JOANNE
PAYLING
Diary #11
A
Small Request for Help;
an Important Step for Me
"Wonder of wonders, Miracle of miracles. . ."
Oops, sorry, a little Fiddler on the Roof popping in and out of my mind. Friday morning one of my quiet C students arrived in my classroom at 8 a.m. (classes begin at 8:30). She didnšt understand the assignment that was due the following Tuesday and wondered if I could help her with it. Hooray! A student asking for help. My heart is still singing over this seemingly small request. This is the first student to seek me out in an effort to understand a lesson. As we worked together I got to know her and to understand her problem. I didnšt realize this is her first year without the assistance of ELD. She has only been speaking English for five years. Verbally she does very well; I had not pegged her as a second language learner. As she very honestly shared with me, she can read the text, in this case Call of the Wild, but the words don't work together to make sense to her. She read out loud to me, and yes, she seemed to read with understanding. Upon questioning, she was able to relate the tone and setting of the paragraph, but it took detailed questions and help from me to get her to recognize the main point of the short reading. This gap between decoding and comprehension has defeated any independent reading attempts and she no longer tries to read for pleasure. Mayra will receive the help she needs. I am excited to help her; this is why I became a teacher. Now that I am fully aware of her background and needs, I can tailor reading and English assignments to her abilities. She will be a success story because she is mature, humble, and eager to learn and "get it right." She is also the rare student who seeks help when she needs it. She is one in 190. She is a miracle, a wonder of wonders. Now to help the other struggling students find the motivation to come in early or stay late for the extra help they need. What a miracle it would be if we could reach them all!
