Tuesday, February 09, 2016

It is Not Adding Up



When I began to volunteer with the county Adult Basic Education program it was a very slow start.  I took a three hour training/meeting that involved more in the way of forms and cautions about privacy, legal issues, etc. than it did about learning theories or learning styles. While initially they had told me they really needed someone living at my very rural end of the county, months passed before I was contacted with a student.  During that time I was certainly romanticizing this project and envisioned hours of success and happiness and goal completion!

As I wrote in a prior post, it was to teach math...not reading, which was a bummer for me.  I only volunteered for math because I felt guilty not trying to help students.  It was high school math, not Algebra or Geometry, etc. thank goodness.  I was told not to contact the student until I got my "packet."  Someone spent a good part of a day pulling together all kinds of exercises from various curriculum books, included the answers, and put them all in an inch thick notebook which I picked up at the local high school.

I looked over the exercises.  I slowly became terrified over my research hours because I honestly do not remember the details of combining fractions and the rules for decimals, I mostly just used a calculator in my daily life these days.  Word problems are another challenge and can be easy or difficult.  Anyway, I studied and prepared and then called my "student," a 50 something black woman who had dropped out of high school at 17 due to pregnancy.  This is such a tragic and common story.  You can go here to read about our very first meeting.

We have now had over 12 sessions together.  Our meetings have been erratic to put it generously.  She cancels about 20% of the time due to a granddaughter in the hospital, her flu, a grandson she has to get ready for coast guard deployment, her moving to a new location, a migraine, and this last cancellation was due to a fall on hard concrete while doing her job.  I myself had to cancel over the Thanksgiving holidays for travel and we did have a "snow" day.  She cannot afford voice mail and when I call I just have to wait for her to call me back to touch base.  She does not seem to have email either.  That is another challenge.

The program lets her take her test early if she has enough formal class hours plus hours with me.  I sent in the paperwork and while I discouraged her from taking the test in January she went ahead and took it anyway.  She did pass her reading but did only slightly better on the math side and thus failed.  I have not seen the tests and while I have asked her and the county offices to let me know her areas of weakness, I do not seem to get much help. 

She still seems enthusiastic to meet this challenge, but also shows up and then cannot read the problems because she forgets her glasses.  I have been around the world a few times and know exactly what is going on here.  She does not want to quit and yet she does not want to continue.

I have scheduled the library study room for 6 more weeks and will continue with her into late spring and about 12 more classes, but realize at that time if she is not ready, she may need to find a new volunteer teacher.  I think she is not allowed to take the test again until September, but I am not even sure about that scheduling.  I will give it my all through these next months, but feel a little disheartened that I am failing her and she is failing herself.






18 comments:

  1. It is hard not to get emotionally invested with another person, and it sgnals you investment in the other's progress. I applaud your efforts to give back to the community and one person in particular. If each of us helped one other, the world would be a much better place!

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  2. You can only do so much for this person but she needs to get herself to the finish line.

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  3. Goodness, what a mess this is. Thank you so much for doing this.
    You are a very brave person.

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  4. You can only do your best, I'm sure your pupil is also trying but under difficult circumstances and probably with quite a bit of fear.

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  5. Perhaps she will finally succeed, but however it turns out I truly believe that both of you have gained by the effort. I salute your patience and hard work for another human being. It doesn't get better than that.

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  6. Your previous commenters have pretty much nailed it. You are doing your best, but what more can you do? I'm rooting for both of you! :-)

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  7. I too do all that, but it is the cloud that has failed me. HP sold Snapfish, and the new owners remodeled. They deleted the address link when they moved to the new site. Bah Humbug on them. Flickr is the best, but I'm half moved to Photobucket. Enough. I have Huge HD's filled with digital, and all my old through new family photos have been scanned. I need to have a cold and rainy day to get G's family photos scanned. I will.

    Yes, one day Blogger told me that I had reached my limit. What? How did I know they had a limit. Now I post all pictures to Postcards and the mirror blog with URL's and code.

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  8. You are not failing her. Part of her wants this, and part of her is scared and wants to have excuses to fail. You can't help that.

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  9. There are reasons why she is just getting to this at age 50, and those reasons persist. You are wonderful for helping her, but only she can succeed or fail.

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  10. Don't give up. I see that you are a good teacher, because as you are disheartened you still continue. That is the essence of teaching. If teachers only taught the successful ones, why, what use would that be?

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  11. You are trying your best, so you are not failing. It takes two. I think you're right: she wants it but doesn't really want it.

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  12. i so enjoy your commitment, but people are responsible for their own outcomes.

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  13. Responsibility is front and foremost in this student-teacher relationship. It sounds as though you've upheld your commitment to her sessions. She must take responsibility for her own learning. I've had one magnificent long-term success story as a tutor and several attempts that didn't reach their goals.

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  14. Just thinking of you this morning while I struggle to post....while I post past adventures.
    Yes, I believe Barb is right. She is not taking any responsibility. Perhaps through fear or through a lack of knowlege about responsibility. I certainly understand the latter. Maybe drugs or alcohol are playing a roll in her waffling.
    Hugs to you.

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  15. Fascinating to read this. The process of giving of yourself and eager for your student's success. The heartache and frustration that accompanies it. I wish success for your student and greatly admire your choice for making a difference in this world.

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  16. It must be so difficult for her to do this- with so much going on- That she gets there at all is commendable! Don't give up- just know your help is appreciated despite her performance-

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  17. Perhaps I should reply on Facbook. :)
    Yes, that's just one block in the AIDS quilt. The big one. I was officially the AIDS Quilt workshop chairperson for a few years. Sister Margaret was really in charge. She brought in two friends who put it all together. I helped cut out words and names if needed, and I sewed that heart block together. Another lady cut apart the two AIDS Walk signature panels, and she made the hearts too. It really was a wonderful adventure that helped many of us who lost wonderful people to the disease. AIDS is on the rise again.

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  18. You represent humanity at its best. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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