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I feel sorry for this student (just started 6th grade) that he's been afraid or ashamed to tell anyone -- even me, who's been his tutor for over a year. I wish I could have figured this out earlier, but it's a possibility I'd never thought of. And the discovery was kind of by accident. But now that this is no longer a "deep dark scary secret," he's starting to have fun learning again.Originally Posted by Gutmutter;4057746;
Being inside, warm, dry and cozy on a rainy day in my new (to me) dream house, with 3 large dogs, snoring nearby and hubby in his man cave, watching (his fav) James Bond on tv. I can be doing any of my favorite things: cooking, crocheting (while watching trash tv), reading or oil painting. This is how I descibe heaven.
Kissing my any of my gurls (kitties) on top of their noses!
Very sweet and heartfelt Valentines from my EFL tutoring kids who've been in the U.S. for less than a month -- written on their own, in their own brand of "English." My personal favorite is from a first grader, who, according to his sixth-grade cousin, hates studying and homework: "Dear Mrs. ______. you are a nice teacher I ever met. happy valentine's Day! love, ________"
Sometimes I wonder if my *not* being a parent makes me appreciate my sweet, funny little tutees even more. My husband gets a huge kick out of them, too. (Sometimes he volunteers at the library where I tutor and stops by to say "hi, Mrs. ______!" -- and then asks the kid if I'm "behaving and being a good tutor.") The kids tell me: "You have funny husband!"
*Sigh* Now if only I could figure out how to make this lucrative enough so that we can afford to ditch Kaiser Permanente and go back to real insurance and the doctors and pharmacists we trust and love. (As a freelancer with a minor pre-existing condition -- which requires only a very cheap Rx medicine and, really, nothing else but a yearly blood test -- I have to buy insurance through my husband's employer's group plan. The rates were raised to a ridiculous level on the plan we used to buy. Now we have the most inefficient, inconvenient, dumb-ass plan on the planet. The French people I work with are shocked, as their [oooh! evil!] single-payer plan has NONE of the inconvenient red tape and waiting that we have to deal with constantly. But that's probably material for a different thread.) Anyway, yeah these simple pleasures from my "biz" makes this other crap bearable.
Nice, Ellen! Thanks for sharing. I love the notes I get from my students. And I am a parent, but still get a great kick out of my school kids. I have a little sticky note from a student I have been working with - "I need a nou book!" Considering he was an absolute non-reader just 6 months ago, that note means the world to me. Not quite a simple thing, really.
I know, huh?! These "little" things are big steps, which take a lot of courage for these students. I always hope that I'm effective in communicating how proud I am of them, and not take these efforts for granted.
Some of you may remember me telling of the fight my son had to wage to see his youngest daughter. Well, we've had her in our lives for about a year now and I know she loves me. She runs to me yelling "gramma!" and hugs me when she sees me and when I tell her I love her she says "love you too." This weekend she climbed up in my lap, wrapped her little arms around me, put her head on my chest and said, "I love you grandma." There is NOTHING in this world better than that!
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