Elementary Education Desire for Success

by Apple Goodthree

I asked a kid the other day in the 4th grade class a question.  He was doing math problems at lunch.  It was a test and teachers are not supposed to help on a test.  Still, I helped.  I was breaking down a multiplication table.  Somehow, the question came up where I said, "what does 60 + 3 equal?"

The child looked to the right, thinking.  He continued to think for a moment and said, "uh, 50!?"

This kid is a great kid.  He is healthy.  His mind works fine.  He is cute as a button.  He is also one of the coolest kids in school.  I wish I could mention his name - he's even got a cool name.

I think when you challenge a child, they appreciate it.  When you support them, they appreciate it.  When I sat with him to support him with his math problem, it was important to him.  When he responded with his answer of, "50," he was hoping so much that he got it right.  He wanted to impress me.  He wanted the instruction to continue.

Yesterday he stayed in from recess.  He's a good little basketball player by the way so recess is a place where he feels success, confidence and joy.  With that point, let me emphasize that he's coordinated.  He's healthy.  He can learn anything.  I think learning disabilities are overrated and over publicized.

Nonetheless, inside at recess we talked.  He asked me a question about Facebook.  I told him I had a page for a book that I have written.  He said with awe, "you wrote a book?"  A girl that was sitting there said, "are you famous?"  Then the cool kid asked where I lived.  I told him Massachusetts.  Sadly, better than ninety percent of these kids don't even know they live in Arizona (geography, a future project).

Anyway, the cool kid said, "you want to be a teacher?"  I said, "yes."  He wondered why.  And he asked where I wanted to teach.  I said, if I teach it will be at this school or a school like it.  He said, "yeah, but isn't this school poor?"

I was just preparing my answer so he could understand how "rich" these kids really are.  As I said, they are healthy.  They are strong.  They don't have learning disabilities.  They have wonderful teachers and administrators that care.  These kids have raw ability that is not, usually, influenced by parents.  They are their own people.  Their "I cans" are their own.

But, the class and the teachers entered.

Still, this child now has some desire from a different angle.  With that desire, he builds confidence in different activities.  He gives himself reasons and a connection.  This prompts him to put in the effort.  He accomplishes.  He expands.

But, I have been in this class for a few weeks.  This child usually doesn't do the work.  He just sits there and day dreams, sharpens his pencil and asks to go to the bathroom a lot.  His homework is not done.  He's no bother in class, really.  He smiles.  He's happy.  Somewhere inside, he has the impression he was unable to perform certain school work.  Or, he's bored.  Or, he was not challenged.  Or, he didn't have the desire.

So, yesterday, there was an afternoon assignment to create an invitation to their parents (or guardian, grandparent, etc because these are homeless kids it's not always the same).  Fifteen or twenty times he asked me to come over and help him.  Mostly those requests were just for the connection - so I could see how he was doing.  I only gave him small guidance each time but it was structured and move him forward.

He created a rough draft invitation to his parents that had spacing, structure and excellent handwriting.  He, then, made the real copy on a stronger card stock paper.  It was awesome.  I told him how excellent it was again and again.  I said the same thing to all the kids and each hears it themselves.

I urged the boy to show his work to the teacher.   When he did, the teacher nodded and nodded again.  The teacher showed encouragement and then said, "you have great handwriting."  The student walked away from the teacher's desk filled with pride and success.  I gave him a 'thumbs up' sign.  He smiled.

These successes are how kids build.  Today, I hope to be able to work with him on his multiplication tables.  He'll be up to speed in no time.  Well, we might have to get over that addition hump of 60 + 3.  We will.

UPDATE:  Today when I went to the school, he was the first one I saw.  He excitedly and proudly told me that they are using his invitation as a model for others.  His invitation is in the principal's office.  :-)

Tutoring in a school for homeless children

I feel that the way to lift our society is to embrace some of the weakest populations.  If we empower the weak, it makes the whole stronger.  That's why I love working in my school for homeless children.  Most of the kids are homeless and all of the families are below the poverty line.

True, it's difficult in the school.  Many of the kids have tired looks on their face.  Some fall asleep in class.  We try to feed them breakfast and snacks throughout the day in addition to lunches.  The raw power and talent these kids have is wonderful.  The problem, I believe, is they are not challenged enough.  They can do anything.

When they begin to succeed, momentum builds.  Esteem builds.  I love seeing that.  The children just haven't been challenged enough.  I worked with a fourth grader today who missed three months of school.  She can't read a simple book (like See Spot Run).  She hadn't been able to sound out simple words.  But, I had worked with her the other day and she felt success.  Guess what happened?

Today during recess, she came over to me and brought me a book.  I first thought she was going to start reading it to me.  Then I remembered she had trouble even sounding out words.  The word, "the" was trouble.  All during lunch we read and read.  I began, then she continued.  Almost immediately, she attempted to read.  With assistance she got through a sentence.  Then another.

Then we would repeat sentences for practice.  Not only was her confidence building, but her trust in an adult was building.  You know what else was building?  Her trust in herself.  Later during class, there was a writing assignment.  She finished it.  It was only a half-page essay, but simple writing was a challenge.  Certainly spelling was a challenge.  Even being creative was a challenge.

She came over with a blank piece of paper and sat next to me.  One word and one sentence after the other she wrote, and misspelled, but she wrote.  She was creative and very thoughtful in writing about what she would do for her Mom.  Back to my original point.  Investing time with this population has more rewards than you can name.  Maybe I'll write about them some day.  :)

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