I have reached the end of my Village Project experience, and as I begin to look back at it, I am realizing that it meant a lot more to me than I ever thought it would. I always looked forward to going and seeing the students, and I loved the feeling I got when they were excited to see me. After my first day, I thought it would be something I would not enjoy because of how hectic and overwhelming the atmosphere was, but I quickly learned to enjoy it! This experience has been very important to me because it showed me how to build relationships with children, which I feel I have always struggled with, and relationships with the staff. I have never felt like I have been very good with kids, but the Village Project has shown me that each kid is unique and building relationships with them is not something that should be forced. I bonded with many kids over many different things, and creating these connections was not something that I needed to think long and hard about; I felt that they came very naturally. Working with the staff also allowed me to have a different perspective on situations with students. They showed me different ways to deal with students, mainly when they had trouble listening, which helped me create my own idea and style of how to connect with students in a way that they understood what I was asking of them, and I had less trouble with them not listening. Having the opportunity to work with both the students and the staff allowed me to see what it was like to be in both of their shoes, and it gave me a better understanding of some of the best ways to get through to students. I am glad I had the opportunity to work with these kids, and it will always be something that I look back on in a positive, influencing, and beneficial way to me and my learning.

My top ten takeaways from this opportunity are as follows:

1. Every student is different. They all will learn in their own way, and it is very important that you get to know each and every one of your students in order to know the best way to help advance them in the classroom and form connections with them.
2. Always keep a positive attitude and mindset. This is important because students will react to you differently if you do not do this. Keeping positive will encourage them to do the same, and hopefully create an overall better atmosphere for the classroom.
3. Patience is key. Every student I worked with took a different approach and amount of time to warm up and get to know me. I gave the students as much time as they needed, and I made sure they knew I was willing to help them with anything if they wanted me to; however, I made sure to not force anything so that they could take the time they needed to get to know someone new to their life.
4. Expect the unexpected! Kids are very honest, and they are not afraid to speak their minds, especially when they are full of energy! This is something that I learned very quickly, but it is not necessarily always a bad thing, just something that you have to get used to. It is also important to remember to not take things to heart when it can be applied. 
5. Be yourself. I found that the more I was myself, the more kids wanted to be around me, spend time with me, and come to me for help. I think that they felt like I was really listening to them when I did this, and it helped me form better relationships with them.
6. When working with the students, try to see what it feels like to be in their shoes. This is something that is very important to me, especially with the Village Project, because doing this allowed me to better understand how they were feeling and get a  good idea of what I could do for a student in order to help them the best way I could. Imagining that I was in their shoes also showed me what it was like to be a kid again, and helped me appreciate for them the staff and volunteers that were there to provide this after school program. 
7. Do not ignore situations you do not know how to deal with or do not want to deal with. Avoiding situations like these will stop you from getting the experience of what it is like to work with kids. It will also prevent you from learning how to react in situations where you are not quite sure what to do. Situations like these are great learning experiences and should not be avoided or ignored!
8. The staff appreciate you as volunteers! I think that I played a big part in helping keep the students on task, occupying them when they finished an activity early, and helping around the classroom. I was told many times that I was greatly appreciated, and I am glad I could help take some stress off of them and allow them to not have to do everything on their own.
9. Put in the effort to get to know students. This is key, and common sense, if you want to form relationships with children. The more I bounced around to different groups of students, the more students began to remember my name and come up to me and talk to me. This is also important because it slowly shows your students that you want to have a positive relationship and influence on their life, and you will be there to help them when they need it.
10. Do not be afraid to communicate and ask questions! I believe that this is one of the most important takeaways I received from this opportunity because this is what helped me become myself, be less afraid to be outgoing, and learn everything that I did. Asking the students questions and talking to them when I could really helped me come out of my shell. Also, asking the staff questions and communicating any concerns I had helped improve the program and provide me with a better experience.

I am very grateful for this experience, and I think that I learned a lot about working with children and adults, and I had quite a few takeaways from it. I am glad I was provided this opportunity, and I am glad it is something that I quickly warmed up to and began to enjoy!