November 29th: Second Trip to WSU

During the trip to St. Charles and back, I loved talking with all the littles about their Thanksgiving break. Everyone did something different, and I loved how each little really wanted to share their exciting news.

I have realized in the past few weeks how my little has grown so much more comfortable speaking her native language amongst the other littles. They have bonded so much and feel comfortable around all of the bigs. This has not only been a one-on-one mentoring experience, but also a group bonding experience where we have come to interact and learn about each other.

The trip to WSU was incredible once again. I could tell that they loved coming back; they all knew exactly what they wanted to see and knew exactly where the icecream was :).

I felt like my little took in the most when we went into the library. She was really quiet and was looking at everything there was to see. I will never forget the expression she had on her face when we walked up to the third floor of the library; She could not believe how many books there were, and she also paid close attention to the students studying below on the second floor. She was wondering what they were doing, and I told her they were studying for their final exams.

Going to the science lab was amazing! All the littles had a bunch of energy, and I was really impressed at how well Bruno Borsarri handled their excitement. My little was especially fascinated by the crickets. I remember at one point some of them were released on the floor and she was the first one to pounce at it! I didn't know she was fearless of bugs!

Cynthia Porter from the Winona Post asked me if I would like to be interviewed for an article entitled "Amistad." I agreed, and I just recently replied to her questions with the following:

I was first interested in this course because I have a desire to work with the Latino population in the future. I am an elementary education major at WSU and I am looking into completing a Spanish minor. My goal one day is to study abroad and also teach Spanish-speaking children in South America.

This class has provided me with more opportunities than I could imagine. Each day in class we discuss current issues affecting the Latino population in the United States, including border and identity issues, immigration laws and concerns, literacy and education, and more. Everyday we learn something new and discuss how this has affected Latinos and also how we can become more open-minded, humble individuals in a diverse world.

Mentoring at St. Charles has provided more insight into the culture and education of Latino children. In class we have learned that Latinos are prone to more educational difficulty, but as a mentor, I hope to reveal opportunities and emphasize optimism in my little's future. On Wednesdays, my little and I do a variety of activities together. One thing we both enjoy is writing to each other in a journal about our week. Every Wednesday we share what we did and what we enjoyed and then switch journals for the next week. This has been a great way to not only learn about my little's likes and dislikes, but to discover new ways in which we relate and have further conversation. We also read, do arts and crafts, and play group games. A couple of weeks ago, the class asked their littles to bring in pictures of their family and we did the same. This was the first time I saw my little truly open up and talk about her siblings and parents. It was an incredible bonding activity!

All the littles are energetic and willing to learn. They just need to find open doors that will lead them to a bright future.

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I am really looking forward to next week! I hope we have an opportunity to talk with our little's parents and teachers. This will provide insight into both my little's life but also a glance into what my future will be like.