NW NOGGIN AT
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THE CLINTON & GLORIA JOHN CLUBHOUSEBoys & Girls Clubs of America is a large organization with a national reach, similar to the YMCA. The location we served was based out of the Hazel Dell area.
Our program--affectionately referred to as "Brain Camp" by the B&G Club administration--consisted of three weeks of instruction to a diverse range of age groups. We'd have one hour with 1st-5th graders, and another hour with 6th-8th. |
PREPARING OUR CURRICULUMWe were given a period of three weeks to meet and construct lesson plans. Daily meetings were held at Coffee Time in NW Portland--these sessions consisted mostly of hypothetical scenarios and ideas being thrown out on the table. Eventually we succeeded in building a tentative schedule of activities--one neuroscience lesson and one art project for every day. Since we were unfamiliar with the Boys & Girls Club's system, we refrained from setting too many plans in stone and instead focused on having options.
Once the teaching phase began, it was more of a whirlwind than any of us had anticipated. Only images can describe it! |
A VISUAL NARRATIVE
REFLECTION
Our three weeks didn't go quite as planned--there were a lot of unforeseen circumstances that required us to be more improvisational than we were expecting. Fortunately our team was very creative and adaptive, and we managed to work through the uncertainties to bring a quality experience to our students. Having to leave after three weeks was a very bittersweet moment for all of us, as we'd gotten to know so many of our students on a more personal level. Perhaps we'll be back again next year--and just maybe, some of these kids will return!