New Season of "The Tutors" Begin

We started tutoring with the Kindergarten students last Thursday. We tutor on Tuesdays and Thursdays with different groups on alternate days. One of my students absolutely, positively did not want to stay for tutoring last Thursday. Yesterday the same student was begging to stay. It seems that he has decided that it is fun to stay. I like the way the kids think it is great to stay for tutoring because to them they get to stay longer and play more games. They also get to spend extra time with the teacher when there are fewer students to demand attention. The students still don't realize that they have to stay because they are having difficulty acquiring reading skills. It also helps that the students get snacks each day that they stay.

The students were selected for inclusion in the tutoring program based on Middle of the Year (MOY) results on the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) and the Universal Literacy Voyager program. Based on the results for my class I selected 9 students to divide across the two days of tutoring. With 4 or 5 students each afternoon it is much easier to focus on needs of the individual than it is when there are 19 at once. These tutoring sessions will help to prepare the students for a successful 1st grade experience.

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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We're BACK!!!!

The first day back from the holidays is always a challenge for kindergarten students. They have to adjust to the school schedule and the school routine again. Half my class told me they were sleepy at 9:30 AM. "Sorry! We can't go to sleep. We're here and we have a lot to do. " Lunchtime is at 10:50 AM and then recess. It rained a lot early yesterday morning. It left the ground very wet. We couldn't go outside for recess. We had to go to the room instead. Someone had to cry. Not me, one of the students. Kindergarten lives for recess; even after two weeks of holidays. Rest time is at 1:00 PM after Music. By 1:30 PM 4 students were asleep and the rest said they were hungry. "I know! We'll have a snack after Social Studies."

The teachers also have to adjust to the school schedule and routine. The biggest challenge is adjusting your body to the restroom opportunities. Or actually the lack of restroom opportunities. Don't stand in front of the restroom doors after the students are gone. I am certain the water pressure in Waco drops drastically at school dismissal time. Fortunately dismissal times are staggered between elementary, middle, and high school.

Our campus uses the Voyager Expanded Learning Universal Literacy System for English/Language Arts in the early grades. One of the components of the system provides for highly structured and scripted lessons. In order to prepare for the daily lessons the teacher has to gather materials each afternoon for the next days lesson. I didn't remember if I had prepared for the lesson before I went home for the holidays. As soon as I got to school Tuesday morning I grabbed my teacher's guide and looked at the lesson and my materials. It didn't look as if I prepared so I set about to gather and organize. I finished and felt good. Later, I discovered I looked at the Wrong page in the guide and unknowingly prepared for next Monday by mistake. OOPS! I had already prepared for the lesson before I left for the holidays. Now what is it they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men?

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.