I learned something new this week, but first. . .
On a statistical note, we have completed over 150 tutoring sessions already this year! This is possible only by the help of our volunteers and we are so thankful to them for their help and dedication to the students of Inglewood.
I also had a great breakthrough with two brothers (twins) that are attending LIST. I have blogged about them before, they are in second grade and cannot read (they are much closer to a kindergarten level then second grade). My plan for working with them was to create activities that would allow them to compete against each other, thinking this would spur them on to pay attention and start learning. I tried this the first couple times they came, and it would work for about five minutes; the information seemed to go in one ear and out the other though. This week, however, I tried something new. First, I gave them each a copy of a story and told them they were going to compete to see how fast they could read it; I told them I wanted to know who could read the fastest? This got them practicing the story and really concentrating. Then, I played the usual games with them, but told them the winner was going to get a sticker – wow! Were they into it! I then made a set of flashcards for each of them, and told them that if they could tell me all the words the next time they come, they will get a prize from the treasure box – boy, were they motivated (let’s hope they stay that way!) One of our volunteers commented that she had never seen them so excited about learning! I hope this is a beginning to a long lasting pattern!
Finally, I learned something new this week – did you know that learning gives you cancer?! A new student (we were able to add him to our roster with a new volunteer coming on board) told his mom before he came in that he was going to get cancer from learning and he did not want to come! His mom, of course, told us (and now I am telling you)! I laughed about it all week! By the end of his first session, however, he did not want to leave, saying to his mom, “But, I’m not finished yet!” I had the opportunity to work with him the second time he came, and I asked him if coming to LIST was so terrible, his reply, with a sheepish grin was, no, he actually liked it!
