Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Tutoring a Fourth Grader


I volunteered to tutor this year through a partnership with a school at work. I take turns with another co-worker going every other week. I tutor a 4th grade girl named Sashay. It’s a small school and when we got there, there was some confusion as to who should go where. In the hallway right outside the office was a fish tank and some turtles!  I thought that was pretty neat. 

The fourth grade class is in the basement and the class was all at lunch with only the three students who were being tutored in the room with the teacher. I was relieved to see the room was fixed up nicely with bright lighting. It being in the basement, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

the basement
Sashay was having a hot dog, a few fat French fries, and a strawberry fruit cup for lunch. It didn’t look very good to me, except for the fruit cup which she didn’t even finish. We read a short essay about bats, did a vocabulary worksheet with prefixes, and some phonics papers. I was glad to see they are still teaching phonics in schools. This particular school I noticed also teaches cursive handwriting. I know some don’t. Sashay was a delight! She was friendly, cooperative, and seemed interested in her work. I look forward to going back again!

This reminded me of my old elementary school but at least I didn't have my class in the basement!   What a different atmosphere though from Parma Heights Christian Academy, although inside the classroom itself the desks were up-to-date, it was cheerful and a very nice room with computers.  Did you ever tutor?  What was your school like?

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4 comments:

Rebecca Mecomber said...

I've been homeschooling for about 15 years now, so, YEP, I tutor. It can be very rewarding. Children do need that "one on one" relationship, and a good, godly teacher can affect a child for the rest of her life!

BeadedTail said...

That's wonderful that you are tutoring Sashay! I tutored college kids in Cost Accounting when I was a GTA in grad school but I'm sure that's not anywhere close to the same. It was rewarding to see the light bulb come on when they "got it"!

Lin said...

I was a reading coach for years when my kids were in grade school and it was the most rewarding experience EVER. I really loved the one on one time with the kids who just needed attention. I used to joke with them and just talk (and then read) because I think most of those kids just needed a positive adult figure in their lives.

I still see some of those kids now and they always say "hi" to me. I think they had as much fun as I did. :)

I hope you have a great time too!

Karen and Gerard said...

Rebecca: Yes, I believe any teacher can affect a child. I look forward to getting to know her better.

Beaded Tail: That was nice of you. I remember my mom helping my sister with her accounting practice set in high school. My sister had it all goofed up and my mom helped her find her mistakes and by the time they were done, my sister finally understood it. I thought the accounting practice set was kind of fun but it got boring after awhile. Unless you made a mistake, it just wasn't very challenging for me.

Lin: Glad you had such a good time being a reading coach! I'm sure you were quite good at putting the kids at ease with your humor!

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