Church of the Highlands | July 2015
Involvement and Leadership
Summer Blast is a huge children’s conference Church of the Highlands holds every summer for three days. The event is run by volunteers with a broad range of responsibilities. Small group leaders were responsible for ensuring the safety of the children and guiding them to all of the activities throughout the day. We established a fun, loving atmosphere for our groups and developed close relationships with the kids in our groups. Spending time with twelve 2nd graders for three days was an exhausting, yet rewarding experience. It challenged me by showing me how to truly be responsible for the well being of kids. From head counts to monitoring allergies, there are so many aspects that go into protecting a child. I also worked hard to develop close relationships with the children. I wanted to relate to them and their specific personalities and interests in order to maximize their experience during Summer Blast.
Over the past three years I have volunteered with the Highlands Kids team at Church of the Highlands. Highlands Kids volunteers have many responsibilities on a given Sunday morning. We encourage and welcome children into the classroom when their parents drop them off and try and maintain a positive and loving atmosphere at all times. In addition, volunteers lead games on stage and present weekly lessons in a fun a relatable manner. Leading 50 to 70 children every Sunday on stage has stretched me and built my instructional skills, giving me the confidence to teach children and hold their attention. My experiences at Highlands Kids have helped me prepare to both instruct children and develop relationships with kids that allow you to impact them, which are both elements of the teaching profession.
I have been a member of the Auburn University Marching Band for four years. The Auburn Band is more than just the occasional fight song or cool half time performances; The Auburn band is the embodiment of the Auburn spirit. As members of the marching band we serve as ambassadors of our university, both on and off the field. We hold high standards for personal and musical performance. Dr. Corey Spurlin teaches us that when represent our university as a whole and should hold our selves accountable for our words and actions. Beyond just developing musical performance skills, the Auburn Band has taught me what it means to be a team player, to be responsible, and committed to an organization. Rehearsal takes time and game days are filled with extra tasks, which has taught me to be devoted and manage my time appropriately around my responsibilities. These skills are super valuable for a teacher to have and be able to implement in their class room.
In addition to being a member of the marching band, I have also held the position of Percussion Section Leader for two years. Being in a leadership position within the band has exposed me to a lot of the behind the scenes work that goes into making such a large organization run smoothly. There is a lot of planning, troubleshooting, and reflecting on both rehearsals and performances. As a section leader I have developed critical communication skills. I am responsible for relaying important information to my section and keeping them informed on potential changes and challenges throughout the week. Throughout the course of the semester I have learned to use my position as a leader to influence my peers to achieve and strive for goals as well. As a future educator, it is important for me to be goal driven when thinking about lesson plans and stuent achievment throughout the semester. I am thankful for the valuable skills being a section leader has taught me.
For about a year I worked on staff at My Gym in Auburn Alabama. Staff members at My Gym teach and assist classes and birthday parties with anywhere between 5 and 20 kids. We engage the children in active games and teach practice skills, foster a safe and energetic atmosphere, and provide excellent customer service daily. Since working at My Gym I have gained experience in programming for events/parties and reviewing curriculum, which are both skills that I will use as a future teacher. My experiences working at My Gym have really been invaluable. Since starting, I have developed a confidence in my teaching abilities and have really seen myself becoming more comfortable in front of children. I have also gained experience interacting with not just children, but their families as well. As a future teacher, having confidence in your abilities to teach and manage your students behaviorally is very important, and I am thankful for the opportunity to practice these skills in such a fun and high-energy environment.