September 13, 2008

More adventures in tutoring

My goodness and I haven't even started the tutoring yet! I'm not even sure where the school is! That's it, tomorrow I simply MUST go out and find it. I've got tommorrow, Monday & Tuesday!

Goooosh. And to boot, I'm still wondering how I'm going to handle these kids and what I'll do. I've already decided I want to try flashcards--even though I really hate flashcards myself. I won't make kids suffer because I'm a douche :P

Then I think...I'll get a pretty easy book then read with them and point out the sounds so they recognize them. Try to incorporate "quick words" too like the and if and so on (not that). I only have an hour & some change so I can really only do one skill at at time. I wish I could do Mondays & Wednesdays, not just in the name of my paycheck but because it's so unfair, I think!

Also you have to understand I'm kinda making my own lesson plans in according to what the kids need, like a teacher :D this shit isn't nearly as easy as it looks and now I think I truly understand. I'm gonna look in the manual for more ideas...it's no good if I can't actually ENGAGE the kids. I can teach all I want but will they LEARN?

I also want to enforce my own views on education here, even though I'm technically not "teaching" these kids, but more helping I think. I'm more for LEARNING, however long that takes, not just getting your facts memorized and trying to cram so much in your head. Personally I'm a slow learner at times and that's just what it takes--that's why I can't stand the current curriculum in my state. It's always been really quick even before the No Child Left Behind thing. It was all about KNOWING something but not really being able to connect it to anything you'll need in life--no real world connections. That got better in time but it's still kinda bullshit that only 18% of the high school students in my district are ACT ready--FACT, not making that number up (though I can't prove it just now). It's because these teachers are just whipping by in a blur and that isn't good enough!

Uh. Shit, what was I saying--oh yeah, the kids. I want to get these kids on their grade-level reading and make sure they meet their standards. I can't wait to get the ball rolling next week. I hope it goes sorta smoothly--I do kinda distrust elementary school kids, doesn't it always seem like they're scheming something? Haha, maybe I should teach after all...

2 comments:

  1. toughest job in america and not enough pay. i hope they up the pay a bit and add more incentives so they can have better teachers or would-be teachers like yourself.

    but the kids... how do you do it?

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  2. Yeah, like I said I haven't even started yet so I don't know what these kids are going to be like...as a former first, second, third & fourth grader I know what a wily bunch they can be :P not quite middle school level but it gets there...

    The pay for this isn't actually that bad, but I'm not exactly living on it either. I've always been kind of puzzled about how--to me--one of the most important jobs in the country can be so under appreciated & under paid...I've always had respect for my teachers & what they do, but after agonizing over this lesson plan and trying to figure out what I'm going to do I have MORE respect & understanding :/

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Please share some knowledge. Or amuse me at least :O