Two Plus Two Equals Five
Ministry covers all areas and perimeters.
Wait, can you cover perimeters?
Well when it comes to teaching lessons you can.
Part of our ministry this month at Challenge Farm has been to tutor students struggling in some of their classes. Especially the 8th grade students who will be taking their high school entrance exams this Fall.
During our first week we met with the 14 students who were interested in receiving extra help. This was convenient because there are 14 of us serving here this month; and that afternoon we paired up.
I chose Paul, an elementary student who wanted help with English.
The first afternoon of tutoring sessions we all filed into the head teacher's office to receive instruction. Tuesday-Friday we would meet with the students from 3:20 to 5:00 going over assignments with them. We would also meet with them in the evenings from 7-8. We were then handed a piece of chalk and filed back out of the office with our student. However, my student was nowhere to be found. Noticing that I was standing alone, Mr. Joseph asked me who my student was and when I gave him Paul's name he told me that Paul was sick and would not be attending session that afternoon.
But I was not alone for very long.
Mr. Joseph had compiled a list of additional students he believed could use the extra help.
"Please give me a student who needs help with English." I thought in my head. "Please not math, please, please, PLEASE not math!"
For those of you who may not know, math has never been a favorite subject of mine. It does not make sense to me, it confuses me and I have never been that great at it. I really dislike it. At times I even loathe it. In high school I just about gave my pre-cal teacher a heart attack when I told her I hated numbers when she asked me why I spelled them out in my assignments.
I am not the person you want tutoring you if you are struggling in math; especially if you are preparing for an exam that determines if you will get into high school or not.
I let out a sigh of relief when I was introduced to Francis Kodet, a 7th grade student who needed help with his English.
As a first time tutor I thought our lesson went well.
To help Kodet with his spelling I took words from his textbook and wrote them on the chalkboard. I then had him write each word (spelling it out loud as he wrote) seven times underneath the original. Once he had done that I would erase the word and its copies and have him spell it again from memory.
Halfway through the lesson Mr. Joseph came into the classroom & I was introduced to my second student, Giddeon a 7th grader who needs help with math.
Um, I'm sorry did you say math?
You've got the wrong room.
You've got the wrong tutor.
So there I was spelling words on one half of the chalkboard and solving for 'X' on the other.
Later that week I thought to myself that maybe I should be reading through the book of Numbers. I made it to verse nine of chapter two and I can tell you that, that is not what the Lord is calling me to do.
Now three weeks into tutoring I now have four students, none of which are Paul.
