what i'm doing

What I'm actually doing up here (not sure how much detail I've gone into on the topic) is tutoring a targeted group of students who were generally pretty close to passing their state tests last year. The hope is that with some individual attention to their specific areas of need, most of them will 'make the grade' in the testing this spring. Before coming, I had imagined I would be working with the lowest performing students, but that isn't the case at all--definitely mid range students who just need a little extra help.

So I set up a schedule with their teachers to take four or five at a time, mostly from the 4th-6th grades. I've used last year's test scores to focus on the particular areas they've had trouble with, and my two assistants and I provide individual coaching through exercises in reading and math, as these have been selected as the most critical areas.

I was ridiculously busy the first couple weeks, learning the systems and customizing work for each student according to need, but it's definitely been time well spent, as learning so much about the particulars of state standards has enabled me to focus my efforts and hopefully be more effective. Also, in terms of my own professional development, these are extremely useful skills.

Things have settled into a pretty good rhythm now, so I'm blessed with the time to start going back through my student list and making adjustments to the work we're doing. My two assistants are both relatively recent graduates of the school, and they do a great job with the kids. Both have been creative in working with students, as well as proactive in helping me keep things running smoothly--attendance and such, which is not my strong suit.

At the moment I've got a nasty cold that began over the weekend, but it seems to be getting a little better now. I have gone in to work in spite of being sick because I was concerned about how things would go without me. Being sick has made me aware of one glaring omission in my planning thus far: sub plans. My assistants could certainly manage for a day, but their attendance has been a little spotty as well. One has a baby who was sick for a while, the other has been sick herself a couple of times and then had a family emergency, so they've both missed a few days here and there, and I was anxious about having things go well.

So I went to work sick, oops. I've been washing my hands constantly and trying not to get too close to anyone, so hopefully I haven't spread my illness to anyone new. Cross your fingers for me!