It was a bright sunny Wednesday afternoon and I was walking towards my car. I got out of class early and was heading home to get myself ready to spend time with my bright and intelligent students. Sometimes when I get out of class my body feels overwhelmed and tired. Perhaps it feels this way because of all the things that are going on in my life like family, friendship, relationship, community service, and homework assignments. I feel like I am very busy that I often do not have time for myself.
However when I arrived to El Jardin that quickly changes. The students that I work with on Wednesday fill my life with positive attitude and energy that I often forget about the worries and stress that I encounter during the day. I really love my Wednesday shift more than my Tuesday shift because I have a stronger connection and attachment towards the two girls that I work with. On Wednesday’s, I work with two bright and intelligent 6th grade girls named Arisa and Janet. Both of them have special qualities and a sweet kind heart.
As I was walking to the classroom I was excited and ready to start a new day. I was excited to work with Arisa and curious to know what was the homework of today. As I was sitting at the table waiting for her to come I was developing questions and topics in my head that we could talk about in order to discover and learn more about one another. Ten minutes passed and Arisa finally showed up and was ready to work. I quickly got off my chair and greeted her. She always smiles at me and we sit down at the table.
One of the things that I tend to ask the students is how their day is. I think it is a good way in order for them to feel comfortable and a good way to begin a conversation. She quickly sits in her chair and says that she was having trouble with multiplication tables. When she told me she had trouble with her times tables I quickly remember when I was her age and also had the same problem. Reflecting back to when I was her age made me come up with a great idea of how to help her challenge and learn this concept.
I like the classroom because there are many different book shelves and resources for each grade level depending on the subject. I went to the book shelve and found some multiplication tables, I also got a white board, two markers, and scratch paper in order to begin practicing. The first method that I used was to go over the flashcards and see what multiplication tables she knew and see which ones she had trouble with. She began to tell me some answers and each time she got a correct answer I would motivate and tell her encouraging words like “Good Job” “wow you are doing great” “High Five” etc.
I started noticing that this really motivated her and whenever she had trouble with a multiplication table she was ready and motivated to learn. Seeing this positive attitude and a strong determination to learn and not give up made me remember when I was her age. In her I saw myself. I saw her dedication and how motivated she was to practice the timetables that she did not understand. After practicing the flashcards I showed her one easy method that| used when I was her age.
I showed her the method adding 12,8 or 6 every time she tried to find an answer. For instance, if she knew that 12 times 2 is 24, the easy strategy she could use was to add 12 to 24 and eventually will lead her to have 36 which 12 times 3 is 36. When I first introduced her to this method she was confused but then as we continued to practice more problems it was easier for her to remember and learn more quickly. By the end of the one-hour session, she felt more happy and confident.
She was really enthusiastic and told me “Thank you this method was easier I finally understand it, I like how you explained it, and you explain it better than my teacher”. And she quickly smiles and gives me a hug. Hearing these sweet words from a 12-year-old truly made my day. Not only did I made learning easier for her but I also made her feel confident and comfortable. As mentioned by Insel and Roth stress is a stimulation that triggers physical and emotional reactions. Children express feelings of stress when they have difficulty understanding a certain concept from a subject.
In this case, I learned that Arisa was experiencing a small stress response when she could not identify certain answers to some multiplication problems however when she began to practice problems and realize that it was much easier than she thought she began to slowly release that stress with feelings of confidence and satisfaction. In light of this learning, I am happy with the feedback that she gave me. Hearing how she style of teaching really made me feel good because it made me realize that she really is understanding the concept and she appreciates the work and dedication I give in order for her to understand the material.
Each student who participates in the program has a strong motivation and really flourish. Most of the time the students come to the program tired because they had a long tiring day in school however when they show up in the afternoons they are really motivated. Each of the students that I work with is responsible and likes to work on their own however when they do not understand something or have trouble understanding a vocabulary word or solving a problem they ask questions and are engaged in their learning.
I like seeing this kind of attitude in the program because it demonstrates that they really want to be there and want to learn. Furthermore, I really like working with elementary students because I see myself in them. I like seeing their dedication and their energy. Their desire for learning and having bright and creative ideas. When I look at them I put myself in their shoes and I often ask myself what did I think when I was their age? Did I think about going to college? Was I motivated to do well in school?