As the holidays are approaching Ariana and I decided we wanted to plan a holiday craft for our kids in the art room. After spending what seemed like hours on pinterest we decided to have them decorate snowflakes that they could hang up at school or take home. I spent like an hour cutting out snowflakes in the library instead of doing work(destressingggg), picked up glitter glue, pompoms, and pipe cleaners to decorate. The kids loved it, as did Ms. Sarah and Ms. Stacy. There was glitter all of the table and all over me and pom poms were all over the floor, but I loved it. There was a smile on every child’s face. Ms. Sarah and Ms. Stacy, loved the idea so much that they asked us how we thought they could translate this craft into an idea for one of their kindergarten classes. I was so happy that they appreciated the time that we put in in order to make their school community a little happier during the holidays.

As it is the holiday season, Ariana decided it would be a good idea to get Ms.Stacy and Ms. Sarah little gifts as a thank you for everything they do for the kids and for the programs they run. We gave Ms. Stacy hers first she was overwhelmed with happiness and told us how grateful she was for all the help the Cornell kids provide her program and how lucky she feels to be a part of it now matter how stressful it is at times. She was desperate to know if Ariana and I would be back the next semester. We gave Ms. Sarah he gift at the end of the class, her reaction is the reason I wrote this blog post. She immediately broke into tears and I could just how much of an impact Ariana and I had made in her life just after 6 weeks, of seeing her. She could barely find the worlds to explain how she felt, but the tears were enough.

To me this semester long experience has been more than I had hoped it would be. I thought it would be a relaxing experience where I got to help kids out with homework or do arts and crafts. And that did happen, I have done plenty of arts and crafts but I have also made lifelong memories about Ms. Sarah and the community at BJM.

As I walked into the BJM A+ art room, I was greeted by happy children and Ms. Sarah. What caught me by surprise was the large sheet of paper laid out over one of the drawing tables. As I further entered the room I noticed that it was a Get Well Soon card for one of the teachers at BJM. The paper was filled with drawing and signatures from children and employees alike. I didn’t know the teacher that the card was for, but Ms. Sarah pulled myself and Ariana to the table and asked us to sign the get well card. It didn’t matter that we didn’t know her, all Ms. Sarah cared about was the smile that she hoped to bring to her friend and coworker. Ms.Sarah calmly explain to children who asked that she wanted to make her friend happy while she was home getting ready. The children may not have understood the severity of the situation or what the card was really for but they were happy participants none the less. Even one of the children who has some behavioral issues drew a picture. All of the teachers in the room were impressed that he took the time to acknowledge what Ms. Sarah was asking him to do. They took the time to tell his mom who was incredibly proud as well

This week I attended BJM, expecting to see my usual volunteering partner, Ariana. However this week she never came, I assumed she was busy or had a prelim, or may be she wasn’t feeling well. I brushed it off and headed into the Art Room. I was greeted by hellos from Ms. Sarah and Mr. Jacob as usual. Children ran up to me and grabbed my leg asking if I remembered their names or looked puzzled as if they had never seen me before(nothing out of the ordinary). I took my seat at the table, just as I felt a tap on my shoulder. A little girl named Ella looked up at me quite distraught. I asked her what was wrong and then she asked me where Ariana was. I told her I wasn’t sure, maybe she was running late or maybe she got busy, but that I was sure she would be back next time. Ella seemed to nod in understanding but I could see the hurt in her eyes. It became clear to me that she looked forward to seeing Ariana every other week, that it was a high point in her week. It gave me a real tangible example of the impact we are making on these children’s’ lives just by this one hour of time.

On my second trip to BJM elementary school, I once again found myself in the Art room with Ms. Sarah.

After being begged for about 15 mins, Ms. Sarah, Mr.Jacob and I decided to play some music for the kids. The second that we agreed screams for Frozen or Moana song, were joined by Uptown Funk and other songs I would have expected. Every now and then one of them requested something a little different such as “spooky music,” but it was nothing out of the ordinary. We were flipping through Disney songs till the little girl Edith turned to me and asked if we could play David Bowie, Black Sabbath, or Bruce Springstein. She ranted and raved about how they were her favorite and how much she loved them. Ms. Sarah, Mr. Jacob and I were shocked that not only did Edith know who these artists were, but the 5 year old could list 10-15 songs from each artist and sing lyrics from the ones she didn’t know the title of. She also seemed to be annoyed when her peers had no idea about the songs she was referring to.It blew my mind that she had such a music preference that mirrored that of her full-fledged adult teachers. I can’t help but wonder how Edith’s music knowledge will continue to grow as she gets older, and becomes increasingly influenced by her peers.

Last week was my first week(since orientation) volunteering at Beverly J Martin Elementary School, in the A+ program. I had been assigned to the art room with Ms. Sarah.

Ms. Sarah is an incredibly kind women who has spent years caring for children in her own family as well as the families of others. I could see instantly how so many of the children loved Ms.Sarah. Some would run in and grab her in a hug, some made sure to say hello to her as they sprinted in the door. While the children ranged in age from 5 to about 7, every single one of them respected Ms. Sarah and understood her role as a caregiver. When ever a child misbehaved, Ms.Sarah could almost just look at them and make them correct their mistakes. She ran her classroom pretty freely, letting the children draw or play with toys however they wanted. As long as they were happy, Ms. Sarah was content to sit at the table and doodle while children rotated in and out of the seat next to her.

At about 20 minutes in, a parent came to pick up their child early from the program. It was a parent that Ms. Sarah had not met yet, as soon as she realized what happen she ran out the door tearing after the parent worried that someone had taken a child. This child wasn’t hers, or one who I later found out hadn’t been in the program for very long. But Ms. Sarah didn’t care she chased after that parent like she would for one of her own kids.

She told me that she thought once she left her home country, she would feel free to do something besides take care of people, but that was a long time ago and here she is taking care of children. I could see the passion she has for caring for kids, helping to raise them, and to make an incredible difference in their lives no matter how small.