We are excited to feature Ashley Griffin, who happens to be OWG President, Dr. Michelle Lombardo’s niece. She recently returned from a student teaching stint in Costa Rica where she had the opportunity to incorporate OWG into her lessons. Below she shares her teaching experience using ‘the Guys’ in Costa Rica.
I went to Costa Rica to student teach at an American International School where I was placed in a second grade classroom at the Country Day School. I was blessed to receive a class set of materials from The OrganWise Guys including an activity book for each student. Throughout my time at the school, I did a few ‘read alouds’ with the class. I usually sat on the stool and the students gathered around on the rug. One day, I told the children I had a surprise … an OrganWise Guys book!! They were so excited! As I was reading, I was amazed at how engaged (and quiet!) the eighteen students were. They really enjoyed the book and were so excited to complete the corresponding activity. We were also able to project the video on food portion control onto the board while the kids watched from their desks.
My mentor teacher was kind enough to let me integrate The OrganWise Guys material into her curriculum and schedule, but there were a few weeks where we simply did not have enough time to incorporate it. The children would actually come up to me at different times asking, “Ms. Griffin, when can we do The OrganWise Guys again?” They very much enjoyed the readings, movies and activities!
I was also able to create my own fun activity. The students would go to snack for 15 minutes and then slowly make their way back to class. One day, I grabbed the Sir Rebrum beanie and tossed it to a child who had come back on time. I asked him a quick math fact and then he would toss it back. We did it a few times until other students started filing in. Then, the next day the majority of the kids came back from snack very quickly! They were all sitting patiently on the rug waiting for me to toss Sir Rebrum and ask a math fact. The following day, I was surprised that even more kids came back on time. They loved the “game” and it was a perfect transition from snack into our next lesson. Although I’m home now, my mentor teacher and students will continue utilizing The OrganWise Guys materials. The OrganWise Guys were a huge success in Costa Rica!
We love that The OrganWise Guys continue to spread internationally – remember, no matter what we look like on the outside, we are all the same on the inside! Great job Ashley!!
