Ashley Thibodeaux

Course: Math 367

Instructor: Dr. Tena Golding

Assignment: Reflection

       I am a junior this year at Southeastern University. In the future, I will be teaching elementary education. This year I enrolled in Math 367, which involved completing tutoring hours. I have done many tutoring hours since I have been at Southeastern. The name of the program is called After School Achievement Program. My first thought was whether it would be the same as all of the other tutoring hours I have done. Before starting the program, we had a meeting to find out what we were going to do. This particular program was designed to help children who were having trouble in math, and it was a free tutoring program. I was worried about only tutoring the children in math because math is not my strongest subject. This program was for grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The other thing I was worried about was working with children in middle school. I am used to working with younger children and not older ones. After the meeting, I began to feel nervous about tutoring the children. I was so afraid of a student having a question that I could not answer.

       It was the day of the first tutoring session, and I can remember hearing my heart beating so fast. I was so nervous and scared that I had to keep telling myself it was the same as any other tutoring program. I walked in and found out what student I would be working with. My first day, I worked with a girl who was in seventh grade. Before the children started coming, I was informed that there would be a certified teacher there to help us out if we had any questions. This made me feel so relieved and made me now focus on how I could help the children. My first session went really well, and I felt more confident than ever. After that session, I went every Monday for two hours. As the weeks went by, I began working with the same two girls every week. They were in third grade. The children were sweet and very respectful. I could tell that they really cared about the tutors being there. I have never felt so needed before.

       The tutoring sessions were forty–five minutes. I had one child for forty–five minutes, then I would work with my second student when my first session was over. Sometimes, I did not work with the same girls. There were many times that I worked with more than one student. All my time spent there was greatly appreciated by the children. When they came, I could tell they were eager to get started on what they were having trouble with. Sometimes, they would come ready with questions for me to answer. I remember one time when one of the students I was working with was having trouble with three dimensional shapes. The first thing I thought was to see if she knew the basic shapes. I started asking her about basic shapes. When I was finished, I concluded that this child did not even know basic shapes, and she was in the third grade. I was determined to help this child learn both basic and three dimensional shapes. By the end of our tutoring session, she knew all basic and three dimensional shapes. I was so excited, and it made me feel that someone actually needed my help.

       Not only were the students great to work with, but were the other tutors and the ladies that helped make the After School Achievement Program work. Everyone was so nice, and at times, it seemed like one big family. The last day came, and it was a good day. Most of the tutors did math games with the students, and they were having so much fun. I can remember hearing the little girl I was working with saying she wished she could come every day after school. Hearing this news brought the biggest smile to my face. The last day we all took a big group picture together. When it was time to leave and the tutoring session was over, one of the little girls said that she had so much fun. She also gave me a hug and said that she wished she could still come to the program after school. I told her that I enjoyed spending time with her and that they would have the same program next year.

       As I look back to how I first felt coming into this program, there is one thing that I must say, and that is that I was wrong. I was wrong because this program was not just like all of the other hours I have done at Southeastern. It was much more than that. It was not just tutoring hours, but it was making a difference in a children’s lives and seeing their accomplishment on their faces. It was not just about tutoring but also about making a friendship with some of these children. Being there each week, I noticed that some children needed someone to guide them and be there for them. Some children wanted someone to look up to for help. This experience has changed me and made me realize that children sometimes just need someone there by their side and pushing them to do their best. The After School Achievement Program is not just tutoring but making friendships with the children. All of the other hours I did could not even compare to this experience.