Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Tutoring

The last time I tutored was nearly five years ago when I was still living in Zurich. There I worked with teens from immigrant backgrounds who were in need of language practice and socialization with those who were a bit more connected to Swiss life and culture. I was there, I think, to provide the teenagers contact with a standard German speaker as the other volunteers were native Swiss German speakers. We volunteers cooked meals with the teens, played football together, worked on homework assignments together and played group games once weekly. It was good fun. This particular integration program was sponsored by the Swiss Red Cross. When I returned from Switzerland, I looked to the American Red Cross for similar volunteer opportunities, but quickly learned that our Red Cross is primarily concerned with disaster relief efforts and not cultural integration programs. 

For about two years, I worked as a volunteer with our Red Cross helping those who had been displaced by fire (either man-made or naturally occurring) and flooding. I found the work rewarding, but a bit isolating as one worked mostly alone and a goodly amount of the client contact was conducted over the phone.

I really prefer mentoring/tutoring to what I had done at the American Red Cross, so I recently joined a literacy program operating out of an elementary school in the vicinity. The tutoring program assists pupils who are between six months and two years behind their grade level in reading. My 'tutee', I think we refer to them as 'learners' nowadays, is a bright and funny third grader. I'll give him the pseudonym of 'Mike'. Mike is in a bilingual class directly across the hall from the tutoring center. I was fortunate to have bumped into his teacher, Mr. N., in the hallway recently, so I asked him a few questions about Mike. Mr. N. mentioned that Mike, along with a few other boys in class, is very fidgety, so he allows Mike and the other boys to get up, go to the back of the room and walk around a bit in order to get some of the excess energy out of their systems. Mr. N. told me that he has also provided the pupils with things to hold onto during class--I can't remember if they were stress balls, or what--but he said that the kids continually lost them. I got the impression that Mr. N. may not be replacing said items. 

The chat with Mr. N. was invaluable. To the next tutoring session I brought Play-Doh for Mike to hold onto/mold into shapes during our time together. This seemed to help Mike focus on the task at hand: reading a story and answering questions on its context. Whenever Mike yawned or seemed to disconnect from the material, I asked him if he needed to get up and walk around, but he declined. Prior to session start time in the hallway, Mike and I did a few jumping jacks, waved our arms in the air and wiggled our fingers. I admit that I was a bit more enthusiastic than Mike during our calisthenics, but I do think it may have helped Mike be a bit less fidgety in class with me than during our previous sessions together. Do any of you have experience in tutoring primary school kids? I'd love and tips, tricks or what-not you might have to share!



  


20 comments:

  1. As I was reading your first couple of paragraphs, I was thinking "She should volunteer for literacy tutoring!" I have no experience with it personally, but I've been thinking about volunteering with an adult literacy program. It seems like such a worthwhile type of volunteering. I bet Mike will warm to you as the tutoring continues and he will become a better reader! A good level of literacy is so critically important in our society.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I worked in adult literacy about twenty years ago. I found that working with men could be quite challenging as their ego often got in the way. I mean, these were men who had jobs, had families, had managed to navigate life really well all while being illiterate. I think it felt a bit emasculating for some of the men to have a young woman, as I was at the time, helping them learn to read rather rudimentary texts. If you do wind up volunteering in an adult literacy program, then I would be keen to hear about your experiences!

      As you wrote, literacy is critically important in our world.

      Delete
  2. I'd say teach him to knit, but that might distract from the reading stuff. (I find I can't sit and watch TV without the physical white noise.) I've seen these bands that they put on chairs that the kiddos can bounce while sitting. And I've heard that those big yoga balls (is that what they're called?) are great to replace chairs. They have to focus on keeping from falling over, and it supposedly helps.

    Good luck. I like the Play-Doh idea.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yoga balls for balancing on would be interesting to have in class. I could use one myself!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have nothing to add, except good on you for taking this on. And, I think yoga balls to sit on would be wonderful, except the problem of storing them, week to week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, storage would be an issue, unfortunately.

      Delete
  5. I don't know anything about this really but if he is bilingual, would it help to make comparisons between his other language and English so that he might feel he has things to offer you while you are helping him, allowing him to feel more valued and confident? He sounds very likeable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you're on to something here, Tasker. If he can see our time together as more of a partnership and less of my only instructing him, then that could be of great benefit.

      Delete
  6. I don't have any tips, but I know how valuable a one on one can be.
    I was an elementary teacher for many years. I taught in a very nice environment but still there were problems. Occasionally a volunteer would give individual help to students. The volunteers were not trained, but they give personal support which can make all the difference.
    I give thanks to dedicated teachers and to dedicated volunteers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that little bit of personal support can be invaluable to a child.

      Delete
  7. No, I can't offer any advice but you were pretty inspired to think of the Play-Doh. I did some volunteering at a nearby primary school with mostly disadvantaged kids, reading one on one with kids with literacy problems as well. It was very enjoyable but I had to leave it when I had some voice issues. What was pretty apparent was that even though a kid who wants to read will readily read even a Corn Flakes box, the choice of material is so much more important to a kid who's reluctant. I was shocked at how utterly tedious the Education Department set books were for kids these days! Nothing to spark the imagination, just grim and boring assemblages of words with dishwater-plain illustrations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How interesting that the books you were meant to use were bland and boring. So far, the books set aside in the tutoring center for kids to read/be read to are awash in, dare I say, too much text, an array of font sizes and colors and with very busy illustrations. I have occasionally found it hard to know which dialogue bubble came next!

      Yes, I lucked out with the Play-Doh. Mike like it very much!

      Delete
    2. I suspect the present generation of kids have unfortunately collided with a period of overt pc-ness and social realism in the world of early literacy. The outspoken right in this country often talk about some sort of ideological agenda in public education, which as a reasonably well-educated product of the public system I thought had to be just grandstanding. I couldn't have been more surprised at how things had changed.

      One memorable book had a story about a boy riding his bicycle to a park. It was illustrated with flat photos of the most untantalising scene for a child: child with reflector gear on and gigantic crash-helmet cycling up to the high chainmail fencing keeping the park separated from the road; drought-affected sepia toned grass with some scrappy native trees; parents "supervising" the play of their kids on a soft-fall playground etc etc. All set to some ghastly, mundane sentences about the importance of exercise and asking permission etc etc. No sign of a frolicking Spot chasing a Red Ball on some Green Grass!! Call me old-fashioned but you don't have to spell out the Angela's Ashes side of life before puberty!

      Delete
    3. That sounds to be a very bleak book, indeed.

      Delete
  8. Well done - sorry no advice to give.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on the tutoring gig. It sounds like it will be a rewarding for both you and Mike. Fidget spinners might work but they also might be too distracting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think it will be rewarding for us both. If the Play-Doh loses its allure, then I might look into buying a fidget spinner.

      Delete

A piece of your mind here:

Wood/Driftwood

Bartie in the yard. Backyard horse, Palo Alto Ocean Beach filled with art materials. Wild wood in Golden Gate Park The most I've 'ma...