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Old 12-21-2005, 12:00 PM
Schneids Schneids is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Eagan, MN
Posts: 1,084
Default Schools, consent forms and volunteering

When I was in elementary school one of my favorite experiences was being in a juggling class pretty much every day for four years straight (we had a program called "Explore" at the end of every day, where you selected two different things from a wide variety of classes/subjects/activities, that interested you... such as poetry, spanish, kickball, juggling, etc pretty much whatever the teachers can think of offering). This included being taught how to juggle bean bags, rings, clubs and on up to torches and machetes if the instructor thought you were ready for it. One of the things I don't remember though was ever having to bring a consent/waiver form home to my parents or anything in order to juggle some of those objects.

So I guess, what I'm wondering, is how much of a hassle in today's day in age would it be for someone to teach a juggling class in an elementary school and have 2nd-5th graders juggling torches. I know in my college geology class the TA commented that we didn't take any "field trips" to any geological locations "because the waiver forms and paper work is a total nightmare."

What I do know is the elementary school I attended no longer has this juggling program because the instructor changed schools, so, what I am thinking is if I am in MN next year after I graduate I would like to volunteer there and teach it, but, being able to get kids juggling torches and machetes is a MUST for me to make the experience worth my while.

Juggling torches in 2nd grade is one my sweetest and proudest memories, and I would like to bring that experience to other kids too. Plus, as I've realized at family get togethers and I see my little cousins, is I <3 little kids.


So yeah, is it going to be possible for me, an outsider without a teaching license, to be able to volunteer at my old elementary school 1hr a day to teach juggling AND most importantly be able to get them juggling torches? I know they do welcome volunteers for the Explore program because when I was in HS I did volunteer there about 2-3 times a month for the juggling class as an assistant (while they still had that teacher instructing it).
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