Story and photos by Chloe Chan ’31
In Winter Term, the classes of ’30 and ’31 try new skills in the course Becoming the Best Babysitter, taught by Middle School English Teacher Olivia Halverson in Room 129. In this course, students become well-informed about being a babysitter while also having fun with classmates!
Students were given the option to join Becoming the Best Babysitter and chose to for many specific reasons. Zaida Ochoa ’31 said, “It would be fun with friends and also teach me valuable lessons.” Maddie Mauch ’30 stated, “I have done a lot of babysitting in the past, so I definitely thought this course would give me a good lesson on skills I might need to learn in the future.” Halverson decided to create this course, saying, “My mom is an early childhood principal and has worked with young children for many years. I started babysitting when I was 13, worked in after-school programs, and nannied in college. I figured out this was a way for people under 16, who can’t drive yet, to make money and learn life skills.”
The students in this course get educated about being a babysitter, learning tasks such as changing a diaper, passing a baby, carrying a baby, and even becoming CPR/AED and First Aid certified. While learning lots of new skills during this course, students also have fun opportunities, including testing baby food that is safe for children, planning games, and playing games. Students also learn how to have fun with children! They visited the Lower School SK students, creating fun sensory toys, memory games, and homemade Play-Doh to play with them!
A couple of students in this course were asked why learning how to babysit can be effective in the future. Alice McDonald ’31 said, “Learning all of these babysitting skills can help me gain jobs and become educated about different life skills.” Hannah Terry ’31 responded, “If you are working with children, this class is very helpful for you to get many opportunities since you learn to keep children entertained and safe.”
Babysitting can be hard, tiring, and time-consuming, but also fun at the same time! Kudos to Ms. Halverson for putting lots of effort into teaching students about the skills of babysitting! A little tip from Ms. Halverson: “Be prepared to learn as much from children as you are prepared to teach them. Children have so much to teach you, and they naturally express joy!”
