Setting a Pace, Finding a Niche

A few more days of working at the school under my belt. I have to say, like all things worth putting time into, it's getting harder before it gets easier.

I find myself trying to do so much; first balancing the needs and wants of more than a dozen kids, listening every time they call my name, making every effort to include everyone in games or reading, and really trying to listen to what kids have to say. I really want to get a lot out of this. Perhaps I'm trying to do too much. I am going to need to pace myself. I am just learning and to be honest, not that much is expected of me.

Tutor. I tutored a fifth grader for an hour today. First in language arts (parts of speech) and then in math (though I quickly had to remind myself how to divide two fractions and we didn't finish that worksheet). It was really the biggest learning experience so far. I began by setting some simple goals for the hour, mostly zeroing in on the tough stuff first. The student was very well-mannered and eager to please me. I feel as though I may have micro-managed him a bit by going through every single exercise on a 3-page worksheet. I will be careful to let him work a little more independently next time.

I met his teacher by cooincidence later in the day. The teacher thought it would be beneficial to work more on reading comprehension, an area in which the student struggles. Maybe I will have him read a newspaper or magazine article and then write a four sentence summary for me. (I also asked the teacher, who was a very nice guy, about student teachers at the school and he said they usually stick with students from Holy Union, I think that's what he said, kind of disappointing but I'll still bug the principal in a few more weeks, if it's meant to be...)

Once a week or more I will be tutoring this student, and hopefuly others as well. I'm glad I got to meet his teacher and I hope to meet more. It would be a great learning experience for me to discuss a tutee with his teacher. This would allow me to concentrate on certain concepts or content areas in which the student needs extra help. What better way to really maximize the hours during this program?

Littlest guys. Earlier in the week I worked with Kindergarteners and first graders. I think I figured out I don't want to teach these grades. Cutest, sweetest kids but I am unable to focus them or even begin to corral them. They climb on me, stick little hands in my pockets, seem immune to reason, yet are excited about every little thing. That, I like. Wide-eyes wonder. When do we lose that?

Staff. This will be an ongoing line of internal dialogue. I'm trying to bond with co-workers; first, in an attempt to pick their brains about the job, the kids, their own goals; second, because activities run better when staff members are on the same page, a unified front, of sorts; and third, I haven't worked very much in this kind of atmosphere and I'm really curious how everyone gets along. I will expound upon this issue further in later posts. Surprisingly, this topic is one of the biggest challenges I carry in my pocket each afternoon when I arrive to work.