![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Good think I like the deep end
May. 13th, 2009 11:59 amI tend to blag a lot. If I want to do something, I have a tendency to convince people I can already do it, and then I learn it on the job. It's worked well for me up til now. I can't stand boredom and I like a little pressure.
Sometimes I worry a bit, though. Like with tutoring. My progression of students has been... steep.
1st student? Bright 16 year old, willing to listen, did what I said, learnt loads fast, went from a low D to a high B in ten hours of lessons plus homeworks. An ideal first student, really.
2nd student? Slow 15 year old. Utterly bewildered by things he managed five minutes ago. I have to explain everything a minimum of five times before he understands why he's doing what he's doing. That's ok! I like a challenge. Our third lesson is tomorrow, and we're making progress.
3rd student... severely dyslexic 10 year old who hasn't been in full time education for three years, is way behind on everything and needs to catch up with his peers before he starts year 6 in three and a half months. He's not in school right now - three hours a week with me is all he's going to get. I start on Friday - PRESSURE!
I mean - I'm going to rock this gig, because failure is not an option. I'm devising literacy tests and exercises, picking reading books, writing maths tests and trying to condense the national curriculum syllabi for years 3 through 5 into a summer of Must Have lessons. In some ways it feels fantastic and I am brimming over with energy andmania enthusiasm. In others I am slightly freaking out.
*waves weakly*
Would it be better or worse if I pretended this feeling was unfamiliar?!
Sometimes I worry a bit, though. Like with tutoring. My progression of students has been... steep.
1st student? Bright 16 year old, willing to listen, did what I said, learnt loads fast, went from a low D to a high B in ten hours of lessons plus homeworks. An ideal first student, really.
2nd student? Slow 15 year old. Utterly bewildered by things he managed five minutes ago. I have to explain everything a minimum of five times before he understands why he's doing what he's doing. That's ok! I like a challenge. Our third lesson is tomorrow, and we're making progress.
3rd student... severely dyslexic 10 year old who hasn't been in full time education for three years, is way behind on everything and needs to catch up with his peers before he starts year 6 in three and a half months. He's not in school right now - three hours a week with me is all he's going to get. I start on Friday - PRESSURE!
I mean - I'm going to rock this gig, because failure is not an option. I'm devising literacy tests and exercises, picking reading books, writing maths tests and trying to condense the national curriculum syllabi for years 3 through 5 into a summer of Must Have lessons. In some ways it feels fantastic and I am brimming over with energy and
*waves weakly*
Would it be better or worse if I pretended this feeling was unfamiliar?!
