Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Day 1 - The Adventure Begins

We just completed our first day at Lincoln Academy.  What was your reaction to our first day?  What do you anticipate doing next with your tutee?

15 comments:

Courtney said...

I was really nervous when I saw some of the kids we are working with. Some of them looked like they didn't want to be there, or they didn't know what was gong on. After we introduced ourselves the air seemed a little more relaxed than before. Ellis seems like a very smart guy, and I hope that when we come back he might have some idea of what he wants to write about. If he doesn't than we will just work on some more ideas.

Unknown said...

Arriving at Lincoln Academy made me a little nervous.The introduction to the group was more nerve-wracking than the group session. Once we were allowed time with our assigned kid, I relaxed a little more. Brit seems like a bright girl that can be very creative. I got the sense that she felt awkward during our interaction. I shared with her that since I was also a student, she can view me as one of her peers. Hopefully we have class on Thursday, but we cannot control the weather. Overall the experience went well despite the minor interruptions from PA system.

Kristy Link said...

Today wasn't nearly as nerve racking as I had originally anticipated. I am a little concerned that some of the students seemed less than enthusiastic to be there. Hopefully before this project is over they are going to be glad they participated. I'm looking forward to working more with Julius, but I wish we had more time for each session. I hope everybody else enjoyed the day.

Danni said...

I wasn't that nervous when I saw the kids we were working with, and I wasn't suprised when we found out that some of them were "shanghai'd" into doing the project; I'd actually kind of anticipated that to be honest. Curtis is a great guy with a HUGE personality. He seems to have a solid well put together idea of what he wants to write his essay, and I can't wait to read it (hopefully on Thursday, weather permitting).

Shelby Terrel said...

It wasn't what I expected, but I like it! I didn't realize Lincoln was an actual school. I guess I should have known that since its an Academy, but I thought it was more of a place to come for help with homework. We didn't get a chance to really talk about the paper yet, but I'm sure we'll be starting that tomorrow.

kram said...

I had a good experience. I am excited to get more in depth with the tutoring. This first day was a good introduction and set my mind at ease with the project. I hope the student I am helping gets into the project, he didn't know he was in it till that day. All in all, I am ready for the next step.

Adam Bruns said...

When walking into Lincoln Academy, one of the books we read last semester with Mrs. Watkins called "The Freedom Writers Diary" kept bouncing around in my head. I don't know why I was thinking that, but it honestly felt like we were a bunch of Mrs. Gruwells there to get the students excited about writing. I was listening to the answers the Lincoln students were giving on what brought them to join us and thought if they really wanted to improve in their writing or not. Most of the body language they were showing made me believe that they didnt want to be there. Some admitted that they were placed there and others said that they trusted Mr. Frisbee (SP?) on why they should be there. With it being the first day being there, I feel more comfortable now knowing what to expect and how to approach being a tutor. Some of them just need a little push to get started.

Hettie said...

I really enjoyed class on Tuesday. Sad that we will not get to be at Lincoln Academy tomorrow! I was very nervous when we went around and introduced ourselves, but when we got into our small groups my nerves died down some. Estee, the student Kellie and I were paired with, did not talk very much. When doing the activity, on Tuesday with our group, we chose the belief statement life is fair. All of us disagreed on this belief statement. Kellie and I shared our stories first. I was worried Estee would not open up, due to him being so quiet, but he did and shared a very good story with us. Estee seems to have gone through a lot and I am looking forward to seeing what he will choose to write about for the project. (this is Heather Bond, by the way, Hettie is my nickname...)

My Creative Outlet for Complaining said...

I'm not very good with introductions, so I was a bit nervous from the start. When I began speaking with John, I felt that he was more taken by surprise with this class than looking forward to the assignments. We tried to find a common topic between us, but found instead that it was much easier to put down the assignment and just talk about stuff. I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but it's only the first day.

Maison du Ashley said...

When I walked into the room with all of the students I knew that this project was going to have something really wonderful come out of it. The student I am working with is named Julius, and he is a little shy. However, Julius is ready and willing to express his opinion. I think that once he opens up a little more he will write a great paper. While it is my hope that working with Julius on this project will help him become a better writer, I also hope that at least one of our groups can spark a love of writing in at least one student.

Kellie said...

I thoroughly enjoyed our first day at Lincoln Academy. I was not nervous at all. I thought I would be though. The students seem like they will be receptive to this project, and I think some of them will have some great essays! The ice breaker activity really helped Heather and I get Estee to open up. I'm excited for our next session, where I hope we will be able to begin helping him on his essay.

KDyer said...

WOW! I am so glad that many of you had such a positive experience. I'm always nervous when I have to introduce myself to a crowd too. However, I tend to feel more comfortable once I am with the client and have a chance to form a more intimate (peer to peer) bond. Despite your client's enthusiasm or lack there of, stay excited and get them engaged with your enthusiasm. Considering that many of your clients are in the brainstorming phase of their writing, just ask them questions about topics...have a conversation...get them talking about ideas. Overall, I look forward to your next entries.

Marie said...

i was positively surprised, which could be base on the attitude of our new group member. First i thought if they are just somewhat as disinterested in writing papers as i was in their age, we will going to have a big problem. I new that lincoln is only a small school but i actually liked the hallway set up and the positivity of the teachers. I think this project might not be as bad after all.

Lorin_lee said...

I was really nervous, but really optimistic at the same time. When I walked in and saw the kids we would be working with it made me question wether or not they would be as excited and willing to participate as we were! When we had to speak about ourselves it made me nervous and I was hoping they would like me. My partner Courtney and I chose a kid named Ellis, he was not shy at all and to our surprise was intrested in this project! Getting to know him and know how cool he is has been a pleasure so far, and I am excited to see how I can serve him and help him when writing this paper together. The final product will be awesome!

DaniP said...

Using the diversity of the student was a huge stepping stone. I felt like I was going to be the student in this situation. The introductions helped a bit. I still feel like there is more to be learned and to get inside of their minds and get to the core of their writing skills. Overall, a great day!