YMCA Tween Night

This previous saturday I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer for a Tween night at the cortland YMCA. It was truly a great experience. Although I wasn't able to stay for the entire time I got a lot of interaction time with the kids as well as some valued observation time. As teachers it is important to be able not only to stand in front of the class and instruct the students, but also to be able to observe them. I got to see the variability in developmental level of students who were ages 11-13 mostly. It is truly amazing to see how fast many of the students have progressed from just a few years prior. I was also very interested in seeing how the personnel managed the facilities and kept everything running smoothly. Although at times some of the kids got a little rambunctious, the facilities were constantly monitored and everything ran according to plan. The gym space was used to get the kids active and moving around, which I found really great. Also many small sided activities were set up for the children. I really just enjoyed how active the kids were , and how a program as simple as this can really make such a large impact. I hope to aid in organizing events such as this throughout my future career. I was unable to obtain any photos of the actual kids as it was not allowed, but I will attach some pictures of the YMCA itself and the rock-climbing facilties that they have, which are amazing.