My name is Kiana King, and I am the club leader of the Children Mentorship Club. On June 25th, we went to Laomei Elementary School in Shimen to bring the students an eventful afternoon, as we did the year before. We chose this school because its isolated location limits its resources, including the opportunity to experiment with learning. Throughout the afternoon, our club members split into three groups: arts, literature, and sports.
The arts group provided the children with used magazines, books, and other materials, then asked them to cut and paste parts that they liked onto white paper. This activity helped the children practice their creativity skills and all of them seemed to enjoy the process. The literature group prepared a presentation regarding water pollution and ways to address it, then my club members asked the children to get into groups to come up with a plot and perform at the end of class. Lastly, the sports group created a game also about water pollution where there would be a few children wearing plastic bottles on their heads that represent pollution, while the other children try to run away from them.
As the club leader, I had the responsibility of checking in between the three groups throughout the afternoon to make sure everything was going according to plan, and to help out when needed. While I was in the arts classroom asking how the children were doing and whether they needed some assistance, one girl looked up to me and said “you’re so pretty!” The second I heard her, a wide smile spread across my face. It was as if a sunflower bloomed in my heart. To other people, this little compliment may have seemed like nothing, but to me, I truly recognized the power of language, and the power of kindness. To me, just one small comment could be the highlight of my day. Along with that, I also realized that to other people, I could make their day special, which is exactly what my club and I did for them that day.
Hearing the laughter of the children, seeing looks of concentration, enjoyment, confusion, seeing what they came up with… all of these little memories made up Children Mentorship Club. Last year when I walked in those doors, I was just an ordinary club member in the music group. This year, I walked in as the club leader, something I never thought I’d have the chance to be, and something I’ll always remember.
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