Experience

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

                                                                                                                                                    Douglas Adams

During the fall semester of 2005 I have had the opportunity to tutor a struggling reader.  My student was a 6th grade exceptional learner.  Our main focus has been decoding.  I have used Month-by-Month Phonics by Patricia Cunningham and Dorothy Hall.  This program is designed to help the older non-reader use environmental print to make connections to decoding words.  We also worked on forming and writing letters correctly in printing and cursive. 

As part of the 2005 Homecoming Activities at Manchester College, Erica Hudson and I provided children with a craft to do in the alumni tent.  This was part of the curriculum requirement for EDUC 331.  Our craft consisted of the children painting and decorating peat pots to look like jack-o-lanterns, putting pipe cleaner handles on them to turn them into small baskets, and filling them with candy.

In 2004-2005 I was able to participate in an Early Learners Grant.  This allowed me to work with developmentally delayed preschoolers at Manchester Elementary School.  Each week I provided emergent literacy activities to 3 of the most adorable little girls.  We worked on skills such as how to hold a book correctly, how to turn the pages of a book, letter recognition, letter sounds, and much, much more. 

Spring 2005  I and my other classmates spent the day with pre-school and elementary students from Wabash County at the Day of the Child Festival held in Wabash, Indiana.  We loaded on the bus with kindergartners from Metro North Elementary School and attended the festivities at the Honeywell Center.  We were also part of the large parade held that day.

During the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years I volunteered at Laketon Elementary School in North Manchester, Indiana as a Homework Club supervisor.  One day a week I traveled to Laketon to help students for about an hour with their homework.  Laketon is a transitional school with only 5th and 6th graders.  It was great fun and a wonderful experience. 

An ongoing project for me since 1986 is, with the help of my husband Kevin, raising our own three children.  Nothing puts you in the trenches more.  Even though they are growing and moving on it is a continuing learning process for us all.  It is a tough job but one I do gladly.