Listen & Learn
Did some community service today just because.
It was a Hands on Atlanta program that worked individually with students in pre-k through fifth grade. I worked with a first grader. He didn’t know how to read, or really even write correctly. He was left handed and didn’t really know how to hold a pencil. Also he didn’t understand how to add or subtract. Surprisingly though, he was really good at reading comprehension. I would read through stories with me pointing out words and him repeating them, and at the end, he could answer all the questions without even going back to the story! Even I had to go back a couple of times to make sure!
When I left, I was kind of upset. I wondered how he even got to the first grade; I know I learned how to do all that even before I went to school. But then I realized that maybe he didn’t have anyone working with him other than at school. I called my mother and thanked her for Listen and Learn (WOW I can’t believe that’s still around! And WOW it’s so expensive!!! And WOW one more time…why has it not changed in like 30 years?”) and all those workbooks we had to slave through in the summer or even during the school year. I always got fustrated that we had to do that while all the other kids were outside riding bikes, but I guess it was worth it in the end.
