Why We Teach
We all have handicaps in this world. Some of us stutter; others are overweight. Many students have dyslexia or dysgraphia and have been tormented most of their school days with people judging them for being different. Yet, when they come to us, we only see their potential. With patience and skill, we do the one thing we have been graced to do: we teach.
Among the gifts God has given me, one of my deepest loves
is teaching. I love to help people learn. I gather up books, put them
in a large valise, and along
with pens, pencils, paper, stickers,
and candy treats, travel in my car to libraries. I sit down with students,
take out my supplies, and watch them as they show me their homework
assignments, reports that need to be written, their school calendars,
and their backpacks. I offer them tips to get and stay focused; organized;
useful. Often, they come to my teaching session with a burden from
the day, and we discuss what occurred and how we can move on. Sometimes,
the students tell me that their teachers do not take the time with
them. They don’t seem to have the time or energy to keep the whole classroom occupied, and so they, the teachers, give up. At least that is how my students read the situation.
Early Tutors
Many years ago, in fact almost three decades ago, I taught GED classes and worked as a new teacher in the Reading Laboratory for a large public school system. Many students of different races, background, and culture, some from half the globe away, came to our Reading Laboratory. They came to learn how to read and write English. Others came to learn how to do math, or understand government, etc. Many had learning disabilities, and had never progressed very far in school. Then they walked through the doors of the Cleveland Public Library and met teachers who cared for them. We worked one on one with each and every one of them; they had their own file, their own assessments; and finally, a place for them to call "school."
Tutoring Now
It was a long time ago. Yet, what we do at Mrs. Dowd's Teaching Service is the same then as it is now. Our goal, as teachers, is to teach students - to give them knowledge, and a hunger and wonder for the written and spoken word. We give them the freedom to relearn subjects that baffled them when they were younger, like basic math, or fractions, even phonics.