Almost School Time :)

Summer has come and gone. School is starting next week for the ESL kids in the Jefferson County Schools. Right now I'm in the process of finding out when my tutoring sessions will begin and take place in my busy schedule. I've been wondering what Yumna has been up to all summer. I hope she is enjoying herself and keeping up on her reading (the tutor in me had to mention reading). I'm already excited to see the improvements she's made over the summer and how her family life is coming. I also want to ask her to translate parts of the Shekeria song "Hips don't Lie" because I want to know what she is saying in Spanish.

Self-Analysis

Documenting and reflecting on my tutoring sessions every week has been a great experience. I’m glad that I will be able to look back on this experience and remember my time with Yumna. In addition, I will be able to use these reflections to better the Building Futures Program and my skills as an ESL tutor.
The reason I chose to blog about this topic is that I thoroughly enjoy my session with Yumna every week. I have learned more about myself and become more aware of the world around me because of these sessions. Nothing before has impacted me in this way. I am constantly looking forward to our next meeting, wondering what crazy idea or question she will ask me next. Also, I love hearing about how great she is doing in all of her classes because of the help I have given her.
The quotations I used were important to enhance my blog. I want my readers to understand what a great program Building Futures is so they can get involved too. Having stories about the benefits of this program will maybe persuade someone to volunteer next year.
I think the Building Futures program may be able to use my blog on their website. My experiences and stories may attract visitors of the site to volunteer. In addition, I may be able to help train new volunteers. The Every 1 Reads program or Jefferson County Public Schools may also be interested in my blog. The goal of increasing Kentucky’s literacy rate is a major goal of the public school system, and my blog is proof that tutoring does make a difference in a students’ ability to read.
In all, I am going to continue to blog about my sessions with Yumna. If my blog can get one more person involved in the program, it is well worth the extra effort. I am a strong supporter of the Building Futures Program, and want people to understand what a great experience it is.

Tips about Tutoring

Here are a few tips I received about tutoring from Mr. Myers, long time tutor and part-owner of of Sam Myers Formal Wear.

1. "Always comment about a negative followed by a positive."
2. "Be patient"
3. "Make friends"
4. "Ask lots of questions about comprehension of the book"
5. "Keep an open mind"

Feeling the Effects of Tutoring

"Can I have a picture of me and you? I am making a book about the people who have helped me, and I want to put you in it," said Yumna at our last tutoring session.
This was one of the moments that I feel proudest that I am a tutor.

I love Tutoring!

Taylor Ewing, director of the Building Futures Program, claims she still lovs to tutor the students. "I am tutoring a Russian girl right now. Its really difficult for me because I don't speak one word of Russian. Even though we don't speak the same language, we are still connected."

Yumna's Classmates

Yumna and I

4th Session

Today was my fourth day with Yumna. I was hoping that we could talk a lot during this session because I am starting to feel very comfortable with Yumna, and she is feeling very comfortable with me. However, Ms. Thomas gave me a test for Yumna to take with my help. I could only help Yumna with word meanings, not the test itself.
In all, I was pleased with today’s session. Yumna is improving greatly, and I think our relationship is growing. I can’t imagine leaving Yumna in a few weeks. As of right now, I want to continue my tutoring sessions with Yumna even after this class ends. What will Yumna think if I stop coming? Will anyone replace me, or will Yumna not have any special attention? I want to see Yumna conquer the English language with my own eyes.
Hopefully, next week Yumna and I can talk about living in the United States and in Mexico. I also want to talk a few pictures of her class to share with others. I know Yumna will work hard the rest of week for our session next Wednesday. And I hope that Yumna will be very proud of herself for the great job on her test I helped her with today.

Test!

Completing the test with Yumna was better than just reading a book. Reading week after week has gotten boring, and I was ready for a change. Yumna’s test looked like one of my first tests I had in Spanish class. It was based on opposites, vocabulary, and sentence structure- all the basics. However, Yumna did have a little trouble with the vocabulary. Luckily, I had my Spanish to English dictionary with me so I could explain the meanings of the words.
The hardest part today was not telling Yumna the correct answers. I wanted to help her so bad, but realized I would be hurting her by telling her the answers. Although the material was very easy for me, I can remember the basic material in Spanish being difficult.

Espanol

The event that I will remember most from today was Yumna’s reaction to my Spanish. Although I have taken several Spanish classes, I do not remember most of the language. During one part of the test, Yumna didn’t understand the word “happy.” Thinking I knew the equivalent in Spanish, I said “consado.” She smiled and said, “That’s not right.” I had confused the words for happy and tired. Yumna and I both laughed at my confusion. Yumna also giggled a few times when my pronunciation of Spanish words weren’t up to par. Then she would correct my sounds, and go on with her test.
As we were walking back to her classroom, Yumna explained how her English was not very good. She seemed to be down on herself, a characteristic I haven’t seen before. “Well,” I said, “you help me with Spanish, and I’ll help you with English, deal?”
“Yes,” she nodded. We discussed that my Spanish wasn’t as good as hers, and her English wasn’t as perfect as mine. However, together, we can both teach each other.

Disappointment

One question from Yumna disappointed me today. While trying to convey the meaning of together, Yumna asked what my name was. I was surprised that she didn’t remember my name. This was our fourth tutoring session, and she didn’t know who I was? I thought that I had made more of an impact on her that she would’ve known my name. Was I someone Yumna thought of outside of school? Yumna was always in my thoughts throughout the week.

What is the Building Futures Program?

"Immigrant and refugee students face many complicated barriers in learning English. In order to help these students achieve the same success as their peers, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, the Louisville Office for International Affairs, and Jefferson County Public Schools partnered to form the ESL tutoring and mentoring program, Building Futures. This program serves as the ESL arm of the district-wide initiative Every1Reads, which aims to have every student reading at grade level by 2008.

In the Fall 2005 semester, Building Futures served approximately 100 students with the help of 90 volunteers. Students represented 21 different nationalities, including, but not limited to: Congo, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Jordan, Liberia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Sierre Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Building Futures also offers monthly mentoring activities for students and volunteers, including field trips, service learning activities, and educational workshops" (krm.com)

Teachers Prospective on the Building Futures Program

"Building Futures is a wonderful program. It is very difficult for me to teach 15 kids who speak different languages at the same time. There are so many varying skill levels and dedication committment in my classrrom, the volunteers can connect to each child in ways I cannot. Yumna has improved so much since being involved in the Building Futures Program. She'll even tell you Katie's help is the reason she is doing so well in all of her classes."
-Ms. Thomas, an ESL teacher

Our 3rd Session

This week was my third tutoring session with Yumna. I was excited to see Yumna and the progress she has made in the last week. Ms. Thomas seemed very happy to see me this week. This week I was much more comfortable in Yumna’s classroom. Her classmates already knew who I was, and treated me with respect. Yumna also looked happy to see me today. After the bell rang, we grabbed a book, and headed towards the library.

Is My School Diverse?

One of the students in Yumna’s class is considering attending Bellarmine next year. Ms. Thomas introduced me to her, and we talked about Bellarmine. “Is there a lot of Spanish speakers at Bellarmine?” she asked. I didn’t know how to respond to this question. Are there a lot of Spanish students and teachers at Bellarmine? The only people I could think of was Spanish teachers and foreign language students. It is ironic that I have never thought of this question before. Have I never noticed students speaking Spanish to one another? Is Bellarmine a diverse place?

Our 3rd Book

This time when choosing a table in the library, I remember how she liked to sit far away from the other students. So I chose the table in the corner so we could have privacy. The book we read together was titled Our Journey. The book was about a Mexican boy that moved to the United States because his parents were migrant workers. Yumna seemed to really enjoy this book.

Improvements

Yumna’s reading has improved since last week. She has expanded her vocabulary and phonics skills. I found her reading she quickly she would just say a word without thinking about it first. Then she would pause and ask if it was correct; and yes she was right. Yumna is starting to get used to the sounds in English meaning that she doesn’t have to think about every word now. It is starting to come natural to her.
This week, I’m not sure of Yumna’s comprehension has improved. When we review the previous page, she just shakes her head yes. Is she simply just agreeing with me or does she understand what I am saying? There is no way for me to be able to read her at this point because she cannot put words together herself in English.

Difficulties

During our reading time in the library, there we many other kids coming into he library. Yumna seemed very distracted with her school mates. One boy sat directly across from us at the next table, and just watched us. He laughed a few times, but I’m not sure if he was laughing at us or something else. (I hope that it was something else). And I hope Yumna didn’t think this boy was laughing at her because she doesn’t need discouragement at this point in her learning.
This week I noticed Yumna was having difficulty with –ed and –ing endings. As many times as I said the word correctly, she couldn’t understand these sounds. I also had to explain contractions to Yumna. I wrote out the meaning of these words, and described how they are two words combined together. Yumna understood these pronunciations well.

Halloween: US vs Mexico

As we were walking back to the classroom, I asked Yumna is she was going to dress up for Halloween. She responded yes, and tried to describe her costume. All I could understand was “elegant.” So I asked if she was wearing a dress, and she said yes. She then explained that this is her first Halloween in the United States. At home in Mexico, Halloween lasts for two days in November 1 and 2. She said that Halloween is very different in the United States. The traditions in Mexico are much different.

Getting Personal

Again this week I didn’t ask Yumna any personal information. I don’t feel comfortable to ask her why she lives at the Home of the Innocents yet. I’m sure her past has been difficult, and I would feel terrible if I made her feel uncomfortable. I think I will get the courage to ask her next week. I hope Yumna had a good time with me today, and that she learns a lot before our session next week.

Tutoring Session #2

After hearing several horror stories of other tutoring sessions, I was pleased I was placed with Yumna. Yumna is such a sweet girl, and I was looking forward to being with her again. I felt like I was such a help to her during the previous week, and I was anxious to see how much progress she had made.

Yumna’s teacher, Ms. Thomas, picked out a book for us to read together. The book was titled Save the Birds. As we were walking to the library, Yumna forgot where the library was. She seemed to be very confused about the entire situation. “La biblioteca?” I asked. “Si si” Yumna exclaimed. I was proud that I remembered some of my Spanish to help us communicate with each other.

Once in the library, I sat down at the first table I saw. However, Yumna said no and walked to another table located in the corner of the library. Is she embarrassed of me or learning English? I can understand being in high school is a tough time. Yumna is trying to fit in at a new school in a new country. Being away from everyone else is an understandable need, and I’m glad she feels comfortable enough with me to request another table.

Save the Birds was a much longer book than the previous books we read. Yumna started reading the book all by herself. I could tell great improvement since last week. She was beginning to sound out the sounds of words she has never seen before. However, when I would reflect on the page we had just read, she couldn’t tell me anything about it. So although her reading is improving, her comprehension is not.

For example, every time I asked Yumna why she liked a book, her answer was exactly the same. She would respond that it is important for her to learn English so she can work after school. Was this the only way she knew how to answer the question? I also had a difficult time trying to convey the meaning of words in English. Although I have taken Spanish before, I cannot remember most of my vocabulary. It is hard to describe a word that doesn’t have much description to it. Like, how do you describe “would”? There isn’t another word she would understand that would convey its meaning.

The time went by very quickly this session because of the tong length of the book. However, when it was time to leave, Yumna asked me why she was being tutored. She didn’t understand why she was the only one from her class to be tutored. I didn’t know how to answer this question because I didn’t know why the Building Futures program placed me with Yumna. I also couldn’t tell her that she needs to the most help in learning English. So with all of this in mind, I simply said that I was placed with her. She smiled and nodded her head yes.

I think this tutoring session went well. I could see that Yumna is learning English. However, I’m not sure why I simply read books with her. Yumna needs to learn the sounds of the alphabet before she begins to read. She still pronounces sounds as though she were speaking Spanish, and when I ask her what sound a “j” makes, she cannot answer me. Yumna doesn’t understand the difference between past, present, and future tenses either. I feel like if she knew about phonics, she would have an easier time when trying to read. Instead, I feel like the system is trying to hurry her progress along too quickly without teaching her the basics.

In all, I’m still glad I was placed with Yumna. She is such a sweet girl. However, I am still wondering why she lives in the Home of the Innocents. Why doesn’t she have any family? Why did she come to the United States only two months ago? These questions are very personal to Yumna. I am going to get to know her better before I ask them. All I can do right know is help her learn how to read, and I think I am helping her tremendously in her reading ability.

What's my Blog About?

My blog is about my passion- teaching the English language to new immigrants who are now living in the United States. I started this project in October as a class research project, but have continued this service long after my class has ended. Every Wednesday, I meet with Yumna, an 18 year old freshman at Waggener High School, to read, discuss grammatical rules, and discuss anything else that is on her mind. My blog will consist of writings about my sessions with Yumna, about the program Building Futures, and how to become an English as a Second Language tutor. By creating and writing in this blog weekly, I hope to attract volunteers, help other volunteers with their sessions, and educate the public about this wonderful program in place in Louisville, Kentucky.

My First Tutoring Session

As I was driving to Waggner High School to tutor my ESL student, I was very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect from my student, teacher, and classroom experience. Was my student a girl? Was he or she in an early stage? What country was my student from, and would they like me? These are just a few questions I had while walking into the office to meet my new ESL friend.

When I came to the classroom, none of the students were present. The teacher, Ms. Thomas was extremely nice, and explained the books I was to read. Ms. Thomas also informed me that Yumna was a female from Mexico. Yumna has only been in the United States since August 7, and is in the lowest level in Building Futures program. She also has been removed from her family, and is currently living in the Home of the Innocents.

Soon after our talk, the students began filing in the classroom. I was inspecting all of them, trying to guess which one was Yumna. I saw a few of the girls in the corner snickering while looking at me. I was already the minority in this classroom, and I felt very intimidated by the many languages the students were using to speak to one another. In the opposite corner, a few girls were wearing headdresses over their entire heads. How hard must their day be because they look so different than the other children at Waggner High School?

As I was sitting patiently for the last bell to ring, a few of the boys began talking to me. The majority of the boys were Mexican and one was African. These boys knew English quite well, and talked to me fluently in English. However, I got the feeling that they were making fun of me because they kept laughing at me with one another. “Do you know Spanish?” one of the boys asked. “Umm a little,” I explained. Right then, the boys began talking in Spanish. In reality, I could only catch a few words they were saying, and I know one of those words is love. And right now, I don’t really know what to think of this situation.

Ms. Thomas then asked the students to take their seats and announced that I would be tutoring Yumna. Yumna then got out of her seat, and we exchanged “hello”. My first impression of Yumna was that looked like a very nice girl. She didn’t appear to be different than me. She was smiling and looked happy that I was tutoring her.

Is this embarrassing to Yumna that she needs a tutor? I know that I feel stupid if I have to ask for a tutor. Tutoring means that you need help in some areas, and I’ve always thought that tutoring diminishes my sense of pride. However, Yumna was happy she got to have a tutor. This shows the main difference between ESL students and traditional students. Traditional students are hard-headed and foolish, while ESL students know that tutoring will help them to learn English faster- the skill that they need before all others.

Yumna and I read four books together. These books were simple, and a few of them didn’t even contain a plot. They reminded me of the books I read the baby I watch every week. These books were stupid, dull, and didn’t contain any meaning. In contrast, Yumna liked all of the books because she learned different words in English. She was proud she knew how to read these books to me.

While we were reading a book about bananas, Yumna started talking about her hometown. She explained how banana trees grow in the houses in Mexico, and how different they look compared to the regular yellow bananas we are used to seeing. Yumna was excited to tell me something about her home, and have me understand her. This really made me appreciate my volunteer work because she was willing to share experiences from her culture with me. We were friends, not just a tutor-student relationship. We were able to talk about more than just the books she had to read.

Another idea we talked about aside from reading is school. Yumna explained that she only went to school for three years in Mexico, but she didn’t learn anything valuable. She likes going to Waggner because she gets to learn English. I’ve never thought that I get to go to school; it’s always been that I have to attend. She also explained that she really wants to know English so she can get a job when she graduates. Having a job and making money is the number one goal for Yumna when she leaves Waggner. She made me think about how lucky I am to already know English, be enrolled in a great school, and have great opportunities waiting for me when I graduate; and I’m only two years older than Yumna. I can’t imagine moving to a foreign country two years ago and starting from scratch. This girl is a fighter, persistent, and will get far in life with her positive outlook.

In all, I’m excited to go see Yumna next week. I think I really did help her understand English and a few vocabulary words. Yumna seemed happy to be with me, and happy to learn English. I think next week she will have learned more words and phrases because she is such a hard-worker. I’m lucky I got placed with someone that wants to learn and has a positive attitude. If I were in her situation, I can’t imagine that I would be like her.

However, I am going to worry about Yumna until next week. Why is she in the Home of Innocents? Why was she taken away from her family? What traumatic experiences is Yumna hiding? She expressed to me that she doesn’t have any family with her. Is she ok being by herself in a shelter? Just after being with Yumna for an hour today, I have learned that she is a strong girl; much stronger than I will ever be. The struggles she faces everyday must make her tired, on top of learning a difficult language in order to survive. As I’m sitting in my room surrounded by material things, family and friends, and stressful schoolwork, I can consider myself blessed. No problem I have in my life right now even compares to Yumna. And, in reality, I bet Yumna has a more positive outlook about her own life than I do mine.