Communication Basics: Being Ready (Tutoring in a Trilingual Context)

On one occasion I was called in to tutor a young student from a trilingual home situation.  One parent spoke French as their first language.  The other spoke Spanish as their first language.  English in a private school was going to be a challenge.  Thankfully, the assessment I did (that had been passed along to me by another tutor) on that occasion pointed directly at the challenge of English to this young person's mind.

I also functioned with the rule that it is best to work on their struggles in the context of their books and assignments from school without me adding further material.  I always felt that extras could overwhelm the student through violating the K.I.S.S. (Kept It Simple Silly) principle.  I also felt that their context needed to be real.  I had to see what they were seeing.

So I had this student read from the text and then tell me in their own words what it meant.  The student read eloquently for their age, but understood little of what they read.  So I worked hard to raise the level of their comprehension through using not my current far better method of ARWAT, but using traditional grammar of all things.  But it worked despite my shortcomings.

I'll never forget the day I was let go.  It was bittersweet.  I  had accomplished what I set out to do.  I had raised the level of their comprehension and the span of their comprehension.  Her grades demonstrated their readiness for the challenge of English.  All the grades were going up.

I guess when they are ready to go it alone, I've got to be ready to let go.  It truly was exhilarating and bitter at the same time.  But I could tell by the look on their face that they felt differently about themselves.  Maybe they now felt accepted by their teachers and peers because of their new level of school performance.

Knowing that family, I bet you that student never looked back again.  It is funny what a little acceptance and a little logical understanding of a third language can do to a person's life.   Take care to know where acceptable is for you.


Sincerely,

Jon