When I signed up to be a Student Resident House Helper I wasn’t expecting ‘homeschool teacher’ to be part of the job description! However, since most of Yureimy’s grade was sick or recovering from the flu, her class was sent home for the week. The Student Resident Home became her makeshift classroom, and Ms. Ana and I her makeshift teachers.
I was excited for Yura to get some one-on-one time in her studies, but I learned quickly that keeping a 5-year old's attention on schoolwork is challenging! But her assignments were colorful and engaging, and we dove headfirst into lessons and crafts with a good attitude. I enjoyed getting to see Yureimy’s curiosity and her progress with her subjects and English as the week progressed.
On the third day, we were learning shapes and hit a snag as she was struggling to remember the different names for a triangle and a circle. I decided to make a game of it and cut little shapes out of wafers. If she could name the shape, she could eat the wafer, and not even two minutes into the game, we were out of wafers because she had named them all correctly!
Her resilience and enthusiasm to learn and create, even in a different environment, encourages me as I’m adjusting to my position of working with the girls in the SRH. They are growing and learning so much every day, and I’m grateful I get to be a part of that process.
