I loved all of the children, but I spent the most time with a little girl named Trinity.
First of all, the students just loved having somebody younger and different to play with. Ms. Nancy and the other helper could only do so much. We could actually get down to their level and play with them. At one point, Trinity wanted me to get down on the ground and hop like a frog so I did. The other leaders there do not have as much energy as we do. Also, since there are only 2 teachers and about 20 kids normally, there is not enough leaders to go around to entertain all of the kids. Since we were there, we were able to fill that gap between leaders and students. Also, many of these kids just need somebody to love and care for them. I made sure to know all of the kids names by the time I went for the second time so I could really personalize my visits with them and make sure that the kids know that they're very special. Their teachers may tell them "good job" for writing their name out or matching colors with objects, but I am sure it also makes the kids feel good hearing encouragement from other sources. When I helped Trinity match her colors, I made sure to give them tons of praise and I could just see her face light up when she knew she was doing a good job. She would always come up to me throughout the day, "Lizzie, This is orange, this is orange!" One of my favorite things about Trinity is that she would always have a story to tell. I found that it was important for me to give her my undivided attention otherwise should would get this little sad face. Maybe Trinity does not have many people at home who give her attention and that is why she had so much to tell me whenever I would see her.
Disclaimer: To be honest, I did not spend the 4-6 hours with Trinity only just because there were so many other kids that needed attention throughout the day. I tried my hardest, however, to spend the most time with her so I could develop a more personal relationship with her.
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