February 13th: Almost Valentine's Day!

Today I prepped for many different things: I brought an art activity, my journal, some fun questions for a game, and a small Valentine's day gift for my little.

The first thing my little said was that she forgot her journal. I hope she is not starting to think it is an assignment or a task she has to complete. We decided we would save mine to read for the next week so we each had something to share.

Instead of diving right into a sitdown activity or game, we played "tossing the big purple ball" with the group. She really likes to be active and is always asking if we can play game, so I thought this would be the best way to start out.

After a while of playing the game, I set up the art activity I brought, which was popscicle sticks and glue! She was hesitant at first when I asked her if she wanted to make something with me. I said she could glue the sticks in a square-like formation to make a pencil holder or any other design. After she started gluing a few sticks together, she started to notice the pattern the sticks made as you stacked them on top of each other. After the first couple of minutes she was hooked and wanted to make it as tall as she could. Other people also came over to make their own designs. This reminded me of when I first met my little and how she loved making things with her hands. She also opens up more when we work with our hands. She not only expressed her excitement over the activity, but she also answered a lot of my questions about school and her teacher. I will definitely have to keep thinking of ideas like this that keep her attention.

Speaking of her school performance, I have contacted her teacher and am hoping for a response soon. I asked the following:

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This is Kelly Moon, my little's big sister through BBBS. I hope all is going well in your classroom, and that you had a fun time during your Valentine's Day party!

Mentoring with her has been a wonderful experience thus far. There is nothing more rewarding and humbling than to see a child open up and begin to enjoy spending time with you. We have continued writing journals back and forth, and have spent the majority of our time playing group games, making art projects, and simply talking. One thing that we have not discussed openly is her school work. She recently mentioned that she does not do well in some areas, and I was hoping that communicating with you may be beneficial.

I have noticed that she has trouble with spelling and writing. Do you also notice this in the classroom? From what we have talked about, she seems to know what subject areas are hard for her. As her mentor, I am curious if there is any way I can provide assistance during the time we spend together. Here are a few questions that I have:

*What is she usually assigned for homework? We usually do not do anything except occasionally read a few stories she has in her bookbag.
*What subjects does she have difficulty in/ would benefit from extra assistance? I am willing to spend part of our time together going through any areas that she needs help with.

If you think this would be worthwhile, please let me know! I am willing to help in any way possible!
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I hope this leads to something great! My little's teacher is a great woman and really cares for her kids' well being.

The language barrier for ESL students is something I have become more passionate about throughout the last couple of weeks. In ED 330, we are trying to address, "How do you make strategies that are effective for all students effective for ESL students?" There are many effective strategies for teaching literacy in an English speaking classroom, but these are going to lose their influence as classrooms become more and more diverse. Teachers will need to have the drive to not only teach literacy, but to also teach it in a way that is comprehendable to all. I have been visiting an ESL classroom at Jefferson Elementary School, and my eyes have been opened to the impact of an effective ESL classroom on the students. I must look more closely at these strategies to see whether or not they can be brought to my one-on-one time with Monica. My most prominent goal, however, is to maintain trust and friendship; I want her to improve her school performance and yet still view me as an encouraging friend.

Before leaving, I asked my little if there was anything she would really like to do next time, and she said she would like to write cards to each other. This will be a great opportunity to break out the many art supplies I have!