Last night I tutored. I've been tutoring M for the past 3 weeks and even though I dreaded starting, I really look forward to it now. To begin with, this kid is awesome. Everybody falls in love with him. He has the innocence of a 2 year old, is excited about learning, and yet, if I may say so, is wise beyond his years. His parents have split up, hence he lives in two different households from week to week. And he enjoys it. He is beloved and adored by his entire family. Not spoiled. He knows he's lucky.
He's dyslexic. And his parents have spent all the money in the world to learn, find out, and cope with his dyslexia. His mother works from 6am til 9pm everyday running an organization that funds research in dyslexia, making sure President Bush doesn't go back on his "no child left behind" promise. His father and stepmother read every single night with him. Last week he said to me, "they work so hard for me, just so I can get through school". All this from a 14 year old.
Veteran teachers always say that they learn more from their students than their students learn from them. I'm learning. Relearning the innocence of a child, the gratitude and determination of his parents and really, as corny as it is, that love makes everything possible.