Creating a Curriculum

I think sometimes we forget that the people we encounter and interact with in our daily lives do not live in a vacuum. Everyone does not work around our time schedule. We are all forced to deal with emotionally and physically taxing situations, and we are not alone in our endeavors to get through everyday, day-by-day.

This thought came to me today because Marisol called me earlier this morning and told me that she had to cancel our scheduled appointment. One of her children had to go to the doctor because they were in need of shots, and the time that we normally meet was the only time she could take her child. I cannot imagine adding caring for children to my daily routine. Sometimes, I catch myself forgetting that the people I interact with on a daily basis have emotional baggage, prior commitments, and confusing thoughts running through their minds simultaneously.

I was disappointed that Marisol and I did not get to meet today because I am excited to get started with a curriculum I am attempting to prepare, and I miss getting to talk to her. She and I are able to relate on many issues that we both face in our lives, especially regarding boyfriends. Trying to prepare a curriculum and lesson plan proved to be both exciting and daunting. I never realized how much preparation goes into preparing a lesson plan for one class on one day. Although the task seemed difficult at first, I was surprised at how excited I got as I perused the various study aids I have obtained. I look forward to meeting with Marisol next week, as well as enhance and prepare a curriculum that I hope will help her during our times together.

Getting to know Marisol - Week Two

Yesterday, Marisol and I met for our second tutoring session, and it was far from what I expected. She and I talked for 45 minutes just about things going on in our lives. She is not happy with the guy she is dated right now because he is too controlling over what she wears, what she does with her free time and who she talks to. I suppose he feels threatened that he will lose her to another man. She realizes this and finds his behavior to be unacceptable and intolerable. I broke up with a guy I dated for a long time, and one of the reasons I did this was because he would get jealous easily and try to control and manipulate me. Marisol is much stronger than me, and has no reservations about telling her boyfriend how she should be treated.

At only age twenty-six, Marisol has encountered so many challenges. She has four children whom she provides for by working at TCU in the housekeeping department and working for other families in the area by cleaning their houses. She is very confident in herself and her abilities. She says that she tells herself that she is beautiful and successful, and does not need a man to make her happy or provide for her. She knows that is capable and can take care of herself. I envy her confidence and tenacity. Despite abusive relationships, desperately trying to support her family, and being so far from her family in Mexico, Marisol manages to remain confident and sure of herself to accomplish her goals without comprising herself. Marisol has been such an inspiration to me. I hope to feel confident about myself like Marisol does.

I felt guilty yesterday because Marisol and I did not get to practice writing or vocabulary for very long. I told this to her, and she said that she enjoys talking and that talking helps too. Getting to know her has been such a pleasure. I see her at the gym some mornings because she comes early to work out before she goes to work at seven. She and I wave and talk, and I am so glad I've had this opportunity to know her.

First meeting with Marisol

The class discussion today centered around the Annie Dillard excerpt from her autobiography, An American Childhood, in which throughout the entire piece Dillard draws from specific instances in her childhood that made a significant impact on her life. However, Dillard never mentions any memories from school, a period of one's life that seems to occupy the most time. The class found this rather unusual because the time we all spent in school and spend in school continues to take up a significant portion in all of our lives.

Today, I met with Marisol, who, like Dillard, would not include memories from school in her autobiography, but for a very different reason. Marisol was not able to attend school like we do everyday. When we met up today, she was very eager and willing to learn. She said that she wanted to work on reading and writing because that was the portion of her citizenship exam that gave her the most trouble. She did not pass the first time she took it because of her difficulties with reading and writing. She has passed since then, but is eager to become more efficient.

I was not sure how to begin, but I suppose we all learn by going where we have to go. So, I began at the very beginning, and we practiced saying and writing the alphabet in upper and lower case. We practiced writing basic sentences so that she could learn the letters and the sounds they make, and also, so that I could learn about her and what she likes to do. She is very busy supporting her four children because she is a single mother. Her persistence and desire to learn is truly incredible because I know that she must have many other commitments and worries that cloud her mind. However, she choices to make time to practice her reading and writing. I wish I could harness her eagerness and thirst for knowledge. I lack that zeal for learning often and realized today that I take advantage of the opportunities that I have to learn. I am so blessed, and it is humbly to share that blessing with another individual.

Next week we are going to practice writing more sentences and reading them out loud. She is bringing in some pieces from her citizenship exam that gave her trouble so that she practice and work on it. She already seems like the type of person who not settle for less than her best, but rather, she strives to achieve success.

The street I grew up on

Peering through the beveled glass of my mahogany door, I see that the mailman has already come. The air, fresh and crisp, gently brushes across my body and carries with it the giggles and laughter from neighbors at the end of the cul-de-sac. The sun peeks through the interlocking, finger-like branches and sunlight scatters and darts in various directions across the yard. Two trees lie on either side of the brick-lined, stone walkway. Two trees in the front yard are fairly standard, and their symmetrical placement as dictated by the Homeowners’ Associations, is repeated down the block. Every house has a grey or black shingled roof. Every house is made of brick. The color of brick varies from a blushing pink, to a steely gray, to clay dirt red. These miniature fortresses line the street on both sides with perfectly manicured shrubs hugging the windows.
A SUV sits in front of every other house. The stickers on the back windows of the cars have changed over time from dictating the various private elementary schools, to now announcing everyone’s college-of-choice. We grew up on this street. The same parents that used to push their children in strollers around the block or watch them draw with sidewalk chalk, now way goodbye to their teenagers as they leave for class in their school uniform or their young adults as they pack up their trunk to the very brim before leaving for college. Everyone is growing up, the leaves continue to change color and fall from the trees, but the air is always crisp, always fresh, and will always smell the same.