Rocktober Happenings

I really like the month of October. September is always spent adjusting to something new, the weather is getting colder. But by October, the weather is full (in New York) of that nice autumn air, the leaves are changing, but more importantly I always associate October with feeling comfortable. By that time I am usually used to my schedule and find myself in a nice routine. This October seems to be more or less falling into that same pattern. Though the leaves are still green and it's still jeans and t-shirt weather, I am starting to feel more comfortable at my job and with my surroundings in general.

Chicora keeps me on my toes. It reminds me of college in the way that there is always something I could be doing. There is no time to be bored, because there are many projects that I am constantly working on. Every day I am in charge of the mentoring program. The Lunch Buddy program is the most popular, and my personal favorite thing that I do. For the Lunch Buddy Program, I recruit mentors to come into the school to sit and eat lunch with a student, then go out and play with them at recess. I admit that when I first heard about this program, I was kind of reluctant. I was skeptical about the difference eating lunch with a student would be. I was worried that students might not really want to eat lunch with an adult rather than their class. Boy was I wrong. I can't go one day without walking down the hallway and having a student come up to me and say "Miss. Erin, I want a mentor SO BAD." And Nothing makes me feel so good as to when I tell a student that he or she has a mentor and their entire face lights up. It's a similar feeling to when you watch someone you love get excited about a present that you put a lot of time and effort into. A lot of these kids just need someone to listen to them. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it really makes all the difference in the world. I realize that I really like my job because I care so much about these students and I want them to succeed so bad! I would by lying if I said that there weren't some mornings where getting out of bed is the hardest thing in the world, or some afternoons when I come home so worn out that I am tempted to say that I am fed up. But all and all I can honestly say that I enjoy my job and really feel like I make a positive difference.

I have also been really enjoying our little group of VISTAS in Charleston. We all are emotionally supportive of each other and we also have fun together. Most of us moved to Charleston from far away, so it's really great to have such a tight knit group. I like how we all bring different things to the table.

Last week I got the unique opportunity to work at McDonalds. They have a promotion called "McTeachers Night" where if the faculty and staff work at McDonalds for three hours, the school gets 20% of the proceeds. So, I put on my hat and got to work! It was actually a lot of fun. They had some of us flippin burgers, some making fries, some working the front register. They had me on the drive thru. It was quite an experience, I definitely have a new respect for McDonalds employee.