Ever since I was eight years old, I was uncomfortable taking care of children. I was scared to hold babies, and I avoided babysitting my younger cousins. The possibility of me hurting anyone made me resist the idea entirely. Then, in junior year, I realized that if I wanted a career in education, I needed to face my fear. So I addressed my discomfort by volunteering as a student-teacher at a nonprofit for underprivileged students. At the GO Project, I worked with a group of 2nd graders on math, reading, and science every Saturday. Despite being exhausted from my schoolwork, I knew that this experience would be worth it.
The first couple of months were awkward. When a child would want to hold my hand as we walked down the stairs, I held onto it as if my life depended on it. I was scared the child would fall if I were not cautious. After a few months, I started to connect with my second graders. Every day they looked forward to sitting on the carpet and hearing a story during read-aloud. From Pete the Cat to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the students loved hypothesizing the endings with their friends. I started to appreciate children and their incredible imaginations. One day, as I read, I noticed a small boy crawl on the floor, rushing toward the seat closest to the door. Deon was a shy new student, and I was assigned to help him participate in class and engage with his peers. This challenge was difficult for me since I was still trying to overcome my stage fright. I felt like every time I took one step forward, I took three steps back. One day, while the rest of the class was drawing snowmen for their Christmas-themed art activity, I decided to take a crack at Deon; He was sitting quietly at the table by himself. I hesitated to initiate a conversation but went with a topic all kids love: I asked him to name his favorite Disney movie. After a lengthy silence, he responded quietly with, “Aladdin.” I had never felt happier talking about Disney in my life. Throughout the next couple of weeks, our conversations revolved around Disney, helping him feel more comfortable in the classroom. For example, I would employ tricks like using princess names such as Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Elsa, to count syllables. By the fifth week, he asked to use the bathroom. This was the first time he asked a question in front of the class instead of tugging my sleeve and pointing to the exit. The following week, I brought a new book to read aloud: Aladdin, Far from Agrabah. When he saw his favorite character, Deon rushed over to the carpet and joined his classmates, eager to chat about the book. This moment was a massive victory for both of us. With the help of literature, I helped him conquer his shyness, and he had helped me conquer mine, too.
