I've been spending a lot of time at the Y lately, and my time there has become something I really look forward to. This week, I've been there three evenings, and those few hours each night have been the better parts of my week.
Monday - GNO week 2
GNO was really fun this week. I think the girls, and the volunteers, enjoyed themselves quite a bit. This week is one of my favorites of the whole program every session, especially since we did completely different activities than we have in the past two sessions. The theme of Hopes and Dreams is really great to see the girls start to open up. We learn what they're passionate about, what they want for their future. As a group we read Oh the Places You'll Go, and had two smaller activities in which we discussed how to attain goals, the difference between long and short term goals, and how sometimes you can't always achieve all your goals and how to deal with that. Our physical activity was kick-boxing. The girls seemed to really enjoy it and, much to my delight, all participated again. The instructor told them they were the best group she's taught so far, and I'm certain she meant it. I'm so proud of them already. It's relieving to not have to constantly scold or argue with them. I really enjoyed kick-boxing and it was a great workout. It totally kicked my ass in a good way. Unfortunately, my stupid leg couldn't handle all the jumping associated with the workout and I was only able to participate in about half of the activity.
Tuesday - Strong Kids Campaign kick-off
A few months ago, I asked the lady in charge of GNO if there were any other volunteer opportunities. She got back to me about a fundraising campaign that helps bring in money to GNO and other youth programs. I jumped at the opportunity and chose the online option. After just under two months of anticipation, the kick-off was last night. The biggest reason for the kick-off was so the phone campaigners could start making their calls, but it also started the annual fundraiser and gave really strong information about how the program works and who it benefits. This fundraiser helps send kids to the Day Camp, brings in money for activities and supplies for GNO, and gives scholarships so people can keep memberships. After hearing personal stories from children and families who have benefited from the Strong Kids Campaign, I was even more excited to start raising money. It's so incredibly rewarding to know I'm helping kids participate in programs they otherwise may not be able to. I'm also very excited to be able to bring some donations for my girls. As a program, there isn't much they have for themselves. We share supplies, rooms and equipment with the daycare programs. The hope is also that donations will reduce the fee that each child has to pay to participate. I couldn't be more excited to be part of such a great institution as the Y.
Wednesday - Zumba
I've been going to Zumba (nearly) every week and I'm so glad I found this class/instructor/exercise. Basically, I was given a bunch of free passes to attend just her class since I don't have a membership, but do an assload of volunteering for the Y. I have so much fun that sometimes I forget I'm even working out. It's a great full body workout that doesn't aggravate my tempramental leg too much. This week the instructor brought back some old songs from a few months ago and even a brand new one. "The best part about doing a brand new song is if I screw up, you guys won't know!" I can tell I'm finally starting to get in shape because I wasn't so out of breath, and actually wasn't even feeling tired until the tail end of the 45 minute class. I'm also starting to get more flexible and was able to stretch a lot further.
*Bernard Meltzer
Showing posts with label zumba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zumba. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
GNO week 1
Good morning, dear readers! Last night started up a new session of Girls Night Out, and so far, I'm very excited. Each session is with a new group of girls from a different school. This semester, I'm working with girls from the middle school that I went to and that my younger sister is attending as well. While it may be too early to tell, this group of girls already seem more behaved than my last group. My biggest hope for the next two and a half months is that they really are this well behaved and their behavior stays this way.
I'm working with another advisor this session (three different advisors thus far) and she seems to be really good at her job. She said it's her fifth year in the program and I can definitely tell. She's very firm, and starts off like that so there will be no questions later in the program...but not bitchy firm. I can tell already I'm going to like her. She relates to the girls well, but makes it known she has a low bullshit tolerance. The perfect balance, if you ask me.
The first week is like the first day of the semester in school. We explained the program, introduced ourselves and talked about the expectations of GNO. After a few ice breaker activities, our physical activity was Zumba. I was really excited for the Zumba, especially because the class was taught by the lady whose class I take every week at the Y. Most of the girls seemed to really get into it. After the night ended, a friend/dance teacher at the Y actually wrote on my page that the Zumba instructor told her how impressed she was with the girls. We're off to a great start! The only problem that I had was not realizing we were going to be doing a physical activity on the first night. I wore Chucks instead of quality tennies and was a tad dehydrated. Which means that today my calves are killing me with every step I take. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
The advisor told us some of the other physical activites that we're going to be doing, and I'm really excited for them as well. Some of the activities are repeated every session and some are new, to me at least. We will be doing yoga, step, kick boxing, and relay races, among others.
I'm working with another advisor this session (three different advisors thus far) and she seems to be really good at her job. She said it's her fifth year in the program and I can definitely tell. She's very firm, and starts off like that so there will be no questions later in the program...but not bitchy firm. I can tell already I'm going to like her. She relates to the girls well, but makes it known she has a low bullshit tolerance. The perfect balance, if you ask me.
The first week is like the first day of the semester in school. We explained the program, introduced ourselves and talked about the expectations of GNO. After a few ice breaker activities, our physical activity was Zumba. I was really excited for the Zumba, especially because the class was taught by the lady whose class I take every week at the Y. Most of the girls seemed to really get into it. After the night ended, a friend/dance teacher at the Y actually wrote on my page that the Zumba instructor told her how impressed she was with the girls. We're off to a great start! The only problem that I had was not realizing we were going to be doing a physical activity on the first night. I wore Chucks instead of quality tennies and was a tad dehydrated. Which means that today my calves are killing me with every step I take. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
The advisor told us some of the other physical activites that we're going to be doing, and I'm really excited for them as well. Some of the activities are repeated every session and some are new, to me at least. We will be doing yoga, step, kick boxing, and relay races, among others.
Friday, October 14, 2011
GNO week 3
I can't believe I've already had three Mondays with my new group of girls at the Y! I really enjoy this program and it's the one thing I really look forward to every week. The two hours a week I spend with these girls is more rewarding than the 40 hours a week I spend at work (I finally quit my part time job at Target. Hooray for being down to one job again!) or anything else in my life, really. Unfortunately, though, there are a few girls this session that are really trying my patience. More on that in a little bit.
This week we focused on positive influences, inspirational material and why it's awesome to be a girl. The first half of the night the girls created collages. In groups of four, they each cut out about four images or words out of magazine and then pasted them together on construction paper. After the groups finished their projects, one girl from each group explained the importance of their work. Two things really stuck out to me. "I picked out a car, because I'm going places" and "We put a cancer ribbon on {our collage} because a lot of women get breast cancer. And sometimes they lose their hair and don't feel beautiful anymore. But they're always beautiful." Sometimes, I'm absolutely blown away by what comes out of the mouths of children.
Our physical activity this week was Zumba. Many of the girls, myself included, absolutely fell in love with this exercise. I had never done this before, but have been excited to try it for some time. We danced to about 6 or 7 songs, my favorite of them being Stereo Hearts by the Gym Class Heroes. This workout kicked my butt, and the best part? Not once did it feel like a workout! One of the girls came up to me as they were leaving and told me she loved Zumba and wanted to do it every day. It was great to see the girls enjoy themselves so much.
...Unfortunately, this is where the program is getting trying. There have been about six girls out of the group who really test my patience every week. They don't listen to any of the volunteers or the advisor and blatantly do the exact opposite of what they're asked. They don't participate in any of the group activities, and you'd think we were asking them to go through a root canal the way they refuse to join in the physical activities. They don't even try it, but miraculously, know they don't like it. Isn't that convenient? I tried really hard to get the girls to join in, but I would have better luck nailing jello to a tree.
Me: Girls, you'd be able to see the instructor better if you got in line.
Girl 1: I don't want to see her!
Me: Well, you guys should participate, it's a lot of fun!
After the next song, Me: Girls you really need to participate with everyone else.
Girl 2: Can I go get a drink?
Me: Didn't you just do that?
Girl 2: No, I went to the bathroom before.
Me: Fine, but if you're not back in five minutes I'm coming after you.
After the next song: Girls, if you're not going to participate, you need to be quiet so everyone else can.
Girls: Ok. Continue to talk in a circle.
Repeat previous two lines two more times.
This went on until after the physical activity, where they refused to sit by the advisor to listen for the next week's activities, continued to color after they were told they needed to line up to leave, and continued to look me in the eye, say ok, and then go back to what was clearly more important.
Now, I understand middle schoolers get riled up and I understand having to deal with attitude problems. I'm more than prepared to handle that. What I am struggling with is being a volunteer with little authority or apparently imporantance in their lives. They are not made to be there (well, they probably are by their parents). They don't listen to one person in the room, they talk over everyone and don't participate in one activity. This is incredibly frustrating and takes nearly all of my energy for the night. The small chatter turns into screaming as they try to talk over instructions and other girls, and then other girls become distracted, and before I know it, I have an entire room of screaming, uncooperative sixth graders.
This is exactly how I know I will never become a teacher.
This week we focused on positive influences, inspirational material and why it's awesome to be a girl. The first half of the night the girls created collages. In groups of four, they each cut out about four images or words out of magazine and then pasted them together on construction paper. After the groups finished their projects, one girl from each group explained the importance of their work. Two things really stuck out to me. "I picked out a car, because I'm going places" and "We put a cancer ribbon on {our collage} because a lot of women get breast cancer. And sometimes they lose their hair and don't feel beautiful anymore. But they're always beautiful." Sometimes, I'm absolutely blown away by what comes out of the mouths of children.
Our physical activity this week was Zumba. Many of the girls, myself included, absolutely fell in love with this exercise. I had never done this before, but have been excited to try it for some time. We danced to about 6 or 7 songs, my favorite of them being Stereo Hearts by the Gym Class Heroes. This workout kicked my butt, and the best part? Not once did it feel like a workout! One of the girls came up to me as they were leaving and told me she loved Zumba and wanted to do it every day. It was great to see the girls enjoy themselves so much.
...Unfortunately, this is where the program is getting trying. There have been about six girls out of the group who really test my patience every week. They don't listen to any of the volunteers or the advisor and blatantly do the exact opposite of what they're asked. They don't participate in any of the group activities, and you'd think we were asking them to go through a root canal the way they refuse to join in the physical activities. They don't even try it, but miraculously, know they don't like it. Isn't that convenient? I tried really hard to get the girls to join in, but I would have better luck nailing jello to a tree.
Me: Girls, you'd be able to see the instructor better if you got in line.
Girl 1: I don't want to see her!
Me: Well, you guys should participate, it's a lot of fun!
After the next song, Me: Girls you really need to participate with everyone else.
Girl 2: Can I go get a drink?
Me: Didn't you just do that?
Girl 2: No, I went to the bathroom before.
Me: Fine, but if you're not back in five minutes I'm coming after you.
After the next song: Girls, if you're not going to participate, you need to be quiet so everyone else can.
Girls: Ok. Continue to talk in a circle.
Repeat previous two lines two more times.
This went on until after the physical activity, where they refused to sit by the advisor to listen for the next week's activities, continued to color after they were told they needed to line up to leave, and continued to look me in the eye, say ok, and then go back to what was clearly more important.
Now, I understand middle schoolers get riled up and I understand having to deal with attitude problems. I'm more than prepared to handle that. What I am struggling with is being a volunteer with little authority or apparently imporantance in their lives. They are not made to be there (well, they probably are by their parents). They don't listen to one person in the room, they talk over everyone and don't participate in one activity. This is incredibly frustrating and takes nearly all of my energy for the night. The small chatter turns into screaming as they try to talk over instructions and other girls, and then other girls become distracted, and before I know it, I have an entire room of screaming, uncooperative sixth graders.
This is exactly how I know I will never become a teacher.
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