Tutor Training!

Since I didn’t have any classes this week, I got put in charge of facilitating the tutor training on Tuesday and Thursday night.  If you don’t know, our training is 12 hours long.  Volunteers come to two training sessions and then observe one classroom before they’re matched with a student.  So…basically, they got to listen to me drone on for hour upon hour. 

While I’ve facilitated tutor training a couple of times before, I’ve forgotten how much material we have to cover.  The first day’s the worst (and by worst I hope you or the tutors I just got done training don’t equate that with boring–man, I try to be entertaining).  It’s not that we’re merely tossing useless information at them.  The first day introduces them to what we do as a program and some characteristics of the students that they’ll end up working with.  There’s just so much information to cover, and there’s only so interactive you can make it be.

Now, the second day was a little more interactive and, I hope, more engaging.  I reviewed the concepts of phonics with them (to be honest, not my strongest area), but the parts that I found were more successful were the reading strategies that I modelled for them.  Don’t worry.  I’m not going to bore you with the particulars.  If you want to hear about the strategies, I’ll tell you about them another time.  But of all the topics I covered, I felt that they were the most successful.

Now, of course, you could say that it’s because it’s what I felt most comfortable.  That’s true, but I think that it was more than that.  The reason that I think it was the most successful was the fact the it was applicable.  The strategies gave them activities they could employ immediately when they got their student.  Of course, activities have always been part of the tutor training manual.  I guess I now know that I’ll want to make sure to include more applicable modelling the next time I do it.  Live and let learn.

Kolter

A New Year

The upcoming program year is almost upon us.  While most of Project Learn’s classes will start the week of September 15, my classes will start after Labor Day.  While of course I enjoy teaching my classes, I do have some reservations as the first day slowly approaches.  It’s not that I don’t want to see my students.  And…it’s most certainly not that I’m not looking forward to teaching. 

Last year, I implemented some strategies in my classroom that I think were really successful.  The problem for me is that they’re beginning (okay, not beginning but begun) to feel pretty stale.  I need to find some way to revamp them into a new way to motivate and energize my students because if I’m sick of them, there’s not doubt that my students are close behind–if they haven’t already arrived the before me.  Luckily, I have a couple ideas for the upcoming year.  But because I’m somewhat superstitions, I’ll won’t tell you much about them until I implement them.

Wish me luck!

Kolter

The Fund-Raisin’ Blues

Now, stop!  Just because we don’t have class for a few weeks doesn’t mean we’re not working.  Of course, I was on vacation for a week, but I’m back and more charged (and slightly injured–not that great of a story) than ever.  This week, thanks to Papa Rick, Marquita and I are combing the earth, struggling to find businesses who would like to donate–merchandise, gift cards, anything–for our raffle auction, part of our Signature Event, in October.

While I’m happy to support Project Learn (and I think I’ve without a doubt demonstrated my dedication–how many of you would really dress up in character and costume and perform to help make a successful event:  thus far, I’m the only one at this office), I hate to make these phone calls.  Okay.  Now, hate is strong word and to be honest, once you get started, you kind of get in a groove, which makes the soliciting a little easier to take.  And…more often than not, you just end up faxing the event information and hoping that the people in charge find the cause as important as all of us do.  However, I just dread when I actually have to give a sales pitch to somebody.  I hate asking people for money.  It’s not that I think I’m too good to do the work.  I don’t know why, but I just feel guilty when I’m doing it. 

While some of you might disagree with me, I’m not a saleman honest.  I can’t smooze people and talk them in to the hard sell.  And it’s not just business-oriented:  I hate asking my friends and family for money.  I mean any money.  I’m not a huge fan of asking friends to help me out when I’m shy 50 cents at the checkout counter.

Knowing that it will make a difference is the only thing that keeps me going (That and Rick’s constant reminders that it helps pay for my salary).  No, but seriously, fundraising is a vital part of our organization, and every employee (or anybody who will help) has a responsibility to do it.  It’s been said time and time again:  everything has a price.  With that in mind, providing people with the opportunity to help themselves doesn’t come free either.  We need all the support we can get.  Hope to see you all on October 18 at our signature event.  But until then, think of me wincing time and time again when I call another restaurant or retail store and ask to speak to a manager.

 

Kolter

Three Major Events in the Life of One of Our Students

Recently, one of Project Learn’s students wrote an essay about three events that made a huge impact in her life.  I thought it might be interesting to post it to allow others to have a better understanding of what some of our students have to go through and what may lead them to come to Project Learn. 

Because of it’s personal nature, I decided not to include her name, but I still think it’s a telling story of the adversity that many students must go through before and while earning their GED.

Kolter

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There are three major events in my life that made my life what it is today.  One event is becoming a teenage mother.  Another event is moving out of my father’s house to raise my kids on my own.  The last event is getting evicted from a  home i live in for seventeen years.

When I was fourteen years old I knew I was pregnant.  But I was in denial about the whole situation and scared to tell anyone that I was pregnant.  Until my father took my older sister and I to the doctor for a check-up.  We found out that my sister was four months pregnant and I was six months pregnant.  Oh my father was highly upset which was understandable.

About three years later two kids and three months pregnant, I told my father that I was pregnant again.  I also told him that I was going to move out of his home.   That they are my children and I have to take responsibility for them myself.  Plus, I couldn’t keep having kids living at home with my siblings and seeing the stress in my father’s face.  So the next day my kids and I moved out.  I didn’t know where we were going.  We walked around the neighborhood for a while.  Then we went to an older lady’s house that used to babysit me when I was younger.  She let us live with her for a couple of months.  I found us an apartment.  My kids and I moved into the apartment then I was able to call my father and invite him over for dinner.  He said that I scared him when I left with my children.  But he know I could do it and that he was proud of me.

Two years later we moved into a three bedroom home.  We were very happy to have a front and back yard.  My kids had birthday parties, Halloween parties, and Christmas for seventeen years in this house.  Then the summer of 2007 we were evicted from the home.  The move was very stressful.  We had to put our furniture in storage and find somewhere else to live, my youngest daughter and I.  It is now the summer of 2008 and we still have not found a permanent place to live.  But we will and I hope soon.

Being a teenage mother was very scary from giving birth to taking care of a newborn baby.  To be a teenage parent you have to be responsible for your actions.  You have to give your children shelter , food, and clothing.  you have to love them, you have to teach them, and you have to praise them so they can make better decisions as they grow to adults.

Week 1–The Punctual Crusade

Last week I wrote how I was attempting to get my students in earlier to my class.  I wasn’t sure exactly how well it would work.  As I stated earlier, I don’t like to force too many rules, if any, on my students.  I tend to think that they should be able to regulate themselves, but since the first hour always became a red carpet show, each student grandiosely strolling in, I decided I would try to enforce a liberal punctuality plan.

Thus far, I’d have to say that it’s working.  Students are here on time and come back on time after break–hopefully, the days of the half hour break is over (the were only supposed to get 10 mns!).  Of course, there have been some bumps, but I usually tell them that they can’t come in late at a job or in college (which is most of their goals:  college and better jobs).  But some of the feedback has been positive from one of my classes.  Some students mentioned that I was simply attempting to make them accountable and they appreciated it.  Surprising.

I hope it lasts.  If not, I imagine you all will be hearing about it in the near future.

Kolter