Tutoring

"Tutorials," "clases particolares," one-on-one time... Tutoring has taken over my life. I started off with no classes and no prospects. The teachers didn't want any, parents and students alike were wary of me... any work was looking pretty slim. Rest assured my lack of Spanish did not help alleviate the situation. Then, the Parent's Association invited me to a meeting one fateful day in January. A few parents trickled in, sat down, stared at me, and waited. Well, I was unprepared to give a speech in SPANISH or any speech at all, considering they invited me, but I winged it (as usual.) More and more people showed up, until the room held about 18 adults. I thought, okay, if half of these people are interested, that's about 10 kids. That's good enough for me. Soon after I realized that 10 was a minimum. The number increased to 20...24... by the next week it was 30, and today as I write this, I have a ripe 40 students (mind you, this is literally half of my school.) I have 3 classes Monday, 1 class Tuesday, 3 classes Wednesday, and 1 class Thursday. I went from having no money, to being able to go to the bar and (attempt to) buy my friends drinks. Feelin' like a winner.

But this gain is not without hard work and patience. And for those of you who know me, the patience thing does not come easy. I have come home with a hoarse voice and sore throat, covered in germs and chalk. I have done homework at the bar and have stood outside the cold just for a taste of wifi to talk to Sean. I have taken advantage of all free time (recess, breaks between class, the 2 hour lunch break) to plan classes, listen to children's songs, practice lessons, search for games, estimate comprehension levels and time duration. My brain works in rhyming verses and "The Tidy Up Song" keeps me awake at night. Florida is no longer "floor-da," it is "flow-ree-da" and "amerka" is now "a-mer-ee-ka." My English is deteriorating and my Spanish is improving(ish.) It's nice being a resident expert with little training-- by birthright I am a native expert. But the rest (teaching children, interacting with people of a different language, getting around, buying items, etc.) I am learning as I go.

What I have learned the most

• Learning a second language is HARD. Your students are trying to do it, and so are you. The mutual lack of understanding leads to a mutual, non-lingual, understanding.
• You get farther with a smile and a laugh than anything else.
• Yelling at children only makes you tired and anxious.
• Explanations work better with hand gestures and slow pronunciations.
• Always hug your students back, and even if they are sick and coughing all over your face, you let them kiss your cheek and hold your hand.
• Appreciate and swoon over every picture your students draw/paint/sketch/color/design for you. They worked hard on it, with you in mind (and if you're lucky, they will put your name in a heart on the back.)
• New words are best taught accompanying an image and possibly the direct translation.
• Don't allow yourself to get too stressed out. Live in the moment, enjoy the little things, and don't worry too much about anything.
• Learning the native language is a blessing and a curse; beware the moment your students realize you understand them in Spanish, and, by God, do NOT let them hear you speak it.
• Every place, situation, classroom, school, and student is completely different from the next. Don't compare, just enjoy.