Matt Tung 5th Blog Post

Usually, I find that I am pretty good at tutoring or coaching younger kids.  In fact, I find a lot of joy in it.  However, my first experience tutoring the English class last Tuesday did not go as I expected.  I was paired with a kid named Joel (I think) and our job was to just rewrite a thesis in a paper that he had been working on in his class.  Keep in mind, we just had to rewrite the thesis, not then entire paper.  An hour and a half after our session finished, he had not rewritten his thesis.  He seemed very uninterested in the assignment and left twice to use the bathroom for a total of around 40 minutes.  I tried to get to know him on a more personal level, but he did not seem to care about what I had to say.  I saw that he had a basketball and tried to spin it on his finger while I was talking to him about his essay, so I tried to connect with him and I started spinning the ball on my finger which he found very cool.  That was probably the only time we really connected.  Next time, I think I'm going to try talking to him as a friend first, and then start working.  Overall, I would say my experience teaching was more of teaching experience for me.  I realize that not everybody likes English or writing and I have to do a better job to make the kids feel comfortable enough so that they become more engaged in the sessions that we have together in the future.

Comments

  1. Ashley HeacockFebruary 11, 2020 at 12:00 PM

    Hey Matt! I agree that my first tutoring did not go as expected. The students I was paired with were also very uninterested in their work and didn't to ask for help. I defiantly agree that it was a huge teaching experience. I learned how I should ask questions and how to initiate the tutoring process. It is defiantly a good idea to talk to them as more of a peer to get the conversation going. I too and going to make an effort for them to feel more comfortable to ask questions so they are more engaged.

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  2. KK ShauhFebruary 11, 2020 at 4:40 PM

    I definitely agree that tutoring was not what I expected. I have also tutored in the past, however, they were mainly middle school and elementary school students. It was a lot more difficult for me to connect with these students and the small age gap also added to the challenge. I think this will be a great experience to develop my skills in teaching as well as just general communication kills.

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