Docster TP #6

On Thursday night, I observed Katelyn's tutoring session with her child tutee Zoe. I had not taken a child tutee because I frankly did not think I would enjoy working with children. After this session, I am no longer intimidated by them in an education setting. It is very true that children's minds are like sponges compared to the adult brain. I was blown away by not just Zoe's English proficiency, but her sheer intelligence. For about the first half of the session, Katelyn and Zoe worked through a reading comprehension exercise about a trip to the zoo. Zoe answered most of the questions without any problem at all, and any mistakes she made were quickly rectified after a brief error correction from Katelyn. It was quite obvious Zoe almost always knew the correct grammar, but sometimes her eagerness to respond quickly led to minor mistakes. The second half of the session was more informal; Zoe wanted to share her "junior ranger" souvenirs from an impressive smattering of national parks. She told us about her travels around the national parks and other national landmarks, and which she most or least preferred. She is far more well traveled than most Americans I know, having gone to parks in Utah, California, New Mexico, Wyoming, South Carolina, south Florida, Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. She is a cultured, polite, and intelligent child, and I was very glad to observe this session because I am no longer opposed to the idea of teaching children instead of adults.