Blog #2: Round One!
On Friday September 20th, I went to the Rock Island High School to help tutor kids in the ELL program. ELL stands for English Language Learners. I didn't really know what to expect going into it. First off I thought I was going to work with younger kids so of course I went to the wrong school first. Then I found out I was going to be with high school kids and realized I would fit right in that environment. I had been really excited to help kids learn. If i had more patience I could see myself being a teacher because I honestly love the way kids get so excited when they learn something new and do it right.

While I was there I worked with two girls on some basic algebra. One girl named Flora was 15 and she was from Africa while the other one was 16 and she was from China. I don't remember how to pronounce her name though. We went over some things they already knew and then I was able to teach them some new things. They both caught on so quickly it was really neat to experience.

Something I found very interesting about my visit was how open Flora was about her life. She just loved talking about her mom and how she is strict. She told me her mom pushed her into doing as many sports as she could be in and the kids in her family do not get their phones until summer time. They are also not allowed to watch TV during the week, only on weekends. She quoted her mom by saying "You suffered in Africa I think you can suffer a little bit here." Now I know her mom isn't really trying to make her suffer by making her do well in her studies, I just found it interesting that she was so open with that quote. It makes me wonder what her life in Africa really was like. It also makes me want to learn more about the other girl who seemed so quiet. Does she have a difficult past too? It may not be any of my business but it sure would make them easier to understand.

I was only there for an hour but it felt like only twenty minutes. I enjoyed sitting there and talking to the kids while helping them learn. Flora wants me to come back more so she can get out of her noisy classroom more often. It was exciting to hear that she wanted me back. I would like to try to go back for even longer next time. The only problem is finding a day.

I believed what I learned from this is experience is that there are so many kids out there in the world that could really use some help. When I meet people with accents from other countries I will wonder why they came here and if it was because of struggles they faced in their homeland. I won't view these people just as immigrants, but maybe someone who needs a little help in this new country. I guess I would just be more understanding overall with them.