What words would you use to describe the perfect student? I was thinking about this last night (while sitting in absolutely terrible traffic) and this is the list I came up with (in no particular order):
I am sure you are thinking "why does she need extra Chemistry help if she is so gifted?" It is a long story, but let's say that her teacher is not the most transparent about what is going to be on assessments. My job is to attempt to predict what the teacher might ask and how she might ask it, and then find problems to match that. So we are working on some pretty high-level topics for an Honors Chemistry class (for my science people: Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Redox, Nuclear) and I always try to give her AP Exam problems because that seems to be the difficulty level of the teacher's test.
Anyway, we work through a problem and when we get to the end, my tutoree says "Wow, that was so awesome. Can we do another?" I smile, and find another one that has a twist in how you need to answer the question. After I explain this trick, she says, "That is so neat. It is so cool how they want you to make those connections." I stare at her. No one, not even Chemistry teachers, call AP Exam problems 'neat.' I have been tutoring this girl since September and I still cannot wrap my brain around the idea that she actually gets excited by solving challenging problems, wanting me to find more, even harder questions.
I hope every teacher has the good fortune to have a student like this one at least once in their career.
- intrinsically motivated
- intelligent
- hard-working
- receives enjoyment from accomplishing a difficult task
- courteous
- passionate
I am sure you are thinking "why does she need extra Chemistry help if she is so gifted?" It is a long story, but let's say that her teacher is not the most transparent about what is going to be on assessments. My job is to attempt to predict what the teacher might ask and how she might ask it, and then find problems to match that. So we are working on some pretty high-level topics for an Honors Chemistry class (for my science people: Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Redox, Nuclear) and I always try to give her AP Exam problems because that seems to be the difficulty level of the teacher's test.
Anyway, we work through a problem and when we get to the end, my tutoree says "Wow, that was so awesome. Can we do another?" I smile, and find another one that has a twist in how you need to answer the question. After I explain this trick, she says, "That is so neat. It is so cool how they want you to make those connections." I stare at her. No one, not even Chemistry teachers, call AP Exam problems 'neat.' I have been tutoring this girl since September and I still cannot wrap my brain around the idea that she actually gets excited by solving challenging problems, wanting me to find more, even harder questions.
I hope every teacher has the good fortune to have a student like this one at least once in their career.
She's no doubt an awesome and amazing student, but I really prefer to work with the slackers, the kids who will make me laugh in that "I shouldn't laugh, but I can't help it" way. The ones who have personality and know that I do too. Yep, they're not the best students, but neither was I!!
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