Hi this is Kelsey the new Maker Ed VISTA Leader. My passions for education and community stem from my childhood. As far back as 3 years old I remember offering my toys to my friends who liked them. I’m not sure if it was to gain acceptance or my natural instincts. I just loved to give. This trait carried on into my adult life.
As a young child I was able to write my name mirror image reverse. By the time I was a first grader I could write paragraphs from the wrong side of the paper. If you held it up to a mirror you would be shocked to find an actual letter that was readable. Although these were neat writing abilities they didn’t go over so well in the normal classroom setting.
After a year of kindergarten at a public school, I was forced by my parents to attend a private school which taught a multi-sensory teaching method specifically for children with dyslexia as severe as mine. I had to repeat kindergarten, which was mortifying for me at the time, but I eventually came to understand why it was helpful. It was helpful to be able to start fresh in my new learning environment with students of all ages and backgrounds. The extra year of kindergarten allowed me to develop skills that didn’t come as easy for me as most people.
Many years later I would realize my passion for education stemmed from my own challenges within the normal classroom setting. I couldn’t write the way I wanted within the standard classroom norms. Oftentimes classrooms control the environment in which we learn and how we learn. I was breaking down those norms at a young age, even though I was not encouraged to do so.
Through Americorps VISTA I realized I could combine my passion for education reform and my need to give back to others. I think giving the gift of education to a child is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Maker Ed allows for me to express both of my passions.
I believe making creates the space for children to learn from many different learning styles. We all have the capability of making something. I started out making paragraphs in a backwards format from the norm. Others may have started out making lego ships or cities out of blocks. Children’s play often presents more opportunities to create and make than anywhere found in the adult world.
As a child, I used to make forts using wooden-pallets, nails and tarps in my backyard, and at school I would make stained glass masterpieces… from paper. I even remember teaching my friend how to make a diamond out of two triangles. Every day I was involved in the process of making, whether I knew it or not. Making allows the imagination to flourish. Your imagination can glimpse the impossible, making it possible.
Who would have thought my love for giving would show up through my developed passion for education reform stemming from my personal journey of the uncommon education and making…yet here I am.
