Experience in the R.E.A.L. room

By Jenna Gerstenschlager

I had the opportunity this past week to work in the R.E.A.L. room and experience first hand what being a tutor is all about. I had the opportunity to work with both Madison and Simone. My first tutoring session was with Madison. I had a few jitters to begin with, but as soon as we started there weren’t any problems and the lesson ran very smoothly. I was really impressed with not only how well Madison read, but also her enthusiasm. The next day I worked with Simone. Once again I was taken back by how eager these girls were to read. At the beginning of our time together Simone read a story she had been working on for a few days, and to her delight she mastered it. Anyone could tell by the smile on her face that she was pleased with her work. She happily took the story out of her binder and placed it in the “stories mastered” section. With just that one success, Simone’s confidence grew as we continued to read.

Initially I was a little afraid that some of the kids wouldn’t enjoy the tutoring experience; that they would think it was too much like school. Instead I found that the kids have really developed a love for reading. I think that in the kids with the achiever or competition strength this program works really well because the challenge of trying to master a new story and move up levels keeps them going. For others, it’s just fun and has become a normal part of their everyday afternoon activities.