Interview

In order to please my constituency, I have decided to post again. :) This time I conducted an interview with myself concerning my current job, tutoring, using the 6 questions for writing an article: who, what, when, where, why, and how...I'm sorry it is so long!


Who do you tutor?
3 kids; I mostly tutor the 10th grader, "Kevin," though I also tutor his 6th grade cousin, "Hannah," and rarely "Seth," his 9th grade cousin. Kevin's cousins are from Korea and have only been in the country for about 10 months.

Who told you about the job?
Fellow credential student and friend, Small Michelle :)

What do you tutor?
To varying degrees, AP European History, English, Social Studies, Earth Science

What subject is your favorite to tutor?
Hmmmmmm, when he behaves, I like to tutor Kevin in AP Euro, though it is a close tie with Hannah in any subject.

What is your favorite way to explain hard concepts?
I really like to explain ideas verbally, but if that doesn't connect with the students, I draw pictures and diagrams and also use whatever happens to be in the general vicinity (more on this later).

What is the most difficult thing about your job?
Kevin is very resistent to working, so it is an almost constant struggle to get him to concentrate and perform his tasks. It is also very hard because he will not be reasoned with; I have to find some new ways to get him to behave.

What is the easiest thing about your job?
It pays well, his parents are pretty understanding of the situation, it is only a few days a week, and it gives me experience!

What are your goals in tutoring?
For Hannah, it is mainly to get her homework done and to help her understand English. I also am helping her build her English writing skills by constantly revisiting certain areas that need improvement.
For Kevin, my short-term goal is to get his homework done. Since this is time-consuming (he is very resistent to working most of the time), I have a hard time working on my long-term goal, which to make him an independent learner and self teacher.

When do you tutor?
2-3 days a week, for 1-2 hours at a time

Where do you tutor?
In the kids' home, in an affluent part of town with a high Korean population

Why do you tutor?
I need the money. :)

Why else do you tutor?
I like to work with kids. This gives me insight into the age groups that I will be working with as a teacher. It also gives me experience with teaching an English Language Learner, which can be very difficult. I like the challenge of finding many different ways to communicate concepts to Hannah.

How do you help Hannah understand the material?
I use anything we have at the table to get the point across to her. I have used a coaster and a cup to illustrate absorption during earthquakes, pencils to represent people and lasers, empty rice crispy packages to show different types of earthquakes, pistacio shells to illustrate the concepts of majority and national defense, etc. It is really fun! She laughs at her crazy tutor, so it is great. The dual use of verbal+visual is helpful as well. Of course, I also use the illustrations in the book and personal drawings to help her understand.