TBGC Session 1/ ABGC Session 4

Our first session at the Troy BGC went surprisingly better than I had hoped. I got there a bit early and was able to do one last quick promotion of the program before the kids all broke into their separate groups. We ended up getting a total of 13 kids to sign up, which worked out nicely. We were able to break them very manageable groups of six or seven kids.

It was hot again today, so the kids were less focused on learning and more focused on when they would be able to swim, but we were able to keep their attention long enough to get a good start. All the kids doing the program in Troy signed up voluntarily, so they have a bit more interest in the program than some of the Albany kids do.

We were able to introduce the culture and math aspects of Native American basket weaving to the kids. We also started doing some virtual weave patterns on the computer to get the kids familiar with the software. Next session in Troy we will have them continue working on their patterns, and hopefully everyone will have a design finished by the end of the session so we can start making baskets by next Thursday.

The program in Albany continued to disappoint me. We at least recognized most of the kids who were in our group this time around, but most of them were not the same as we had Tuesday. Many of these kids did not seem interested in learning about the software, or the math and culture behind it. Every time we turned our back, there was someone trying to play other online games, or just clicking through the information, rather than reading it. It is especially annoying when they try to use the program, and then ask us questions that are answered in the tutorials.

The staff at Albany is not a lot of help either. There is one counselor who is supposed to be with our group at all times, and it can be difficult to find them sometimes. There are also other volunteers not connected to our group who sit around and watch us. they never try to help us, and they often encourage the kids to do things other than what we try to teach them. I hope the Albany BGC gets structured a bit better in the near future, otherwise I don't have a lot of faith in the success of this program.