Every year students in the regular psychology class have an opportunity to take what they learn in class and apply it to the outside world.
After psychology students finish studying childhood development, somewhere in the middle of the school year, they all participate in weekly observations at Lyter Elementary School to use the knowledge they learned from the class and witness psychology in action.
Each of the psychology students are assigned a class at Lyter to look over and help out with whatever they are able to while there. Some ways psychology students get involved with their Lyter classes are by helping with math, having the Lyter kids read aloud to them and, in general, interacting with the young students and engaging them.
For a lot of psychology students, their experience served as a step back in time to relive their own childhood, but for others the experience felt entirely new.
“Stepping into Lyter for the first time was a good feeling and I just felt so big compared to the little kids,” said junior psychology student Nevaeh Montoya.
According to junior psychology student Gracie Weaver, coming back to Lyter was very nostalgic and everything was just as she remembered – even having odor-linked memories from returning to Lyter, she said.
Junior psychology student Talia Fleming had the same reaction stepping back into the elementary school and also said her time back in Lyter brought back many memories.
Observing in classes at Lyter is a chance for psychology students to learn more about young minds, and can be incredibly helpful in their future depending on what their plans may be.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, or just work with children following high school,” said Weaver, “and I’m hoping this will help me to finalize that decision.”
Montoya’s hope during her time at Lyter was to learn about how kids develop over time and Fleming’s focus was on learning more about kids and how they view the world.
Each psychology student had different experiences and insights into the psychology behind the classrooms they helped.
For Montoya, she witnessed how the second grade teacher she helped, Mrs. Karissa Jones, uses a point system, she named “Kudos,” to encourage positive behavior in her class. For example, Jones will give Kudos points to students who complete extra credit work, or ace a math test.
When the psychology students sign in to their Lyter classes, they often notice the kids’ unconditional, or automatic, positive response to them. The young students’ facial expressions turn to a smile and they are excited and happy to see their high school visitor.
Aside from what the psychology students were able to learn about their Lyter kids from a psychological perspective, they also just had a great time getting to know the kids and getting a closer look at things from their perspective.
A common result of the program is that the high school students adore their Lyter kids – and the kids adored them as well.
As older kids coming to Lyter, the psychology students quickly earned the respect and awe of the younger students as they looked up to the high schoolers and what they had to offer.
“The kids are the absolute sweetest and kind of treat us like celebrities,” said Fleming. “One of the kids there tells me about his favorite dinosaur every day while another shows me all the art they did.”
Weaver has had a similar experience at Lyter and has noticed how excited the kids get to see her and tell her stories about their day.
All in all, the psychology students had a great time at Lyter, enjoying everything from the environment and kids, to the teachers they were working with.
“My class is very fun and I love watching the kids and interacting and listening to their stories,” said Montoya earlier on during her time at Lyter. “I like my teacher, Mrs. Jones; she is very welcoming and a great teacher. It’s a good environment to be in.”
For Fleming, she said she enjoyed how the class felt close-knit and also enjoyed working with her kindergarten teacher Mr. Chad Sartori.
Weaver said she loved her class and was very happy when she found out about her placement. She said Mrs. Danielle Logue made her feel very welcome in her classroom and Weaver said that overall she loved the environment.
“I think they will be sad that they won’t be seeing me anymore,” said Weaver shortly before her time at Lyter ended. “I know I will be disappointed when it ends.”
Featured image (above): Second grade teacher Mrs. Karissa Jones reads to her students at the Valentine’s Day party. The students were all fixated on what was being read. Photo by Mrs. Sandra Trick
Socials