One of my young (7 year old) students taught me a lesson on determination this week. Our whole friendship has developed out of determination in working together. The first time I met this girl she burst into tears because I was not what she expected. She had developed quite a friendship with her teacher from last year. We ended up spending our lesson watching an English video, as I wanted her to feel comfortable and feel as little stress as possible. For the next few weeks she looked at me skeptically, rambling on in Polish about her teacher last year. It took determination on my part to keep trying to have an impact on her, and to develop our own relationship. Well one day it worked. She waited for me at the top of the stairs with a huge smile on her face and a happy hello! Although I will never fill the place in her heart for the teacher she had last year, I now know that she also has a place in her heart for me. We have spent several months together working (both sides happily and appreciatively of one another) on her English skills, and sometime my understanding of Polish (as she does not understand that I have no idea what she is saying). Sometimes she will tell me something and I will understand. Other times I stare at her blankly because I really have no clue.
Something else you need to know about this young girl is that she absolutely loves art. You could call her room a child’s art studio. She has all the art supplies you could need at arms length away. Many of our lessons we spend in her books. Sometimes she doesn’t have her books or she has “lost” them. During those times we turn to art to communicate and to help her learn English. It is really such a joy coming up with little artistic English learning projects with her on the spot.
This Wednesday I was greeted with the now usual hello, and then she disappeared into her room. Before I reached the door I heard her practically yelling my name, I walked in waiting to see what she had to show me. It ended up being nothing but she was just happy to have me there. On her desk I noticed a new work of art. It was a portrait. I tried to ask her if she had painted it. She said no and said something that sounded like coprenici. I looked at her cluelessly and she shook her head in frustration. Her dad often makes something warm to drink for me and when he brought it in she asked him how to say the word in English. He said "imię" which in Polish meant name, so I knew she was saying the name of who was painted. Then I asked again if she had painted it and she said yes. Then I asked where she had made it, at home or school. She replied that she had made it at school and then tried to tell me who it was once again. I couldn’t figure it out and kind of gave up on the topic. At first I thought she had too. She happily went on to continue on what we had been working on.
After a minute or so I had practically forgotten about the whole ordeal, however my young student was hit with a spark of determination. She took a yellow colored pencil and started to draw a sun on her paper. As she drew she tried to explain in Polish, also motioning to the portrait she had made. Then she tried to draw something going around. It hit me, she was talking about Nicolaus Copernicus. “I understand,” I exclaimed to her. Huge smiles appeared on both of our faces, as I asked her if the portrait was of Nicolaus Copernicus. “Yes, Mikołaj Kopernik,” she responded.
I was awestruck at the determination of my young student. She would not give up until I understood her. What a lesson we can learn from a child. Sometimes in life it is so easy to let things slide by without giving them our all. If someone doesn’t understand something we often find ourselves saying, ”oh never mind” and moving on.
My young student reminded me to never give up, even when it comes to the littlest things.
Something else you need to know about this young girl is that she absolutely loves art. You could call her room a child’s art studio. She has all the art supplies you could need at arms length away. Many of our lessons we spend in her books. Sometimes she doesn’t have her books or she has “lost” them. During those times we turn to art to communicate and to help her learn English. It is really such a joy coming up with little artistic English learning projects with her on the spot.
This Wednesday I was greeted with the now usual hello, and then she disappeared into her room. Before I reached the door I heard her practically yelling my name, I walked in waiting to see what she had to show me. It ended up being nothing but she was just happy to have me there. On her desk I noticed a new work of art. It was a portrait. I tried to ask her if she had painted it. She said no and said something that sounded like coprenici. I looked at her cluelessly and she shook her head in frustration. Her dad often makes something warm to drink for me and when he brought it in she asked him how to say the word in English. He said "imię" which in Polish meant name, so I knew she was saying the name of who was painted. Then I asked again if she had painted it and she said yes. Then I asked where she had made it, at home or school. She replied that she had made it at school and then tried to tell me who it was once again. I couldn’t figure it out and kind of gave up on the topic. At first I thought she had too. She happily went on to continue on what we had been working on.
After a minute or so I had practically forgotten about the whole ordeal, however my young student was hit with a spark of determination. She took a yellow colored pencil and started to draw a sun on her paper. As she drew she tried to explain in Polish, also motioning to the portrait she had made. Then she tried to draw something going around. It hit me, she was talking about Nicolaus Copernicus. “I understand,” I exclaimed to her. Huge smiles appeared on both of our faces, as I asked her if the portrait was of Nicolaus Copernicus. “Yes, Mikołaj Kopernik,” she responded.
I was awestruck at the determination of my young student. She would not give up until I understood her. What a lesson we can learn from a child. Sometimes in life it is so easy to let things slide by without giving them our all. If someone doesn’t understand something we often find ourselves saying, ”oh never mind” and moving on.
My young student reminded me to never give up, even when it comes to the littlest things.