I am often asked to tutor a student who needs to pass their exams, we meet for a few days or weeks, and that’s that.
Many times people express a desire to learn English, get excited about having a native speaker for a teacher, start discussing details… and I don’t hear from them again.
Others start working with me, and after some months disappear, probably due to scheduling or financial conflicts.
This year I was asked to teach English to a brother and sister whose family was preparing to move to the USA. They were in a bilingual German-Spanish school here in Costa Rica, but had never learned English. One of my friends had begun working with them but was unable to continue, so she called me. Their level was still very basic, and when I met them, they hadn’t had English classes in almost three months.
Interestingly, the Costa Rican mother speaks English very well, yet she knew that her kids needed another source to push them in a focused way. I started working with them twice a week, and had a great time. We got to use items from around the house and make messes in the kitchen, have nature walks and sports days. We were so busy applying English to our everyday world, that sometimes I didn’t teach them specific grammar lessons. It was great fun all around.
Even so, I wondered would it be enough. I had been studying up on multiple intelligences and learning styles, and was planning the activities for each lesson based on each child’s strengths. It certainly seemed to make a difference, yet I knew that in five months the kids would move to California and soon after that start school in an all English environment.
One day, I presented an unusual proposal to the mom—I would not only teach her kids, but show her how to interact with them in ways that promoted learning, so that she would be even better-equipped to help them in their school work moving forward.
In reality, this is my heart’s desire—not only to provide quality education for children, but to provide support and encouragement to families based on their home environments. I often offer parents a chance to join us, or try to summarize classes, but most do not show much interest or understanding.
This was a unique and successful experience. First, I asked the mom to join us for a half hour period of group games or crafts at the end of each session. The kids took turns giving directions to their mom in English, and when it came to picking teams, I was always the odd woman out, since they both wanted to be with their mother every time!
Secondly, I kept the mom very informed about the activities I chose for each of her kids, the reasons and context for doing so, and the results that played out in real life. By sharing with her the reasons and context for my teaching methods, I wanted to show her alternatives that she could apply to studying any school subject with her kids. And her comments and observations were a big help to me in understanding her children better, which allowed me to adapt my lessons even further.
It was a team effort—tutor, parents and the kids themselves. The best combination of all.
The Life of Maestra Megan 