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svendra.
A couple of months back, I was wondering about how to find guidance. For certain types of Christians, it's easy -- they even have bracelets with the initials for "What Would Jesus Do?" I'm not ready for that yet, and the question that I came up with was "What Would MacGyver Do?"
In that spirit, I'm now a tutor. I'm trying to teach reading comprehension and basic English to six different kids with six different levels.
The most difficult one for me to work with is the one who doesn't seem to be trying. One of the people at the Boys and Girls Club actually took me aside last week and told me that he was stupid -- not developmentally challenged -- stupid. However, she also told me that he's a brilliant swimmer. He can pick up anything athletic easily, but at the age of 13 (7th grade) his favorite book is The Cat in the Hat because it's one of the few he can read to himself. Anyone who can come up with a kinetic way to help him access language and reading, please let me know.
The next one down in the difficulty scale is a beautiful six year old boy. He's dyslexic. At least according to this week's Time Magazine, he's dyslexic. He loves Spiderman comics and can tell long stories about the pictures in front of him (not necessarily Spiderman, but also from his book about Sharks or Clifford the big red dog). Last week I spent an entire hour trying to get him to hear that Shark and fish had the "sh" in common. He can't recognize letters that are made with different strokes than the ones he's used to. My challenge at the moment is trying to convince his parents that I'm not the right person to work with him; he needs someone who's been trained.
The high school senior wants to do better on her SATs and is willing to work for it. She's a lifeguard at the center and wants to become a doctor.
I have a ten year old girl who can't do her multiplication tables. But when I wrote out six times six, I watched her factor it out and come up with the right answer. She's been held back twice because her math is so bad and because her teachers claim she can't read. But she borrowed a children's book from me that's set in Imperial Rome. She sounded out the latin words, looked them up in the glossary when I told her where it was, and asked pertinent questions about the passage. So my question is, why do her teachers hold her back and tell her mother that she's dumb, when the 13 year old who can't read above Dr. Seuss level has been promoted to 7th grade? I've recommended multiplication rock; she immediately asked if having the tunes might help her remember them. Yeah, she's real dumb. (What's the emoticon for eye-rolling?)
The other two children are the same age and grade (12 going on 13, 6th grade) and their parents want them to get into the local exam schools. The girl was in tears because she's terrified of the test. The boy doesn't care about it but knows that his Mom wants him to go to this high school.
They're both bright and funny. They both think. She was given a summer reading list that included a book about the Civil War. Her teachers didn't suggest any books that might help the students understand the war better and gave no background on the conflict. The questions she asks. Did they have hospitals then? Why were they fighting? Which states were Confederate? Why would a ten year-old boy think it was time to get a job to help the family? I grew up in a Southern household. I knew that I'd had family on both sides of the conflict probably before I knew what the conflict was called. But she's working blind. When I told her that my father had photocopied some pages that had a timeline of the war and a map marking all the major battles, she lit up.
The books on the boy's summer reading list are more socially oriented. He's bright, but he doesn't ask many questions. He'll answer the ones I ask, and he surprised his mother by stating that the world he'd been reading about (she was now reading the book) wasn't a good world. Note that I mentioned his mother. She's trying to be part of his sessions.
I'm glad that she's interested in what he's doing, but having her hover in the background and very obviously listen in on our conversations (and silences) is nerve-wracking. When we were going over his writing assignment, we diagrammed a sentence. I asked him about prepositional phrases, and he didn't know the answer. I gave him some time then prompted him with a leading question (we'd done some of this the week before). He still didn't know the answer, so we went over it again. She kept looking like she wanted to get up and give the answer herself. Any suggestions about how to keep her out (tactfully), would be welcomed.
I'm enjoying this. It's nice to be thinking about the future.
I've also applied for a particular job that I really want. It's administrative (for the most part), for a local university's Center for International Studies. The main reason that I feel so passionate about it, is that their main focus is human rights. Please cross your fingers or perform any good luck rituals you have that I get this job. It sounds perfect for me, and, frankly, I need the money.
svendra.A couple of months back, I was wondering about how to find guidance. For certain types of Christians, it's easy -- they even have bracelets with the initials for "What Would Jesus Do?" I'm not ready for that yet, and the question that I came up with was "What Would MacGyver Do?"
In that spirit, I'm now a tutor. I'm trying to teach reading comprehension and basic English to six different kids with six different levels.
The most difficult one for me to work with is the one who doesn't seem to be trying. One of the people at the Boys and Girls Club actually took me aside last week and told me that he was stupid -- not developmentally challenged -- stupid. However, she also told me that he's a brilliant swimmer. He can pick up anything athletic easily, but at the age of 13 (7th grade) his favorite book is The Cat in the Hat because it's one of the few he can read to himself. Anyone who can come up with a kinetic way to help him access language and reading, please let me know.
The next one down in the difficulty scale is a beautiful six year old boy. He's dyslexic. At least according to this week's Time Magazine, he's dyslexic. He loves Spiderman comics and can tell long stories about the pictures in front of him (not necessarily Spiderman, but also from his book about Sharks or Clifford the big red dog). Last week I spent an entire hour trying to get him to hear that Shark and fish had the "sh" in common. He can't recognize letters that are made with different strokes than the ones he's used to. My challenge at the moment is trying to convince his parents that I'm not the right person to work with him; he needs someone who's been trained.
The high school senior wants to do better on her SATs and is willing to work for it. She's a lifeguard at the center and wants to become a doctor.
I have a ten year old girl who can't do her multiplication tables. But when I wrote out six times six, I watched her factor it out and come up with the right answer. She's been held back twice because her math is so bad and because her teachers claim she can't read. But she borrowed a children's book from me that's set in Imperial Rome. She sounded out the latin words, looked them up in the glossary when I told her where it was, and asked pertinent questions about the passage. So my question is, why do her teachers hold her back and tell her mother that she's dumb, when the 13 year old who can't read above Dr. Seuss level has been promoted to 7th grade? I've recommended multiplication rock; she immediately asked if having the tunes might help her remember them. Yeah, she's real dumb. (What's the emoticon for eye-rolling?)
The other two children are the same age and grade (12 going on 13, 6th grade) and their parents want them to get into the local exam schools. The girl was in tears because she's terrified of the test. The boy doesn't care about it but knows that his Mom wants him to go to this high school.
They're both bright and funny. They both think. She was given a summer reading list that included a book about the Civil War. Her teachers didn't suggest any books that might help the students understand the war better and gave no background on the conflict. The questions she asks. Did they have hospitals then? Why were they fighting? Which states were Confederate? Why would a ten year-old boy think it was time to get a job to help the family? I grew up in a Southern household. I knew that I'd had family on both sides of the conflict probably before I knew what the conflict was called. But she's working blind. When I told her that my father had photocopied some pages that had a timeline of the war and a map marking all the major battles, she lit up.
The books on the boy's summer reading list are more socially oriented. He's bright, but he doesn't ask many questions. He'll answer the ones I ask, and he surprised his mother by stating that the world he'd been reading about (she was now reading the book) wasn't a good world. Note that I mentioned his mother. She's trying to be part of his sessions.
I'm glad that she's interested in what he's doing, but having her hover in the background and very obviously listen in on our conversations (and silences) is nerve-wracking. When we were going over his writing assignment, we diagrammed a sentence. I asked him about prepositional phrases, and he didn't know the answer. I gave him some time then prompted him with a leading question (we'd done some of this the week before). He still didn't know the answer, so we went over it again. She kept looking like she wanted to get up and give the answer herself. Any suggestions about how to keep her out (tactfully), would be welcomed.
I'm enjoying this. It's nice to be thinking about the future.
I've also applied for a particular job that I really want. It's administrative (for the most part), for a local university's Center for International Studies. The main reason that I feel so passionate about it, is that their main focus is human rights. Please cross your fingers or perform any good luck rituals you have that I get this job. It sounds perfect for me, and, frankly, I need the money.
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MacGyver in the classroom
Date: 2003-07-24 09:27 am (UTC)He'd probably build an engine that rearranges gum wrappers into letters and words, or some sort of pulsing light that stimulates mental acumen.
I feel for your dilema. I hate kinetic teaching. Do you think that his reading would pick up with other senses like reading along with a story on tape or something visually stimulating like the classics in comics? Would changing the subject matter help? Otherwise, go with acting out a story or doing acting exercises with the text to move it into his body and not just his mind. Even though this works your strengths and acting experience, bleah, situations like that suck. Take out the creative pedagogical shotgun and hope something hits the mark.
Best of luck with the job and yur students. I can see you enjoying this which is something you deserve.
Re: MacGyver in the classroom
Date: 2003-07-24 09:33 am (UTC)See, I'll never be good enough to live up to his example. *Sob*
Ok, now that I'm done with the drama,*g* Story on tape... Hadn't thought of that, it would give him something to practice with when I'm not there. And acting out the story might work, if I can get him over his shyness. Thank you.
Smooches, and what's up with you, ducks?
Re: MacGyver in the classroom
Date: 2003-07-24 10:10 am (UTC)Commedia, preparations for war, grappling a virus, King Lear and moving to Arlington. My narcissistic journal covers most of these.
I should make plans to stop by and be terrorized by you and your dwelling-mates sometime. Haven't been by since New Year's day which was quite... ...entertaining.
Re: MacGyver in the classroom
Date: 2003-07-24 05:56 pm (UTC)