me and my family

organic learning

When you really think about learning differences and the myriad of challenges that fall into learning differences, you soon realize that um…. most of us have one!  Educational institutions, college, for example, have a number of tier classes. They are based on the mastery of a given subject and you enroll in the respective class based on how well you have mastered the subject. For any given subject, there are two to five tiers, especially in the “Gen Ed” offerings during the first two years.

Would this ladder system become more of an educational journey if there was instead, a system based on learning styles, or learning differences, or personal experience?  What if a tactile learner could enroll in a geology class that met exclusively in the greenbelt that surrounds the college campus?  What if an oral learner could enroll in classes where there was purely discussion and no books, and the prof and class read literature to each other aloud? Or, what if there were testing rooms on every campus for students who perform better on tests when they are able to take tests in solitude, with just a proctor in the room? What if students could choose the type of test they take: essay, MC, T/F, project, performance? Or what if, in middle and high school, biology classes were prompted with the National Geographic “World Family Tree” documentary where every student contributes to the Genographic Project and discovers where her original lineage begins? What if the civil war unit was always preceded by family interviews and online research to discover which of your ancestors have original civil war documents available to present as a project to the class? What if after each test, the teacher actually went over tests with the class prior to moving on to new material?

What an amazing classroom this would be, and what motivating, intriguing educational system the country would have. Less students would repeat classes, less students would fail classes, more students would earn A’s and B’s, and there would be less test anxiety. We would be more tolerant of differences, more understanding; there would be fewer tests and more intimate, individualized measures of mastery.

What ever happened to high school field trips, phonics and mastery of grammar in elementary school? What happened to spelling tests and Latin requirements?  Poetry? Dictionaries we actually use? Cursive? Now I’m off topic, but we have basically taken many elements away that are organic systems of learning, replaced them with an assembly line approach to education. The shortcoming has resulted in a mass of students labeled as  learning difference students. Truly, we each learn differently and we always have.  Learning differences are less challenging when the classroom approach and curriculum is innovative.  In the spirit of keeping your children engaged and prepared for life, demand curriculum and classroom styles that you would find engaging...seek out these schools, and place your children there.

writing beyond the first layer

Writing is like solving an algebra equation…rearranging, replacing, multiplying, dividing, adding, subtracting. The first step is hardly ever the last, and there are often various ways to solve.

Unlike algebra equations, however, the finished result is never finished. Writing is one of the most enlightening forms of expression because its lifespan can be a few seconds to an eternal work-always in progress, always growing and becoming even better. It can be one layer, or a palimpsest. You can write your first thoughts and keep that version as the final piece or you can dig deep into the surface,  revise, cut, rearrange….where you discover more, disclose more and create a piece that conveys as much as an image.

The pleasurable part is changing one word countless times, replacing it with a more vivid word, and with each change you notice the piece begins to paint instead of describe. The exciting part is consulting the thesaurus if you need to. In that process, vocabulary is heightened. The reader is led through words on pages that become a painting, a photograph, or motion picture. The equation and toil, and the peace that follows...

Charlie Brown humor

My absolute favorite, humorous example of the labor that writing requires is in 'Happy New Year Charlie Brown,'  when (I believe it is) Linus speaks to Charlie Brown as he anguishes over reading Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”   Charlie Brown complains to Linus about 1146 pages of reading. Linus says to him, in a :cry me a river cadence….

"When Leo Tolstoy was writing ‘War and Peace’

his wife Sonia copied it for him seven times

and she did it by candle light

and with a dip pen

And sometimes she had to use a magnifying glass

to make out what he had written

They had to do it after their child had been put to bed

and it was quiet

Just think Charlie Brown,

she wrote the book seven times

and with a dip pen"

I Love it!

Although I am a tutor...

Although I am a tutor, I have been called, by clients, a friend, big sister, mentor, advocate, coach, counselor, teacher, surrogate parent, school mother, and muse. I believe in them. I make solid connections with them. I care about them. Tutoring is far more, to me, than assisting, across the table, with school work. Upon my first client, eight years ago, I had no idea this would be the case. The idea I had of a tutor was someone who assisted a student in understanding difficult subject matter.  I even thought when I was a student, that a tutor would be intimidating. Perhaps most students have this perspective, until they actually find a tutor who approaches tutoring (w)holistically. Additionally, it is important to note and remember that students come to me with just one challenge of all the many talents and gifts they hold where I may be deficient.  Therefore, and because we are equal, I treat them as such-with respect-and I allow room for their voices to mean as much as my own.

With an MFA in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a background in literature and performance, I have taught poetry to elementary students, and have taught high school and first and second year college English. I am no longer in the classroom by choice because when I was teaching, I came home every day with individual students in mind who I wished I could affect more intimately. Sometimes, the classroom does not allow that. By nature, I am a nurturer and motivator. By experience, I know how it feels to have butterflies prior to tackling something that is uncomfortable.

There are students who have a light inside yet, in the classroom, the light may be diffused because they are shy, or because they feel their opinion is less than the student who always participates. There are students with learning differences who just need a push, a confidence boost or a technique that helps them achieve a higher degree of success in the classroom. There are students who have amazing ideas for writing, but they are blocked and cannot get their words on the page, or cannot organize their thoughts.  This is why I tutor; to enable students with hesitation or anxiety, so that their voices become louder and they become an equal and respected part of the bigger picture.

My role as a tutor and my responsibility as an educator is to teach students how to approach school and life with zeal. (Well, school to some high school students is incongruous with zeal :) because it is something they have to do.) Nonetheless, the responsibility of an educator is to plant a seed that will grow overtime….to add one more advocate and person who supports them along their educational journey.

Unquestionably, my strength and one of the reasons I am successful at tutoring lies within my ability and need to establish rapport and trust….and because I truly love what I do. The best part of this is working with young adults. Their minds are open, they have fresh ideas, they believe in themselves and they want to contribute something positive to the world. Admirable? Indeed!

so many bright students overcome test anxiety...

So many bright, determined, students have sat beside me during our first few tutoring sessions ready to approach their next test with a new perspective and invigorated start. Their eyes have glossed over during my list of questions concerning test taking: How do you feel when you are passed the review sheet? How do you study? Where? Do you study with a group or solo? Do you honestly feel you are well-prepared? How do you feel when the blank test is before you? Do you take your time or rush? Do you leave time to check over your answers? What are your median test scores? Then there are my “corny to teens” questions, like….Do you eat a good breakfast the day of the test? Do you have a light snack prior to the test- fruit or water? Do you meditate? Do you experience mental distractions/mind chatter during the test? What do you do with those thoughts? Mostly the aforementioned questions are met with a LOL. The fact is that all of these points matter a great deal, and many more. By the end of a few weeks, with persistence, following my advice, and hard work, THE SESSION occurs and often hits me off guard….the student walks in, makes eye contact with me and cannot fight back the beaming smile. She or he usually has the test in hand already and places it down in front of me….”Surprise!”

Although I could never make promises, I use this example to demonstrate that even though a student has a pattern of test taking, this does not mean it cannot be unlearned and re-taught. It takes work. It takes time. It takes trouble shooting, studying, trial and error, confidence boosting, studying, hand holding, and a solid connection. It will not happen overnight. But there are undoubtedly differences that begin to occur the first few weeks.

The angle that some students just do not take tests well cannot be the end. The entire early life is based on tests, at least until college graduation….unfortunately. If a student struggles with test taking, or anything else, the most effective long-term solution to benefit their self esteem and overall progress is to help them overcome the anxiety. It is a huge act of service to assist them toward being capable and independently so. They become peer mentors, helping other students with the same challenges once faced. Who better to facilitate growth beyond a challenge than someone else that has conquered that challenge? Cheers!