service learning 11-16

Friday at my service learning I went for four hours so I could make up the time that I'll miss next week. I worked with a group of kids on math. I find it a challenge to find ways to explain it it terms that they'll understand, but when they finally understand it its such a great feeling. After math we worked on spelling. One of the second graders is at a preschool reading level so this was a challenge. We had to work on writing sentences and he was struggling so much that it was heartbreaking. Finally we got through the assingments and he was so frustrated that he started to get upset. So on the fly I thought of pulling out a work sheet that he had completed earlier and showed him that he had gotten a sticker and he was so smart. He asked me if I really meant it and I said of course and it was so happy. We had an inside recess later and he brought me his favorite game which was Connect Four. He beat me twice and he was so happy it made me happy. When it was finally time for me to leave he gave me a big hug and thanked me for playing with him and I found myself a bit choked up. I think that he helped me more than I helped him that day.