Sushila TP #5

TP #5 

Date: 9/15/14

Location: Tallahassee Public Library

Time: 4-5 pm

My child tutees were the two twin boys Matthew and David. I arrived at the library 10 minutes early and their mother asked me to start with them then. I agreed with her request. Once I laid out the material we were working on, their mother then asked me to get them off the computer since they would not listen to her. This was challenging to find a balance between being strict and assertive without being too harsh. I went up to them and told them that they had to get off the computer to start tutoring but if they agreed to behave during the session they could have 5 extra minutes playing their games. They both agreed. When I finally started the session we began review math word problems. David was listening and comprehending everything I was saying, which was demonstrated in his ability to complete all the problems correctly without much help from me. Matthew on the other hand was very hesitant to listen and preferred to have his face down on the table. After numerous attempts to try and motivate him he began to throw a temper tantrum. His mother finally picked up on what was going on and removed him from the session. David and I moved on to reading and comprehension. For every 4 pages we read I would have him write a one-sentence summary on what he thought the most important events were. We breezed through it compared to the week prior when we were doing the same activity with Matthew. Because of his well-behaved attitude throughout our session I promised him candy, warheads to be specific. After this tutoring session the boys’ mother and I decided it would be best to tutor the boys separately. I am still going to tutor David on Mondays, but I’m not sure whom Matthew’s tutor will be. If you are available on Mondays from 3-4 and need a child tutee still, ones available. Matthew is difficult to tutor but it is also very good experience to learn how to handle these situations for the future. In addition I believe he is a very smart boy with a lot of potential that has yet to be tapped into.

(P.S. I have been unsuccessful at finding warheads so if anyone has any insight where they can be found, please let me know!  )