I have been able to accomplish quite a few things this year. One is unrelated to teaching: becoming a father! My son was born in March of this year and we are still getting to know him as he gets to know us.
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| Mother's Day 2014 |
On the teaching side of things, I got to work with some great kids from the Boys and Girls Club in a small group tutoring setting.
The job came my way through a local school contact. She had sent me on an interview that didn't pan out but she put the BGC on my radar. They were looking for certified teachers to work with their students after school for 45 minutes 2 to 3 days a week. These were students who had been identified by their respective site directors through teacher evaluations.
We had a couple of days of planning with the Unit Director of the local chapter and she gave us what she envisioned for the program. (This was the first year for the program so we were the guinea pigs.) She stressed the fact that she would leave it up to us to come up with the lessons or activities we wanted to do with the children. We were all ready to go. Those first few sessions were not my most favorite. I had a group of kids that made me really question why I chose this profession. After careful observation and prayer, I made a proposal to make a change to the group. The kids I had just couldn't work together so I picked the ones that I felt could and we made it work.
I know the ones I had previously needed me but with only a short time (45 minutes) to work with them, I had to make those moments count and I feel that I did. By the end, things were good and the kids had a blast.
So that is what I am proud of this year: becoming and father and fostering a group of kids from the BGC.
