Tutoring

Today was my last day of tutoring a 14-year-old girl, Verena, in English. We met weekly for about three months for an hour and a half of conversation. We talked about everything imaginable--usually related to what she was doing in class, but not always. Recently, we were talking about dream houses. Hers will have 11 bedrooms, each with its own balcony, a dining room in the attic, and a kitchen complete with a chef who will cook her all different international foods. The gardener will tend to the enormous gardens that surround the house while the butler will chauffeur her wherever she needs to go. If any of you want to purchase this house, you'll have to speak with Verena directly ;-)

Getting back on topic ... Verena was getting C's and D's on her English exams in the beginning of the year. She just completed her last exam and received a B! I am so proud of her; she really worked hard for that grade. She's promised to e-mail me and let me know what she gets on her report card. I hope her teacher sees how she's improved and gives her the benefit of the doubt.

As I was getting ready to leave our last meeting, Verena gave me a gift of a box of miniature praline chocolates that come from a specialty confectioner, particular to the district where she lives. The entire box fits in the palm of my hand and contains 16 different chocolates, just to give you an idea of how miniature they actually are! They're adorable.



It's strange to think that today is my last day of tutoring, or doing any sort of teaching, for a long time ... or at least a year, considering I may have to TA my second year of grad school. It's bittersweet. (I taught Verena that word, too!) I'm glad to be leaving the frustrations of the Austrian school system behind, but I will definitely miss my students, especially seeing their aha-moments, when things finally click. This alone is probably what keeps most teachers teaching.