing, Business, Communications, or possibly Audio Engineering. In the fall, I plan attending Seattle Central Community College to take prerequisite classes like English, Math, and Science. After that, I plan to transfer to the University of Washington to get a Bachelor’s degree that will help me get a good job in the music business. I’m constantly thinking about local bands, venues, show houses, press, record labels, creative DIY collectives, why they do what they do, and how they’re all connected and interlocked with each other. I constantly think about the inspiring quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I’m inspired by similar-minded youth with leadership and communication skills.

I’m a member of the Steering Committee and a volunteer at Seattle music-arts venue The Vera Project. The people who volunteer at Vera have inspired me to be passionate, helpful, humble, and dedicated to helping make whatever I love grow. I volunteer at shows working jobs like photographer, concessions, security, show manager, lights, along with regularly attending Vera members meetings. As a Steering Committee member, some of my responsibilities include facilitating member meetings, running volunteer orientations, organizing volunteer appreciation events, filling steering position at shows, approving sponsorships, participating in board nominations before they are sent to general membership for approval, and representing members as liaisons between public, volunteers, staff, and board of directors. Find more info about Vera at http://www.theveraproject.org.

For two years in a row, I have booked, promoted, and organized an annual one-night-only Northwest Do-It-Yourself music festival called BirthDIYfest. After hearing about DIY fests like Carousel Festival and Hollow Earth Magma Festival, shows that brought awesome groups of well-meaning initiative-taking people together, I was inspired to create one myself. It would celebrate do-it-yourself ethics and Seattle’s creative music-arts community as a whole. I wanted everyone in the local DIY music scene to come and meet each other, to make connections, and have a good time. It’s as simple as I want to meet good people, and help them meet other good people. I didn’t get paid or anything, but this was something I just had to make happen.

In 2009, the first year I set BirthDIYfest up, it was a total experiment. I ran into many minor errors and problems. I didn’t start early enough, didn’t get enough ensured press coverage, the bands weren’t the very best I could find, etc. All the little problems I ran into the first year made me want to work much more efficiently and passionately the next. BirthDIYfest 2010 was a great success – hundreds of people came. I brought together dozens of artists, people from local record labels, venues, non-profit organizations, etc. to promote themselves at BirthDIYfest, my way of giving back to the good people of the local scene. I started planning, promotions, and booking six months before the show, and worked on it pretty continuously until the show date. Creating and setting up BirthDIYfest gave me the ability to reach out to local musicians and artists with a good, whole-hearted purpose backing me up, which helped me build relationships and gain VIP contacts. It made me realize how far ahead you have to plan large, crowd-drawing events like this. I am proud to say I booked one of the most popular pop bands in Seattle, BOAT, to headline, with support from awesome locals Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, Feral Children, my band Kids and Animals, and The Nextdoor Neighbors. Check out photos and videos from the show at http://www.myspace.com/bdayfest.

I take photos at shows for an online music publication called Back Beat Seattle. This started out with me posting my show photos to Back Beat’s Flickr photo pool. One day I got an e-mail from the editor asking if I’d like to take and post photos for BBS. I gladly accepted, and it felt like a big compliment that she’d like me to be one of the photographers for the site. I post my photography of local musicians, bands, artists, friends, and things I like in my photostream, which you can view at http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamsayswhatt/.

I used to be the Promotions Manager of a local youth-run monthly fashion, music and arts publication called DIRT Magazine. These two girls started this idea of a magazine which covered Northwest indie bands, art, photography, and fashion. They had a MySpace and asked for people to get involved and volunteer. I was excited at the idea since it was run only by underage teens and it was about my favorite topics, so I asked how I could help. They were both excited to have me on board. Originally I was going to volunteer as a photographer, but my camera was broken at the time, so instead I started making banners, posting info about Dirt around online, taking Dirt to shows, events, and local music stores, and eventually became the Promotions Manager, sort of taking the roll in stride. We found places like the EMP, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Drum School and more to buy advertising in the magazine and help support it for a few issues, but, after the fourth one, we couldn’t support the printing costs and had to end the project. You can read some past Dirt articles online at http://www.dirt-magazine.com.

I presently manage, book, promote, and play shows with a Seattle-based experimental indie rock band called Kids and Animals. As the band manager, I am responsible for all the connecting, mingling, researching, and communicating with local press and media, bookers, label owners, and other bands to constantly be in-the-know about what is current in the local scene. My band has proved to be a project that helps me grow in many different ways, whether it be gaining networking and communication skills, practice and concentration, organization, or most importantly, gaining experience in making quality relationships with people in the local music scene. I’ve learned to write professional press releases and one-sheets, and how to get those to local DJs, press, and record store owners. I’ve learned how to keep our electronic press kit and social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook constantly updated, interesting, and appealing to a pop target market. I’ve learned how to successfully convey information about our upcoming shows to local press like The Stranger or Seattle Weekly, and in turn have them write positive previews and reviews for us. I’ve learned to be patient on waiting for replies.

Our band has come a long way since 2006. Since self-releasing our self-titled debut in November 2009, our band has peaked at #8 on KEXP 90.3FM’s local music chart, was featured in KEXP’s Song of the Day blog and podcast, performed live and in-studio on KEXP, got into regular rotation on air, and has received much recognition for our sophisticated songwriting and unforgettable live show. Give us a listen at http://www.myspace.com/kidsandanimalsband and check out our electronic press kit at http://www.sonicbids.com/kidsandanimals.

I recently went on tours of local radio stations KEXP 90.3FM and 107.7 The End’s offices. It opened my eyes to the professionalism and high standards of a successful radio station. Seeing the people that worked there inspired me; they showed me that it’s not impossible to build a career based on one’s deep love for music. I saw that there were many different jobs when working with a radio station and in the music industry, and maybe they won’t make the most money in the world, but they seem so fun and rewarding. One of my dream jobs would be to work at a radio station. It is such an amazing, connected system that astounds me with all the little details, connections, and relationships that affect the success of a band. I love being genuine, down-to-earth, and detailed with people because then there’s little room for miscommunication, and more room for understanding and growing. Honesty is the best policy. Through volunteering so much, I’ve experienced and learned a lot. I’ve learned that helping others and being nice to everyone you meet is more important than only trying to help yourself out all the time. I’ve learned how rewarding volunteering really is.

Thank you for your time. I hope to hear back from you soon.

with much love,
Adam Gaciarz
WSHS Senior
Seattle, Washington

As cliché as it might sound, I’ve always wanted to help people. No matter to what extent, I have pushed myself to be there for individuals, especially when others couldn’t. The idea of changing a life or helping someone in any little way has, I think, permanently given me butterflies. These butterflies leave me with no doubt in my mind that aiding others is what I was meant to do. I get this overwhelming feel of absolute joy and success when I have physically, mentally, or even emotionally made a being feel better, whether it be about themselves or a situation. Recently, after feeling lost about my future career plans, I talked to my mother for some support. I told her that I felt useless because I didn’t have any sort of “gift” or “calling.” I didn’t have something that was unique and just my own, I was just average. I mean I can’t sing, I can’t draw, I can’t dance, and I can’t act. My mother then looked at me with her brutally honest eyes and told me “But you do have a gift, do you not realize that you have the ability to talk to people? Ever since you were little you have always been the first one to care and help with others. You have always been empathetic and sympathetic to the plights and needs of those around you.” After being told this I realized she was right, my talent was being able to talk to and help people. I found that volunteering was thus my key to happiness. My experience with volunteering is not limited whatsoever; however one of the most rewarding instances was when I volunteered over 40 hours at a local child care facility. As I aided small children I found that for the first time not only was I changing a life, but mine was being changed as well.
I never would have fathomed that kids of no more than four to five years of age would successfully impact or change my life. As I walked into that child day-care I soon realized I was dead wrong. I love making people happy and I always try to do my best at encouraging others, so as I worked with those small children I was way more than excited. While helping out with the children I found myself doing more than just playing and being their “teacher.” I was something more, I was there friend. I never fully understood the simplicity of a child mind, how almost anything makes them happy, but at the same time how they are so easily frustrated. I realized that I wanted to be there friend and I wanted to be someone they looked up to. After just one single day of volunteering I realized I wanted to mentor and guide them, to show them right from wrong. Daily, I played with the children, colored with them, talked to them, fed them, and even helped put them to sleep for nap time. However, this was just not enough for me. In the first day, I noticed that I could help these small children, so that is exactly what I did.
In the proceeding days I began to do more than just act as a “teacher,” or “playground watcher,” I helped them to make decisions, to realize right from wrong; I explained things to them. I began to notice that when the adult supervisor yelded at the children or sent them to the “corner,” that I got very upset. I didn’t like or understand how a child could be sent to time-out without the full understanding of their actions. Obviously five year olds know the basic difference from what is right and what is wrong, but I felt without explanation of the situation they would just serve their time and go and do it again, which is ironically what they did. As a young, fun, nice, talkative, and polite volunteer I obviously gained the quick respect of the children. Most of them called me there “best friend” or the “best,” but I never really considered it an honor or anything until I left my duty as a volunteer there. Being there “best friend” allowed me to do what I did instinctually, help and guide. I was then able to talk with and explain situations and their outcomes, to them. It might seem to “grown-up” for young kids but it actually deemed quite effective.
When the children got in trouble or upset I simply went to them and talked. An instance of this is when two best friends stopped speaking to each other. This might not seem like a big deal, but I wanted to help. I asked one of the girls where her friend was, and she told me that her and the other girl were not friends. I then asked why, and she said because Brianna, the other little girl, began to talk to another child and it made her upset. After listening to her speak I asked her whether or not she thought that was fair. I brought up the idea that perhaps, like everyone, Brianna had lots of friends and that, like everyone, she talked to a lot of kids. I even told her that my best friend and I had lots of different friends, but we still talked to all of them. She just looked at me, and then I simply asked if she had other friends that she talked to, and she said yes. I told her that I would be upset if my friend did that to me because I liked having fun with her and being friends with her, and what if Brianna feels exactly like that. She then told me that she did miss Brianna and she wanted to be her friend again, but was afraid that she wouldn’t take her back. I told her to try, so she walked from me and up to Brianna. Next thing I knew they grabbed hands and ran off to the swings together. Remembering upon that moment makes me smile because it made me realize just how easily a child is influenced by the actions of others. Because of her, I wanted to be a better person, I wanted to be a positive influence on small children. I wanted to be looked up to and cherished as a friend instead of an average “plays ground watcher.”
As well, like mentioned above, it upset me when the children were sent to the corner without any explanation. I truly disliked the fact that the adults would yell and say “go to time-out,” because it was so typical. I felt like the adults were there just to “watch” and not to be involved. For me however, it was totally different, I really wanted to be involved. A little boy, I remember, got in trouble for taking a toy from his classmate and not sharing. He was told to go to time-out and that he would have to share with his peers. While in time-out the little boy was frustrated and upset so I went to talk to him. After hearing him complain how it wasn’t fair, I explained to him nicely that it was and why it was. I told him that there were plenty of toys and that the other child he was with wanted to share with him, and therefore it was “not nice” of him to steal the toy away. I suggested to him that sharing toys were fun because then “everyone gets to play and have fun.” The boy seemed to struggle, so I asked if he would like it if I didn’t share a toy with him, and he said that he wouldn’t and he would want to play with me. I explained that that was exactly how the other boy felt. After that was like a thousand bells went off in his head because his eyes lit up. He told me I was right, said sorry to me and the boy and then asked “can I play with you and the toy?” when he got out of the corner.
From those two experiences as well as many others I realized that I am not useless, in fact I’m was very useful. I helped to open up the emotional and social aspects of a child. I helped them to understand and see the difference between right and wrong. I was able to express myself on their level through pure sincerity and proper explanation. Not only did I impact their lives, they changed mine. Now every single day I make a conscience decision to be the best role model I can possible be. I always try to my fullest capability to make the right decisions, as if a little boy or girl were watching my actions. I felt by being a hypocrite; sharing ideas with the children and then doing the exact opposite of what I tell them, would be like lying to their little faces, and I could honestly never do that. In the end it was a win-win experience because I got to do what I love, help people, and at the same time had my life greatly impacted, by whom? The greatest teachers of all, children.