We divided up the kids by grade and gave each volunteer a grade to work with. We each have one younger student in either grades one or two to work with as well. I was given grade 7 and one little boy in second grade named Dion (pronounced Dee-on).
I went to talk to his teacher about what he had for homework and how I could help him, yet all she said was that Dion was on a different level. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I knew I would find out later that day at our first tutoring session. I found him outside playing and I told him to come inside so we could work on homework, and he just shook his head and hid in the slide. I persisted in vain and an older boy finally had to come over and get him out. He of course got in trouble and finally sat beside me with his backpack on. I asked him if he had any homework but he wouldn't respond or even look at me, so I opened it up to find it completely empty. There wasn't even a stray piece of lint in that bag. I then told him that I would make up homework for him to do because he hadn't showed me his. I wrote down a simple math problem, but he still didn't even look at this. Seeing that I was getting nowhere fast, I asked a friend to get a book so that I could read with him. She brought one back and I began to read it to him, asking where things were in the pictures and letting him turn the pages. This got him a little involved and he actually began pointing to things and turning the pages. I was very excited at this small feat. I asked for another book and he enjoyed that one too, so I asked him if he wanted to read another one and if he wanted to grab a book. He nodded and then ran off, coming back a few minutes later, arms brimming with books! We read a few more until I had to help others with homework. That was how my first day went with Dion.
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| Dion |
The next day was pretty close to the same. We read a few books and called it a day. Please note that he had still not spoken to me the first or second day at all. I believe it was the third day when I actually heard his mouse like voice answer me about a book that we were reading. Each day we make progress. He talks to me a bit more, and is now sitting on my lap and even jumping up on me to give me a hug when I see him. He is a very thin and quiet little boy, and smiles shyly every time you point him out and say his name. Each time I praise him on his work he hides his face and shakes his head, covering up the huge grin that is stretched across his thin face.
It has definitely been a struggle working with Dion. He doesn't always respond or do the work right away when I ask him to, but usually after much kind persistence, he works and does more than I ask. It is also hard to be with Dion because the other kids tease him and pick on him so much. It is painful to see happen. Not that we don't make them stop or reprimand them for their unkind behavior, but we know that it has gone on for a long time and still happens when we are not around. It is also hard to see the scars on his little body, wondering what happened to him that led him to this home. But I couldn't be more happy that I am working with Dion. He is teaching me many things, the first being patience, but also kindness, tenderness, and understanding. He reinforces the lesson that you can never be unkind to people because you don't know what has happened in their life to lead them to be the person they are today. He has taught me to accept before understanding a situation fully and to love unconditionally.
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