God has made me a mother to help me develop qualities like patience, acceptance and tolerance. He knows I'm filled with self doubts occasionally and allows me to see the fruit of my labour subtly. Yes God Almighty, I have received your gift to me with gratitude and pride. I'll strive to better myself on the way you have intended me to.
I was coaching my three regulars reading today and I found them much more cooperative than last week. They no longer test me and they tried to look at my eyes when they talked to me. They also paused to ask me how certain words are read and they listened hard before repeating after me. That was so much improvement from our previous session.
The kids' faces lit up and they were beaming with pride when I praised them enthusiastically for their effort in reading. I also jumped for joy when they succeeded in sounding the words. That made them smile! One of them who seems hyperactive, even looked straight into my eyes and asked very seriously if I'm going back next week to teach him. In fact, he didn't even ask me for rewards after the session.
Honestly, I used whatever I have learnt from parenting Sophie on these kids. Actually, they love to listen to stories and they really hope to be able to read. The only problem is they need to get over their pride... the thought of being teased for their lacking. I saw traces of Sophie in them... her pride and lack of focus. However, it's her desperation to read and understand the text that motivates her to learn. And that's what the kids need - a reason to read. I'm now even more convinced they need real books. Stories that interest and excite them.
Like I said, God gave me Sophie because I will learn through her. Whenever people compliment my patience in dealing with Alfee, I gave the credit to Sophie. I'm so used to resolving conflicts with her that I don't even realize I'm doing that effortlessly with Alfee and other kids. She's really precious and I so love her dearly.
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