Children are Children

For several years now I have been tutoring reading through a faith based organization in Lincoln called City Impact https://cityimpact.org. Up until this year I have always tutored first grade. I loved it. I didn't think I could love it more. I was wrong. This year I was assigned to tutor English Language Learners. I had no idea what to expect and if I'm honest I was anxious, at first. I had no idea how I was supposed to communicate with students who didn't speak my language.

I tutor inside the classroom which is different from the way it was with first grade. I was used sitting at a small table in the hallway with my student.Now I rotate through students approximately every 10 minutes for about 2 hours twice a week. I realize that that doesn't sound like a lot of time but we have a great curriculum and we accomplish a lot.

I work with students from Liberia, Jordan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Guatemala and perhaps other countries that I don't know about yet. All of these kids are learning to speak and read English along with learning all of their other school subjects. These are amazing children! They are willing, quick learners.

Their teacher is compassionate and dedicated.  All of the ELL teachers host a Thanksgiving feast every year so the students can experience American culture.  I was invited to help them make pumpkin pie. What fun we had! None of them has ever had pumpkin pie before. The spices were mostly new to them also. Though some did recognize the scent of cinnamon. I supervised while they took turns mixing up the pumpkin custard. Their teacher took it home bake. They got to taste the pie at the feast.

Even though these children speak so many different languages they still manage to communicate with each other. It is so fun to watch them interact. What I have learned that children are children. They love to play, to learn, to help, receive high fives, and give hugs. They understand smiles and kindness. They are amazing. Many of them came from dangerous situations in their home countries but in the classroom they are children, no different from my own grandchildren.