I absolutely loved my tutoring assignment. I got to know a group of 18 amazing kindergarteners that have a pretty great teacher, too. One image that I’ll never forget came on my very last day tutoring. I was going about my normal responsibilities, which involved setting up the room for snack time. While I was doing this, Maddie, a little girl that has shown some affinity toward me over the course of my time there, approached me and embraced me. Obviously, she’s 5, so she jus had her arms wrapped around my legs, gripping me tighter than I thought possible for her frail frame. “Don’t leave us Paul,” she said to me. I told her that I had no choice, that I had to go home to Michigan and see my family. Of course, to kids this age, the concept of me going to college in Northfield but not living here permanently, doesn’t make any sense. Still hugging me, almost excessively long at  this point, she says, “We’re all gonna miss you.”  Later in the class, all the kids assembled and presented me with a beautiful card, complete with all their sloppy, still learning handwriting, and a nice message from Mrs. Ziemann. I hadn’t expected anything to be made of my last day in the class, but the kids seemed genuinely sad that it was my last day with them. Throughout my final hour overseeing free time and practicing reading with the kids, almost every child approached me and asked me why I had to go or told me that they’d miss me. Anastacia even mentioned to me that her grandpa also went to college, and thought maybe I’d see him there.

All this to say, this hug from Maddie, who grew into one of my favorite students in the class, sums up my tutoring experience in a very straightforward way. I genuinely loved being around the kids and helping them in the brief time I was able to, and they genuinely loved it, too. Mrs. Ziemann gave me a chocolate bar and another card and thanked me for all my help. She described to me how every day the kids would ask if I was coming in. It felt so good to realize that I was making a difference in their lives. It’s no wonder the whole day brought me to tears.

This image of Maddie really puts one thing in perspective for me. Teaching would be really hard and grueling for a teacher that doesn’t love the kids in their class and genuinely want to see them succeed, especially at the elementary level.  I guess that’s why this term I decided that I really want to be an elementarIy school teacher. I loved going in to work with these kids every day,  getting to know them, and watching them all improve their skills. There’s all the theory in the world, but if you don’t truly enjoy the work, can you really be an effective teacher?

In my final paper, I’ll connect this to Maddie by using the image to convey the idea that knowing your students is paramount in being able to connect with them, teach them as effectively as possible, and get the most enjoyment out of the job. If I hadn’t taken the time to get to know Maddie and help her, that hug wouldn’t have happened, and my experience a as a tutor would’ve been far less rich.

My card. Thanks for the opportunity to let me work with these kids. I couldn’t have loved it any more.