Reflection: Tutoring At Oconee County Elementary School
Introduction: One step to take before becoming a teacher is to complete forty tutoring hours at Oasis Catholic facility. I have tutored children before, but when I first went to Oasis I was nervous. The facility was in a trailer park community primarily consisting of Hispanic immigrants who do not speak much English. However to my surprise, the children spoke English well. I initially believed I would need to learn more Spanish to tutor the children, but since I tutored the fourth graders, I did not need to learn any additional Spanish. This facility was different from my previous tutoring at Oconee County Elementary School. At Oasis, the roads were damaged and rough, the buildings were tight, and the lesson plans were usually adapted. I tutored two fourth graders for four hours a day three days a week. Primarily I tutored the children in Math and Science and only English when they had made a mistake. One of the most
…show more content…
difficult parts of tutoring was having to teach Science at a Catholic facility. I am obligated to teach the scientific concepts, but I am also not supposed to go against the beliefs of the facility and children. Teaching Math was fairly simple because the students already knew how to multiply and divide well only making slight errors from miscalculating one digit. Teaching Math was slightly problematic because the children’s teacher teaches using a multiplication and division tower. The methods used by the children’s teacher were different from the methods I grew up with and consequently, our methods conflicted which only confused the students. Recess was an exhausting time because contrary to teachers who can sit on the side and observe the students, tutors were expected to play with the children. I may only be twenty, but I am too old to play tag with small children. Tag was just too exhausting especially considering the rough terrain. Tutors were expected to remain for the entire semester and not just the required amount, but after tutoring for forty-two hours I came to think these children either learned from me or not.
Field-Experience Site (Oasis Catholic facility): Oasis is a catholic facility whose objective is to create a peaceful environment where English and Spanish speakers can learn from each other.
The facility seeks to fulfil the needs of the community by offering tutoring services and giving assistance to those who need food, clothing, and shelter. The tutors work in two different buildings. One building is for the children under third grade and the other is for third graders and above. I chose to tutor the fourth graders because children under third grade were troublesome and required a more advanced knowledge of Spanish. There was only one fifth grader which I alternated with another tutor as some days we had many tutors available and some days we had few. The third grade students already had tutors therefore I tutored two fourth graders: one boy and one girl. The boy was good at Math while the girl was good at English and Science. Both students seemed to struggle with History. Many of the students liked to test the patience of their tutors, but the children I worked with were generally well
behaved.
My Field Experience: Connections to Educational Psychology During my hours of tutoring, I observed a set of standards similar to what every public school has, as well as additional standards made by the nuns. In the room I tutored in the door was often stuck due to faulty lock and usually required great force to open. The trailer had one clock which was five minutes slow which meant the tutors could get additional time helping the children. There was a schedule of what the tutors should do in fifteen minute intervals. According to the nuns, these children had a short attention span and could only do a specific activity for fifteen minutes. The nuns wanted the tutors to go over the homework in the middle of the session, because the children have just come from school and do not want to start their homework. The tutors get a box of different learning activities we were expected to integrate into our lessons. At the end of each session if the children did their work and were good, tutors gave them a check on this dry erase sheet. If they misbehaved we refused to give them a check and could tell the nuns if we wanted. At every four checks, the students would get a prize such as supplies or a small toy. The nuns had certain rules the tutors were supposed to enforce, however most of us did not believe in this system and chose our own more efficient methods. We took the schedule of fifteen minute intervals and removed the useless parts to extend the time of actual work. These children were smarter than they were given credit for and could pay attention longer than fifteen minutes. Homework was done in the beginning of each session because sometimes the assignment was difficult for the children and took longer to complete. The box of activities were filled with state facts and other information that was not overly important for the children to learn in life. I looked at their homework, helped them with the parts they did not understand, and I taught them the importance of each lesson. The tutors were fairly generous in giving the check at the end of each session because all of these children owned very little and so long as they did their work, they deserved the check. Misbehaving is normal for small children. My work contributed to their community because by teaching two of the students and making them smarter, they now have a potentially better future.
-Motivation and Success: Motivating these children was greatly determined by their desire for the check. If the children were far from getting the prize or simply were not interested, then getting them to remain on task was difficult. These children are unmotivated probably due to their poorer background. As explained, “Kids who grew up with more financial resources at home and in their schools find themselves on pathways towards more education, more desirable jobs, and higher earnings than kids who grow up with fewer financial resources” (Destin & Kostko, 2016, p.8-9). The children were often distracted from their work by talking about celebrities. Destin and Kostko (2016) explain, “While students in wealthier homes and neighborhoods regularly interact with adults who went to college and became professionals, students in more disadvantaged homes and neighborhoods often look to television and the media and find images of success that are usually disconnected from education, including entertainers and athletes” (p.10). The children could not find any interest in History even when I tried to explain the importance of certain historic events, yet paid attention when implemented with celebrities they find relevance with.
-Learning Styles: Tutors were not allowed to simply tell the children what the correct answer was. We had to get the students to reach the conclusion themselves. I chose to implement the strategy of having my two students help each other out by teaching the other about a subject one was struggling with that the other was proficient at. Tutors needed to help the children reach the answer through alternate means. For example making games out of the lesson to get them to understand the purpose. Ideally, “The instructor is also a mediator between the curriculum and the student, allowing the two to interact in a meaningful way” (Hrynchak & Batty, 2012, p. 797). As a tutor, I cannot give the children answers, but I can get them to ask certain questions and tell them what methods need to be used to reach the conclusion. As Hrynchak and Batty (2012) explain, “Guidance from teachers or fellow learners can provide scaffolding for learners to support them until they achieve full self-direction” (p. 797).
Classroom Development and Management:
Sometimes the children did not seem they were willing to learn and I eventually came to the conclusion at the end of my tutoring they will have either learned from me or not. As explained, “Individuals need to ensure they get the experiences they need either individually or as part of communities of practice” (Dennick, 2012, p.621). Not all of the tutors were educators. Some tutors were accounting majors who were simply volunteering, but had no real training into handling children and were not ideal teachers. The children were often chaotic because of the inability of some of the tutors to manage the classroom. The nuns had a firm belief on the rules of the classroom and had an iron fisted hold on classroom management. Tutors, however, were more easygoing. The contradiction in classroom management is what caused the children to misbehave and not do what they are supposed to. There needed to be one compromised set of rules for the students to follow that the tutors would be willing to enforce. As explained, “Teachers must establish class rules and routines (such as handing back papers and taking attendance) to keep the class activities running with as little disruption and loss of time as possible” (Garrett, 2015, p. 48).
Reflections, Implications, and Conclusions:
Once I finished my tutoring, I came to realize that my beliefs before tutoring were biased and stereotypical. Students should not be judged by where they came from, but by their actions. I learned that even if there is a lesson plan, I will need to be able to adapt to fit the needs of all the students. Topics in regard to students from a lower income household were the most relevant in tutoring the children. Other topics were not overly relevant to these particular children, but might be useful when teaching other children. Depending on the individual, different forms of motivation will be needed to keep the students paying attention. The two children I tutored worked at different rates on different subjects, so as a teacher, I would need to adapt my learning styles so every student has an equal opportunity to learn. This experience made me realize that even though teachers do not have much they can do in terms of discipline, I need to be a tougher teacher to get the children to focus. The advice I would give to future teachers would be, even though superiors may establish a set of topics to teach, no one can determine another’s style of teaching. Every teacher has their own methods they believe in. The challenges I dealt with when tutoring Math and Science are finding out how much the children knew beforehand and trying to teach them using my methods which I believed were more efficient than the methods used by their teacher. When teaching History I had to find a way to show the children why learning about these events were relevant to their lifetime. The best methods I found were start with homework, and be interested in the lesson to keep the children interested. I could have taught exactly as the nuns wanted all the tutors to, but instead I taught using my own style because my ways seemed more efficient.
difficult parts of tutoring was having to teach Science at a Catholic facility. I am obligated to teach the scientific concepts, but I am also not supposed to go against the beliefs of the facility and children. Teaching Math was fairly simple because the students already knew how to multiply and divide well only making slight errors from miscalculating one digit. Teaching Math was slightly problematic because the children’s teacher teaches using a multiplication and division tower. The methods used by the children’s teacher were different from the methods I grew up with and consequently, our methods conflicted which only confused the students. Recess was an exhausting time because contrary to teachers who can sit on the side and observe the students, tutors were expected to play with the children. I may only be twenty, but I am too old to play tag with small children. Tag was just too exhausting especially considering the rough terrain. Tutors were expected to remain for the entire semester and not just the required amount, but after tutoring for forty-two hours I came to think these children either learned from me or not.
Field-Experience Site (Oasis Catholic facility): Oasis is a catholic facility whose objective is to create a peaceful environment where English and Spanish speakers can learn from each other.
The facility seeks to fulfil the needs of the community by offering tutoring services and giving assistance to those who need food, clothing, and shelter. The tutors work in two different buildings. One building is for the children under third grade and the other is for third graders and above. I chose to tutor the fourth graders because children under third grade were troublesome and required a more advanced knowledge of Spanish. There was only one fifth grader which I alternated with another tutor as some days we had many tutors available and some days we had few. The third grade students already had tutors therefore I tutored two fourth graders: one boy and one girl. The boy was good at Math while the girl was good at English and Science. Both students seemed to struggle with History. Many of the students liked to test the patience of their tutors, but the children I worked with were generally well
behaved.
My Field Experience: Connections to Educational Psychology During my hours of tutoring, I observed a set of standards similar to what every public school has, as well as additional standards made by the nuns. In the room I tutored in the door was often stuck due to faulty lock and usually required great force to open. The trailer had one clock which was five minutes slow which meant the tutors could get additional time helping the children. There was a schedule of what the tutors should do in fifteen minute intervals. According to the nuns, these children had a short attention span and could only do a specific activity for fifteen minutes. The nuns wanted the tutors to go over the homework in the middle of the session, because the children have just come from school and do not want to start their homework. The tutors get a box of different learning activities we were expected to integrate into our lessons. At the end of each session if the children did their work and were good, tutors gave them a check on this dry erase sheet. If they misbehaved we refused to give them a check and could tell the nuns if we wanted. At every four checks, the students would get a prize such as supplies or a small toy. The nuns had certain rules the tutors were supposed to enforce, however most of us did not believe in this system and chose our own more efficient methods. We took the schedule of fifteen minute intervals and removed the useless parts to extend the time of actual work. These children were smarter than they were given credit for and could pay attention longer than fifteen minutes. Homework was done in the beginning of each session because sometimes the assignment was difficult for the children and took longer to complete. The box of activities were filled with state facts and other information that was not overly important for the children to learn in life. I looked at their homework, helped them with the parts they did not understand, and I taught them the importance of each lesson. The tutors were fairly generous in giving the check at the end of each session because all of these children owned very little and so long as they did their work, they deserved the check. Misbehaving is normal for small children. My work contributed to their community because by teaching two of the students and making them smarter, they now have a potentially better future.
-Motivation and Success: Motivating these children was greatly determined by their desire for the check. If the children were far from getting the prize or simply were not interested, then getting them to remain on task was difficult. These children are unmotivated probably due to their poorer background. As explained, “Kids who grew up with more financial resources at home and in their schools find themselves on pathways towards more education, more desirable jobs, and higher earnings than kids who grow up with fewer financial resources” (Destin & Kostko, 2016, p.8-9). The children were often distracted from their work by talking about celebrities. Destin and Kostko (2016) explain, “While students in wealthier homes and neighborhoods regularly interact with adults who went to college and became professionals, students in more disadvantaged homes and neighborhoods often look to television and the media and find images of success that are usually disconnected from education, including entertainers and athletes” (p.10). The children could not find any interest in History even when I tried to explain the importance of certain historic events, yet paid attention when implemented with celebrities they find relevance with.
-Learning Styles: Tutors were not allowed to simply tell the children what the correct answer was. We had to get the students to reach the conclusion themselves. I chose to implement the strategy of having my two students help each other out by teaching the other about a subject one was struggling with that the other was proficient at. Tutors needed to help the children reach the answer through alternate means. For example making games out of the lesson to get them to understand the purpose. Ideally, “The instructor is also a mediator between the curriculum and the student, allowing the two to interact in a meaningful way” (Hrynchak & Batty, 2012, p. 797). As a tutor, I cannot give the children answers, but I can get them to ask certain questions and tell them what methods need to be used to reach the conclusion. As Hrynchak and Batty (2012) explain, “Guidance from teachers or fellow learners can provide scaffolding for learners to support them until they achieve full self-direction” (p. 797).
Classroom Development and Management:
Sometimes the children did not seem they were willing to learn and I eventually came to the conclusion at the end of my tutoring they will have either learned from me or not. As explained, “Individuals need to ensure they get the experiences they need either individually or as part of communities of practice” (Dennick, 2012, p.621). Not all of the tutors were educators. Some tutors were accounting majors who were simply volunteering, but had no real training into handling children and were not ideal teachers. The children were often chaotic because of the inability of some of the tutors to manage the classroom. The nuns had a firm belief on the rules of the classroom and had an iron fisted hold on classroom management. Tutors, however, were more easygoing. The contradiction in classroom management is what caused the children to misbehave and not do what they are supposed to. There needed to be one compromised set of rules for the students to follow that the tutors would be willing to enforce. As explained, “Teachers must establish class rules and routines (such as handing back papers and taking attendance) to keep the class activities running with as little disruption and loss of time as possible” (Garrett, 2015, p. 48).
Reflections, Implications, and Conclusions:
Once I finished my tutoring, I came to realize that my beliefs before tutoring were biased and stereotypical. Students should not be judged by where they came from, but by their actions. I learned that even if there is a lesson plan, I will need to be able to adapt to fit the needs of all the students. Topics in regard to students from a lower income household were the most relevant in tutoring the children. Other topics were not overly relevant to these particular children, but might be useful when teaching other children. Depending on the individual, different forms of motivation will be needed to keep the students paying attention. The two children I tutored worked at different rates on different subjects, so as a teacher, I would need to adapt my learning styles so every student has an equal opportunity to learn. This experience made me realize that even though teachers do not have much they can do in terms of discipline, I need to be a tougher teacher to get the children to focus. The advice I would give to future teachers would be, even though superiors may establish a set of topics to teach, no one can determine another’s style of teaching. Every teacher has their own methods they believe in. The challenges I dealt with when tutoring Math and Science are finding out how much the children knew beforehand and trying to teach them using my methods which I believed were more efficient than the methods used by their teacher. When teaching History I had to find a way to show the children why learning about these events were relevant to their lifetime. The best methods I found were start with homework, and be interested in the lesson to keep the children interested. I could have taught exactly as the nuns wanted all the tutors to, but instead I taught using my own style because my ways seemed more efficient.