When I signed up for Eng 399/ELTA 410, my biggest fear was not having enough time for the volunteer work. Yet, after each session, I found myself enjoying it more and more; time was not an issue. I look forward to working with Shawn each week and I feel that I learn as much as he does. One of the most important lessons I have learned is to let Shawn choose the books we read despite what I may think about them.
Together, Shawn and I select the books we will read. One time, Shawn selected To Kill a Mockingbird and a Goosebumps book. I immediately wanted him to read To Kill a Mockingbird. With that book I knew I could have Shawn learn many new words and I could also get him to think critically about the book. However, Shawn was not as interested in that book as he was in the Goosebumps book. I reluctantly agreed to read Terror from the Deep. Surprisingly, I found that I could engage Shawn in critical thinking and creative activities and the book taught him many new words. In fact, he is very excited about the creative activity (we are still working on it) which entails writing the beginning of his own scary story.
Unfortunately, not all of our sessions are long enough to be as progressive as I would like. When Shawn and I were paired, it was on the basis that we both had Monday afternoons free. I was not informed that Shawn had a group meeting on Mondays which caused some sessions to only last for an hour; needless to say, this was very frustrating. However, I learned to plan accordingly. Shawn does not have a problem with reading so I focus our lessons on activities (games, stories, etc.) to improve his grammar.
Aside from minor problems, my tutoring experiences at Skipworth are fantastic and I look forward to continue volunteering there as long as I can. The problems are easy to resolve and the fears eventually subside. In fact, tutoring has enabled me to give something to the community and helped me feel better about who I am. I wish I had known how rewarding such an experience can be; I would have started much sooner!