Something Dawned On Me
I was teaching my Mexican adult students and it really hit me Wednesday, when I went in to finish up on one student before I was going to go visit my mom. I really did not think I wanted to take much time, but I soon changed my mind.
We had already done our Edmark Reading Level 2 pages and it was time for him to get out a library book he had chosen. I added my students choosing their own library books a few months ago because I wanted them to experience more content.
It all started with us reading the title The Tiny Tortilla. He asked me if this was a girl or a boy? I told him that we would learn along the way because it would be referred to as a him or a her during the story. Or so I thought. We both agreed that is probably what would happen.
We began reading the story about a little boy who was pulling weeds in the garden. He noticed a lady who was selling her homemade tortillas in the alley. He walked up to her and gave her some money for a tortilla.
Didn't it sound good in his mind what he would be able to eat? He had been in the garden and he was tired and hungry. But to his dismay and in a sense horror, the lady was out of her tortillas.
He did not respond, with an oh, well that is the way it goes. He was distraught! He said Oh, no this is horrible and I am so hungry! The kind woman who knew what it was like for little boys to be hungry had kept some mesa dough just for such an occassion. But he would have to work for it.
She showed it to him and he told her it was so little. That is when she showed him how to pat it between his hands and pat it. She sang a song in Spanish to show him how to do it. Then she told him an important direction. Just when he thought the dough was thin enough, he had to count to 3 and it he would be amazed at how large it would become.
I found myself really enjoying this story. It was full of content. It was full of tenderness, it was full of perserverance. Several times during the story, something happened that would cause him to be left with only a little piece and have to start all over again.
He might have moaned a little, but the little boy always went back to work patting the mesa dough in his hand. He worked hard and it showed how much we can learn from the little boy when we face obstacles. Sometimes we face something that leaves us with less than what we started off with.
The boy took the experience to understand how to apply it toward work too. I was amazed at the content and I was amazed at how I had my student keep reading until the book was finished.
We did find out one thing. The Tiny Tortilla was not what we thought at all.
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Hello! Reading. I wish I would have had you as my teacher
a while ago. I never could enjoy reading anything long.
It's impossible for me to a quarter of a book. If you continue
inspiring that student, one day most of his success will be
because of you.
I developed a love of reading starting with my grandfather. He read the same books over and over. Then I read what mother picked up at a carport sale. I never knew some of them were old school books. I read them again and again. Then I got encyclopedias. I enjoyed them. In school, there were very vew things I enjoyed reading. Even books assigned, I read them later on and appreciated them, but not when they were assigned. I never cared for a book report I was assinged. I wanted to read what I wanted to read. Today, very few kids enjoy reading. I want to see more of that imagination open up with reading.
I was amazed at such a touching story! This is not what I am used to experiencing in the Accellerated Reader Program. I let my adult students get whatever book they want at whatever level. If they want to take the time to troubleshoot words, we do. I usually keep a notebook and note the words they had trouble with then I show them not only that word, but other words that are spelled the same.
I have learned that it is nice to take time to smell the roses. For many years I do not know if I even stopped to look at the stars.
Did he finally end up with a larger tortilla or lots of small ones! Great story of perserverance.
He ends up with a delicious large tortilla. But it is seasoned with some experiences he went through. The extra hard work and remembering the instructions he was given. Several times in the book he works the tortilla until he does not have strength. Then all of a sudden he is left with a different situation and only a small piece of the tortilla. So he goes back to work. Cute.
Cute story that can be related to WA, be hungry and work hard for what you want and you will be amazed...good luck (we make our own) and good life.
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Indeed you are a great blessing to all the children around the world, Reading. :)
I had a great blog going about an experience tonight and then all of a sudden, it was gone. I was about finished with it. Hope I decide to write it again. I think you would enjoy it. It was about a night doing glitter tattoos with kids and the neat choices and comments they made.
Yes, wld love to read it, Reading. ;)
I will write it. Now I have a reason that I need for a nudge.
Ha..ha.. :)
Got the blog up. I did not loose it after all. I found it saved.