End of Semester Reflections

Author: Bella Ward

Whew! The fall semester is over and I, along with my peers and teachers, have made it through probably the most challenging semester of learning we will ever face. Although we've all adapted to online learning and teaching, there have been many moments of frustration. After a long Zoom class, I'd often find myself drained of energy and longing for a real interaction, in a real environment, with real people. It's been challenging to stay motivated and excited about growing.

But one aspect of this school year that has kept me pushing towards growth is my work in ArtistCorps. The craft of teaching is new to me, let alone providing instruction online. I had to learn the new skills of video editing and lesson plan building, and figuring out how to engage kids virtually, without being in the classroom with them. While it was all very hard, it was also exciting, because I really care about community service, especially in regards to education.

Since I'm having to adjust to learning online this year, I have a lot of empathy for how difficult it must be for younger kids to learn online, especially since the social and energy-releasing aspects of their school day were completely taken away. In a time where community is hard to build, community service such as ArtistCorps is important in reminding children that people still care. I hope that the videos ArtistCorps members have made this semester will encourage kids to keep being excited about learning.