Bobby_TP_#10

This past Monday I had another tutoring session with P.J. The reason for his resistance to the tutoring session this time was that Ms. Kim had a tooth ache and he thought tutoring would be cancelled. To his great dismay, the show went on. I was given a book about fruit, two articles, and a test to go over with him. Knowing that he would loathe reviewing the test we started with the book. We took turns reading so that he wouldn't get burnt out too quickly. The articles were great and really entertaining (to me), and the best thing about them was that there were questions already included for reading comprehension. The last thing we got to was a speed reading exercise. He read without any issues, but when I tested his reading comprehension the whimpering, which made sporadic appearances throughout the night, increased. He was beginning to crack. I dug my heels in, told him that the answer to my question was in the second paragraph towards the end, and insisted that he find the answer. What were the two things that solar flares interrupt on earth? The answer was in two consecutive sentences at the end of the paragraph. He read the first one and gave me the answer. I congratulated him. Then he began floundering for the second answer. After much goading he found that one too. I asked him if he liked reading and he said no, in fact that’s why he hates Monday tutoring. I took this opportunity to tell him a story from my childhood. I told him of my ordeal with math, about my tantrums and crying, how much I hated it, how I found it impossible to learn. No matter how many times or in how many different ways someone tried explaining it to me it never made sense. It was like there was (and still is) a disconnection in my brain that prevented me from comprehending it. But we made a deal. I got through math and he promised me he’d get through reading. I told him that he reads well, but reading is a two part process and he needs to be thinking at the same time. I hope my story humanized me and made me more relatable and less a component of the dreaded Monday night tutoring.