Learning at the Library

I was very excited coming in to tutor for the first time, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. There’s so many things that kids are learning. Mostly, I have helped with reading and math. Many kids come from non-English speaking households, so they come to the library to get help reading books in English. They are doing very well, and are able to read out loud independently, although sometimes they need help pronouncing a word. It’s funny how some of the girls are choosing similar books. Two girls have each read stories to me about Babymouse, and I’ve listened to three different Pinkalicious stories. I'm glad that the kids can choose to read stories that they are interested in, even though they are very different than what I would have chosen. I preferred books by Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl. 

Babymouse for President, a book that a second grader read to me.

The Pinkalicious series, another popular reading choice.

Unfortunately, I am seeing that many kids treat reading like it’s a chore, instead of an activity that could easily be really fun. I know I liked reading when I was a kid! One girl even grabbed a book that was a lot easier than her actual reading level, just so she could say that she had read a book.

I have surprised myself by actually being helpful in math, which is not my strong suit. My first session, I helped a kid with his rounding homework. My second session, another girl had wanted me to supervise her doing her math homework, which was addition and subtraction. I was really glad that she didn't need much help, because the method that she was using confused me. She had to draw boxes to represent place values and then add or subtract. I can't remember ever doing anything like this, but if it helps kids learn math, I'm all for it. 

This is similar to the worksheet problems referenced above. 

It's wonderful to see the difference I am making in the kids' educations. I can't wait to spend more time at the Village Branch and see what else I can help with.