Voluntary service in primary school

A-levels in the bag, now what?! Melina Suckow decided to do a year of federal voluntary service at our Phorms primary school in Hamburg. She wrote down for us what she experienced during this year and what her everyday life as a Bufdi was like.

 

From my internship experiences so far, I was able to filter out that a "typical office job" was not really for me. I preferred to work with people - with children would be great! However, I had never worked with children before and didn't know if it would be 100% for me... I thought that a great internship in that field would be good.
I started researching on the internet and after some time I came across the Federal Volunteer Service. This Federal Volunteer Year was supposed to help me know what I wanted to do later. During my search, I found Phorms and applied. And it worked out!

What a morning in the Federal Volunteer Service can look like


My day at Phorms starts with checking the substitution schedule and seeing if my support is needed that day. If not, I stick to my timetable. I then arrive at the respective class at around 8:20 a.m. to talk to the teacher about the rest of the lesson. Along the way, I prepare the classroom by airing the room, booting up the computers, setting up chairs and writing the new date. Then at 8:45 a.m. the children come into the classroom. I greet everyone and have them hand me their organisers, which I check for notes from parents regarding pick-up times or other special things. In the meantime, the children get ready for class and have a snack. The teacher then announces to the children what is coming up for the next lessons and what needs to be done. During the lessons, my main tasks are to help the children and support the teacher. 

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Together through the whole day 


After break, I find myself back in a class and it's on with the lesson until early-pick at 3:10pm. The children pack their snack boxes, water bottles and homework and are either picked up by their parents or go to SOL (Self Oriented Learning). I usually stay in the classroom for SOL. While the children are waiting, they can get a snack from their snack box and chat until the teacher arrives. Then homework starts and I help again if there is any difficulty. At 4:20 pm SOL ends and everyone packs up and is taken to the schoolyard to their parents. For me, this is also the end of my working day! Except on Tuesday and Thursday, when I am on after-school duty until 5 pm.

A different kind of traffic education


My Bufdi colleague Marvin and I have been assigned the project of introducing a scooter/device break for classes 1-4. This means that there should be regulated times for the use of the vehicles. In addition, we introduced a scooter and equipment licence for the children so that they learn how to use them properly and there are fewer injuries in the playground. The project has helped me to build an even better and more intense bond with the children.

And after the year at Phorms?


During my time at Phorms, all my expectations of the Federal Volunteer Service were met, as I always felt well looked after, involved and important. That's why I'm starting my training as a state-certified educator from 18.08.2022, because working with children simply gives me so much and makes me happy. Despite a regular structure, every day is different and holds a lot of surprises. It never gets boring!
In addition, my everyday life at school was strongly influenced by the bilingual aspect, as it was a big change at first and I learned many new words. This was very positive, as my English improved a lot. For me, it was a successful year at Phorms.

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