KyungAh TP#3

I met with my child tutee on Thursday at 5pm. Our tutoring session went from 5-7pm. From our first session, she was extremely shy and soft spoken; today was no different. I came into the house and we went upstairs to the room. The desk had beverages and snacks laid out for us to eat/drink while we do our tutoring sessions. I thought that was very nice. It reminded me of tutoring sessions back in Korea because typically the parents do offer food/beverage to the tutors while they do tutoring sessions. I asked her how her day was and she said "it was fine." I then asked her what she did all day and then, she said "I stayed home all day." I thought to myself she probably has nothing to say because she really didn't anything all day. So, then we opened up the grammar book and started working on the pages. For today, I felt that I didn't do my best job just because I was unsure of how to get "through" to her. When she had questions on grammar I would explain to her, but she would just nod her head. Her look and expression did not seem reassuring at all, though. I felt she still felt confused even after I explained. We went through the tutoring session and I realized that she does not know I speak Korean. I debated whether or not to tell her because then I know the dynamic would change. Because she thinks I don't speak Korean at all, she can't speak Korean to me; she has to speak English to ask me questions because that is all I understand. But, if she knows I speak Korean she can use Korean to ask me questions and it might make her feel a little more comfortable. For me, making the student feel comfortable and relaxed is important. I feel the student learns best in an environment where the stress level is low and he/she feels comfortable and calm. So, before I stood up to leave I told her "I have a secret to tell you" and she looked at me because I know she knows the word secret. I told her that I can speak Korean (in Korean). She started laughing and said "oh my gosh, why didn't you speak it earlier i was so nervous!" (in Korean) I was shocked because this was a completely different side of her. The whole time she was shy, nervous, and soft spoken and yet the minute I spoke Korean she laughs and actually talks to me. I told her though that during our sessions I want us to use English. She nodded her head and told me as I was leaving "man, teacher, you fooled me!" (in Korean) I hope this makes the sessions a little more lively and fun.