Unfortunately for me, L.J. has break until after finals, which means last week was my last time there for this school year. Hopefully, though, I'll return next year and work with the same teacher, Ms. Lizzie. I think very highly of her, her teaching style, and her interpersonal skills with the girls at the school. That would mean I would continue to work with 8th graders on math. The 8th graders I worked with will be graduating this summer, though, which means I won't get to work with them again. I'm sure they're excited to graduate, but I'm bummed that I only had a few weeks to get to know them. They're so cool!
On the positive side, I've found that I really love facilitating math learning. Although I sometimes make mistakes when I'm trying to solve mathematical problems, it can be good to show kids, and especially middle-school aged girls, that it's okay to make mistakes, and that it's possible to still solve a problem even if a few mistakes are made along the way. At least, that was the message I tried to send them as I guided the problem-solving process.
In addition to loving math, I've found that I love being in the school and, in particular, the Laura Jeffrey environment. The energy is inspiring, there's constant mental growth, and it's SO fun to see the students "get it": that point during a tutoring session when the light bulb flicks on and they understand something they previously didn't. That's pretty cool.
At this point, I'm thinking that I'd like to pursue placement at Laura Jeffrey for at least the 2011-2012 school year and maybe longer. I'd like to keep my options open though, because, as much as I love L.J., I want a variety of experiences to help be an effective learning facilitator later in life.
Although I'd like to stay at L.J., I'm not particularly interested in staying in this particular lab at the U. Perhaps I'd like to pursue a different lab, one that has to do with child development or learning, but I'm not as interested in the subject matter of this lab as I thought I'd be. But that's okay! It was a great experience and I LOVED going over to the U. (Beautiful campus and a relaxing bus ride. Plus a Dunn Brothers in the basement of the building I worked in.)
Overall, both experiences have been an enlightening exploration of education and own career interests. It's exciting to contemplate future possibilities . . .
See, that's why I think it would be fun to work with students who are a bit older. How old are they again? Working with students as young as I do is rewarding but it's difficult to tell when they get something or when they are just agreeing with the answer or help you offer them. Few light bulbs.
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