November 14th: Our Last Normal Day of Mentoring

I was really excited to see my little today, and I think part of this excitement came from knowing that our relationship is more like a friendship instead of an authority-child relationship. When my little came to the room, she had a smile on her face and was anxious to show me the pictures she had brought of her family. She brought at least twenty of them, and for each one she told me a story about who was in it. This activity was amazing because she was finally able to show me and talk about something that she really cared about. After she showed me hers, I showed her pictures of my family, and now that she was comfortable talking, she asked me a lot of questions. I am surprised at how open and talkative she became!

Next we read through our journals like we normally do. I wrote my entry in cursive, which gave her some practice reading a different style of writing (currently in her class they are learning how to write in cursive). Over the weekend I had made some tie-dyed clothing during my sister's birthday party, and after she read that part in my journal, I gave her a shirt I had made her. She loved it and we decided we would both wear tie-die the next time we see each other!

During the rest of the time, we played with playdough and took pictures of our creations. We also played badminton - I brought my rackets from high school and taught her how to hit the birdie! I recently learned that my little is a very hardworker academically, but I also think she is a hardworker in other areas of her life. She was really determined to learn how to hit the birdie accurately, and I have also noticed she pays very close attention to detail when she draws and writes.

Something clicked during this meeting. Through sharing and being more open with each other in the beginning, we were more easily able to carry on conversation for the rest of the time. Two weeks will be a long time, but I know our next meeting will be full of interesting stories!

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

o>
<<>>
^