We just finished the TREK program for this year. (TREK stands for Teaching Reading to Every Kid.) Community volunteers tutor elementary students in Reading and Math. I was paired with a third grade girl whom I met with every Tuesday after school for an hour. I've been tutoring this student since last September. And WOW, the changes that can happen in 7 months! Kids can come a long way in that amount of time. Sometimes I had two students if another tutor was absent that day. (Hence the two pictures. Had two students on the last day and they both wanted pictures, but someone had to operate the camera. haha.) I really enjoyed it. I developed a relationship with my student more like a mentor. I had always heard that you must maintain a "professional relationship" with your students and you can't be "friends" with them. I started to realize the truth in that advice. If I was too much like a friend on a certain day, it was hard to keep her on task. I let her know that I cared for her, but I was there to help her with her studies. Little bit tough for both of us to realize, but at the same time, it was a GREAT experience for a future teacher. :) Rejoicing in the everyday victories of tackling a big word or understanding fractions reassured me that I love teaching.
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