The tutoring program is coming to an end, and I have volunteered for my last two hours. Many of the teachers are exhausted at this point, and unfortunately many of the assigned students have stopped attending regularly. I wonder if tutoring was a regularly scheduled part of the school experience for "all" students; how much more effective it would be? I have seen students that really need the extra individualized attention, and can only hope that it will encourage them to read and practice as much as possible at home and during the summer months. There were noticeable decreases in fluency and phonetic skills just after spring break with my 5th grade students. Overall, I can say that this assignment gave me some opportunities that I would not have had connecting to the whole student population of the school. I recognize that teaching is a skill, and that teaching in an urban setting is either a natural or developed skill. The bottom line is that volunteering in settings that have the most need, can also be the most fulfilling.
~Neshea
