Final Artist's Statement

The way I initially thought of “family” at Escuela Vieau stayed the same but in some ways I found that I could expand on my initial thoughts. I said that there were many different definitions of family and that all of them could be seen at Escuela Vieau. This is still true in my eyes and in fact I am seeing it a lot more as I continue my Service Learning. Throughout my Service Learning experiences I’ve seen a lot of children but a select few I have grown accustomed to seeing; I know their names on a personal level and know a little about them. Some of these kids have groups of friends; some of them even say that they have known each other since they were very little. To me this perfectly represents family within groups of students. The students have to get to know each other as well not just the teachers and students. Although the teacher student relationship if very important for academic advancement the student to student relationship is also important. These kids are practically siblings and I’ve noticed that they are all very comfortable around one another. As mentioned before the teacher student relationship is also important. The teacher has to get to know the children to help them to better succeed. Without this personal involvement I feel like there wouldn’t be so much drive on the student’s part to do well. Another aspect that is important is the parent involvement. Parents at Escuela Vieau seem to show interest in being a part of their children’s academic life. Some parents come down to pick up their child which to me is a true sign of interest in what their child is doing. Another is what I saw at the social events. There were a lot of families and parents that attended such events. This made me feel good that there still are parents involved. All of these aspects were represented through images in my presentation as well as my take on what I thought best portrayed each image. Whether those takes would be the student groups or the teacher student relationships or even the parent involvement. All of these factors are important in maintaining a solid school, something that even the principle has strived to do.

Family at Escuela Vieau

Journal Entry 4

The Service Learning is coming to a close now and I'd have to say that I am going to miss the kids and doing all of the arts and crafts. The last time that I went was a Tuesday and I don't normally go on Tuesdays so there was a different group of kids that I had to help. The first group was 3rd graders and then the second group was a group of five kids and they were older. I was helping them make Mother's Day cards with glitter and crayons. It was a lot of fun and a different craft other than paper mache. I really enjoyed doing this project because I got to make my mom a mother's day card for my own mother which was nice. I think that my last two Service Learnings will also be fun but sad because I know I'll never be returning and seeing the students again. For my it was a very good experience and I'm glad I stuck with it.

Media Essay Proposal

For my Film 150 Project I would like to portray family in at Escuela Vieau which is located in a diverse neighborhood. For the first part of my Film project I also focused on family and I would like to stick with that theme because I feel like I have the correct pictures and knowledge for the topic. I need to add more pictures as well as add sound and possibly a video but I feel that with the correct resources I can do that. I am excited to show my final presentation in hopes that family will be correctly displayed.

Journal Entry 3

As I wrap up my Service Learning hours at Escuela Vieau it makes me a little sad that I won't be seeing the school or the kids again. I truly have enjoyed volunteering at the school and getting to know the kids and teachers. I was hesitant to begin working there but after a couple visits I felt more comfortable with everything. Throughout the time I have met so many different kids and sometimes I wouldn’t see that student until a couple of times later but they all seem to remember who I am and what I was there for. There are some kids in particular that I know I will always remember. They truly are sweet children even though sometimes they can get a little rowdy but they all have a sense of discipline when it comes to learning and doing what they are supposed to do. Also throughout this time I have grown to see what Escuela Vieau stands for and how they demonstrate it. The Easter Event was something that I attended and enjoyed very much. I got to see the students not only interacting with their fellow classmates and teachers but their families too. This is what I based my project on with the hopes to create a project that truly reflected their great sense of family.

Representation around Escuela Vieau

Family in Art

Film Essay

Artist's Statement

While working at Escuela Vieau through the Boys and Girls Club I instantly became aware of the tight knit “family” at the school. Family has a lot of definitions and you can find pretty much any sort of family at the school. The student’s biological families being one of them. It is very difficult for a student to perform well at school without the help of a good stable support group at home to guide and direct them in the right path. Now I helped out with arts and crafts as a part of the afterschool enrichment program. The kids always have fun and seem to enjoy what they are doing. When it is time for the student to leave some parents will physically come down to where the child is and pick them up. In my opinion this is a great sign that parental care is alive and well at Escuela Vieau. Sometimes the parents will talk to the teachers, another sign that the teachers are involved and doing their job at the school. Another aspect I noticed was the teachers. A school wouldn’t be a school without the teachers. These teachers do a fantastic job at what they do. They make sure every student is accounted for and doing the task at hand as well as keep them under control. Students are at school for long amounts of time during the week, the teachers become the parents in sense. The students get to know the teachers and the teachers get to know the students. I noticed that the teachers know all the kids names as well as their personalities. This is an evident sign of what a “family” is all about. I’ve also noticed that the teachers take great responsibility in what they do on a daily basis. Everything is extremely organized and put together. The teachers know what they are supposed to do and how to get it done. This helps the students to understand what they are doing and in turn helps the students to have fun and develop a family atmosphere. Another that is quite clear is all the posters and signs hanging up in the hallways. One sign just plainly says family therefore Escuela Vieau is aware that family is an important aspect of growing up and developing into young adults. This to me is very important because you should never forget your family or where you came from.

Journal Entry 2

The Service Learning so far is going really well! I didn't imagine for it to be as good as it is, I enjoy going and being with all the kids. Each child has their own personalities and it's quite enjoyable to see how each of them react with each other. I also like the school as well as the teachers. Everything runs smoothly and on time as well. Something that I wanted was to experience a different culture. This community's atmosphere is so culturally diverse, it really is amazing to be there and immersed in it. Of course they speak a different language but all in all the workings of the school is quite the same as when I was in grade school. Not only are the children there in the school but you get to see their parents at some points. This is interesting too because the parents are so involved with their kids lives. Some parents come down to see what their child has been working on and everything and like to talk with the teachers. I like seeing this because it still shows that parental care is still alive and well in the school systems. I've also learned some of the students names who I see on a weekly basis. I always make sure to say hi and talk to them every time I see them.

Journal Entry 1

For this Service Learning Project I hope to experience this a different culture in a way so that I can document and share my findings. I hope to help the students of Escuela Vieau School by sharing my culture and immersing myself in theirs. As a Service Learner my job is to help the students in any way possible. My areas of interest are helping with Arts and Crafts. I look forward to this because Art was one of my favorite subjects and extra-curricular activity to do. Since the students are from a different culture they speak a different language, although they still can speak English I’m a little worried that there might be a language barrier there. I’m thinking that most of these students will want to speak Spanish therefore speaking English will not be their number one priority. For me immersing myself in a different culture is a fun thing to do. I will do my best to portray their culture through pictures. I love to take pictures in the first place so doing this project shouldn’t be all that difficult. I really am looking forward to this experience by taking pictures and being with children of a different culture.