Kinders in my home

I have been tutoring for 6 weeks now. I started with 3 kids from 3 families and now I have 5 kids from the same 3 families. The parents decided to add the younger siblings. So, for the first time, I am tutoring the JK/SK age group.

 

Initially, I flat out refused. I wasn't sure of my own abilities. Also, I wasn't sure if those kids actually needed any lessons. After 3 weeks of working with the young ones, I can honestly say that distance learning does not work with kindergartners. It will most likely work when a parent or a caregiver is involved in the process and provides adequate support to the child as necessary. Otherwise learning does not occur.

 

I can relate to certain concerns out there that this batch of JK/SK children will not have a strong basic foundation to build on - they had the last school year (which was their first school year) disrupted and they are looking at the upcoming school year wrought with fundamental disagreements and disputes between educators and politicians.

 

ASid recently remarked that he felt “under prepared” for his first year of university. It was strange hearing that phrase from a student who was in an enriched high school program. ASid actually did a few AP (Advancement Placement) exams in his last 2 years of high school and did well on them. They are supposed to be equivalent to first year university courses. However, after meeting some international students, ASid felt that their knowledge of certain subjects was superior to his own. ASid, since then, has been very vocal about wanting to see some changes in how curriculum is being taught in Canadian schools.

 

Maybe people in education should be consulting with first year college and university students across Canada to receive some constructive feedback on high school curriculum.

 

Meanwhile, as a parent who observed Hans participate in distance learning, I found out that it works to an extent with older students. They don’t need as much parental support; however, they don’t have balanced learning outcomes. Hans continued to do well in Math and never got a chance to improve in French. It was disheartening for him to see his first ever C! Now, he has doubts about his preparedness for high school! Thankfully it is 2 years away and hopefully there is time for damage control.

 

I am sure some parents are feeling that way as well - wondering if their children are adequately prepared for the next phase in their academic lives.

 

On that note, I am glad I took on the 2 little ones as my students. I feel like I am making a tiny drop of difference in the vast ocean of education.

 

Perhaps I should be writing “world of education”, but I will stick with my metaphor.

 

Recalling a few embarrassing moments

Why would I want to share embarrassing moments with my kids or anyone? I guess it is an opportunity to connect with peeps that have experienced similar moments, and allow ourselves to have a collective laugh and feel like a member of a team.

 

Today, I got on a TTC bus and my Presto card got declined. I tried a couple of times with the same result. The driver wanted to know if I could perhaps pay with cash. I usually never have cash on me. I didn't even bother to check. I immediately asked him if I could use a credit card. (What the?!) With a sigh of exasperation, the man told me that I could have a free ride and I should reload my card. Although I had a mask on and there were less than half a dozen commuters on the bus, I felt like all eyes were on me and judging me for fare evasion. The driver could have asked me to get off, but he didn't. He was kind. I must focus on that!

 

Over the weekend, I was at Costco after many moons. Being there reminded me of a super embarrassing moment I had at one of their stores. This happened 3 or more years ago. Between G and me, we didn't have a Costco card. Since our trips were usually for school events and only occurred twice a year, I decided to borrow Craigley's card. G and Craigley are from different racial and cultural backgrounds and have nothing in common except perhaps for their receding hairlines. For some reason, I was confident that that should be enough! It worked the first time and the second time, the cashier gently pointed out to me that I must not be using someone else's card. It was an excruciatingly embarrassing moment. I immediately fixed it by gifting G a Costco card. I had to atone for my sin!

 

The final one I wish to share is the very first embarrassing moment that occurred in Canada almost immediately after I landed in 1992. High school was interesting. First of all, I started in October and had a lot to catch up on with my 3 Grade 13 (OAC) courses. Writer's Craft was the most fun. The teacher scheduled 2 movie outings. For the first one, some students were taking the public transit and some were driving themselves. Don’t know how, I ended up with 3 boys in their car. I somehow got separated from the group walking to the bus stop as I wasn't aware of the dual modes of transport. The 3 boys did not know what to do and then, they kindly allowed me to accompany them. If they had asked me to leave, I would have missed the bus for sure. The movie we watched was "The Crying Game". That day, the entire class was sympathetic to me for many reasons. They felt that it was too shocking of a movie for a newcomer to Canada to watch. A few weeks later, we watched "Aladdin" and some of my classmates remarked that it was great that they got a chance to redeem themselves by taking me to a Canadian movie! Now when I look back on it all, the most embarrassing bit was about Aladdin being passed off as a Canadian movie!

 

Those are the three I chose to share here. I am sure the boys, my family, my friends and Craigley can add to the list when they get here sometime in the future. If anyone wonders why I wrote this post, it is really to draw attention to the kindness of people in each of the situations.