Matt Haeffner

Final Log and Report

Site: Ithaca Waldorf School
a. Fulfillment of Learning Objectives:
1) My first objective was to learn the Morning Lesson schedule by
week two so I could assimilate to the way the Waldorf School
educated their students and what activities went on each day. I
achieved this goal by trying to make the students comfortable
with me being around and getting to know each one of them. I
feel that as I began to play a more important role in the
classroom and leading activities, that the students liked having
me around as a helper of some sorts.
2) My second objective was to help struggling students in area of
need. In particular, I did a lot of one-on-one work with Charlie,
the only fourth grader. Not only was that a help to Mary Ann so
that she could work with the fifth and sixth graders while I helped
Charlie, and I even taught him techniques in the areas he was
struggling, especially writing and some math. I also gave
attention to Flora, who is from Spain and is still in the process of
perfecting her English.
3) My third objective at the IWS was to have a window of time each
week where I could implement games that are not only fun, but
also offered something for students to learn from each session.
Each Thursday or Friday, sometimes both, I normally
implemented 3 games per session and afterwards debriefed the
students on each game asking them if there were any specific
skills that came into play (teamwork, communication,
coordination etc.).
4) My next objective was to implement hands on activities into the
games segment in order to incorporate experiential learning.
Examples of games I used were ones that involved critical
thinking, such as the Human Knot, which also incorporates
communication skills into solving the problem at hand.
5) My next objective was to help prepare for or run at least one
festival or event at the Waldorf School. I achieved this goal by
helping to decorate and set up Mary Anns classroom for the
Halloween Market, which involved the students getting a sense
of business and how the economy works. I also did a lot of
setting up for the Elves Fair right before Thanksgiving break
which is an event that welcomes in the holiday season for the
Waldorf School.
6) By October 3rd, my objective was to help Charlie (fourth grader)
learn all of his times tables and tried to keep him calm/avoid how
he would get fussy whenever it was time for writing or math.

7) My seventh objective was to implement a lesson in outdoor

education before October 30th, which I did together with Louisa
in the wooded area on the Waldorf property. We went over the
main components of the Leave No Trace principles, and proper
clothing and equipment needed in specific conditions.
8) As my final objective, I wanted to be involved in at least two
projects the students would be working on. For the first one, I
helped the kids with molding and forming their clay tablets for
their cuneiform writing project. The next one I worked on was the
candle-dipping project, in which I broke apart blocks of beeswax
so the kids could make candles in the holiday spirit. I also helped
Charlie begin his animal project, where he was creating a
diorama of the life of the Canadian goose.
b. Number of Accumulated Hours: (including this log) 120 Hours
c. Major Contributions and Accomplishments: My largest
contributions to the Waldorf School do not come in the form of an
award or article. I feel that the biggest impact and the most
contributing I did was in the classroom. I was normally there about 3
days a week for the morning lesson in which I offered as an aid
wherever Mary Ann needed me. I was usually needed when Charlie
required help in an area he was struggling in such as math, so I
became closer with Charlie than most students, and learned a lot
about him personally so I think that I made an impact there. He tends
to have some fluctuations in his temper and I noticed they became less
frequent after I had worked with him because he felt comfortable
talking to me and being honest. I was also viewed by the students as
someone they could come to with any questions or when they needed
help after being there for 4 months most days of the week. The largest
contribution I made at the Waldorf School was the impact that I had on
the children and the environment of the classroom as a whole.
d. Challenges: The experience I had with Service Learning 1 was a bit
difficult in a few different aspects, but overall was an experience for
the better, which really opened my eyes. I not only faced challenges on
site, but dealt with personal challenges that took a toll on my work and
experience as a whole. I was challenged with stress and work/time
management to the point where I was having anxiety attacks because I
was so worried about doing all my work, managing my responsibilities,
and doing it all perfectly. In order to overcome this and resolve the
whole anxiety issue, I began seeing a psychologist on campus at the
Counseling and Wellness center. After seeing them for some time I
began to improve my work ethic and change my mindset, which lead
to more success in school and with my SL1 experience because I had
found ways to cope with and manage/overcome stress. On site

challenges were far different. I often had to deal with scheduling issues
in the beginning of the semester, before learning to better manage my
time, which I think was a part of the learning experience. Being flexible
was very important. I also had to face challenges with individual
students, such as when they asked for my help certain times and I did
not always have an answer without having to ask my supervisor. I also
dealt a good amount with Charlies mood swings and temper issue, but
I feel that after dealing with it a few times I knew what could calm him
down, or when it was best to let him be in particular situations.
Working with children isnt very easy, but I feel that this will help me
with my job as a recreational park staff in my hometown where I work
with kids on a day-to-day basis.
e. Career Goals: The SL1 experience has influenced my career in a
few ways. I know I want to stay on the path of recreation and leisure
because I really feel that they are overlooked when it comes to the
importance of ones physical and mental well-being. After
implementing the movement and games segment I noticed that the
kids really enjoyed and looked forward to that small segment of time
each week, and that made me feel good because I felt like I was doing
something right if the kids had that much fun. If anything, I just dont
want to work in a classroom. I loved working with the kids and being at
the Waldorf School, but the classroom setting is not for me, and the
movement and games segment allowed me to make this realization. It
reinforced my aspirations of working in recreation in the field rather
than at a desk.
f. Strengths and Areas for Improvement of Agency: Overall,
working for the Waldorf was a great experience and I really took a lot
from it. They do a great job of keeping a positive vibe about the school
throughout the day and I think that is really important in the workplace
for effective work to be done. There were not really many areas of
improvement needed except for maybe communication. I noticed
sometimes that there was not much communicating done between my
supervisor and the Waldorf director when I needed something figured
out or a question answered. I dont think it was done intentionally I just
think that people get caught up in things throughout the day so
sometimes my requests had to be repeated later.
g. Personal and Professional Strengths and Growth Areas: My
personal strengths are that I am very easy to socialize with, and I have
a good personality that is great to have in the workplace. I am also
good when working with and getting along with children, growing up as
the oldest sibling, having young cousins, and working in recreation with
children has helped me develop this skill. I think working with children
can also be looked at as a professional skill, because many jobs require

working with kids and a lot of people cant do it because they dont
have the personality, understanding or patience to deal with it. Those
three components are key to working with kids because Ive found that
children dont like being around people they cant relate to, so you
have to come off as interesting, fun, kind and compassionate but know
when its time for business. My growth areas I feel have already been
expanded upon through Service Learning. I have not been good at
scheduling and effectively managing my time, which is key in almost
any situation. What the Waldorf School did for me in this area, is it
added another element to my student life. On top of classes and work,
I had another responsibility that I needed to learn how to deal with as a
part of everyday life for a semester. It forced me to get up early and
create a stronger sense of self-discipline in myself because I had a
more important responsibility now. I think I have definitely grown in the
area of professionalism and will take the skills and knowledge I
acquired to apply to my job.
h. Professional Reading: Mason, B. (n.d.). Careers | Top 10 Soft Skills
in Demand | LiveCareer. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from
http://www.livecareer.com/career-tips/career-advice/soft-skills-indemand#.VIzTnN5Ke8o
Reflection: This article talks about implementing soft skills in the
workplace. It identifies particular skills that people may not realize play
a huge role in their career, and why it is important to mange and
perfect these skills in order to have a better work experience. It
explains why adaptability, communication skills, and interpersonal
skills are all key in staying functional in your career, such as adapting
to new technologies and showing your ability to stay up to pace. I feel
that this article could do more to explain to its readers how they can
apply these skills by giving scenarios or examples of where these skills
can be used in a given situation. Although it is not in depth on the
specifics of soft skills, it describes what each soft skill is which may
give the reader an idea of where their strengths and weaknesses are.
Overall, it was not the best article on using soft skills for your job but
for someone who needs to improve their soft skills personally outside
of work it may be of some assistance.
LOG:
Wednesday 12/10
9-9:15 am: Math skills
9:15-9:55am: One-on-one sentence writing and math with Charlie
9:55-10:30am: Work in geometry books
10:30-11am: Facilitated snack and recess
11-11:30am: Created movement and games for Friday

Total: 2 hours 30 min

Thursday 12/11 (delayed opening)
10:30-11am: Facilitated snack and recess
11-11:20am: Morning verse
11:20-11:45am: One-on-one with Charlie making Christmas card
11:45am-12:30pm: Observed 5th graders in handwork (sewing/knitting)
12:30-1:30pm: Facilitated lunch and (extra) recess
Total: 3 hours
Friday 12/12
8:30-9am: Morning verse/song practice
9-9:35am: Implemented movement and games
9:35-10:30am: Helped students one-on-one with geometry sketches
Total: 2 hours
Accumulated: 7 hours and 30 minutes (marks 100 on-site
hours)