Beginning of the Year Tutor Pep-Talk

The tutors in our Classical Conversations community recently got together to share first-semester plans. It was a very fun and productive evening, but I kept thinking about one thing -
boy, have I mellowed out!

Tutor Idea - Around the World (and Being Replicable)

Yesterday was our final day of CC for Cycle 2. 

(can't believe I just wrote that!)

I knew the kiddos would probably be very excited, so I wanted to do something different to keep them interested while also giving them the freedom to move around.

So, we went around the world! 

(which was really just around the room to different 'stations')

We always start with Geography at the table, and then we moved to Math, the red sign in the back.

King Arithmetickle was happy to explain the final Math law of his kingdom. (You can see me holding that puppet, right? I mean, I can see me, too, but the kids act like I'm not even there! They're mesmerized by this crazy puppet!)

Then we continued our trip around the world by moving six feet to the left and arriving at History. ;)

I taped the History Sentence cards for Week 24 under the sign, and we said the sentence with some motions. No frills, except the cards.

Sidenote:

I usually use my iPad to play the history sentence song, but I'm not going to do that anymore in class. For me, it breaks the flow (and eats into the 4 minutes) to say, "Okay, now that we said the sentence, let's listen to the song and sing along."

Changing it up like this was a BIG HIT with the class - and me! Moving around so much let them get their wiggles out, they appeared to be more engaged because it was something new, and I liked that I didn't have to add 'extras' to keep their attention (aside from a puppet or two). I felt much more stick-in-the-sandish!

Another sidenote:

I'll be leading Foundations tutor training at a couple of Parent Practicums this summer, which means I've been getting lots of training myself. As a tutor, one of my main jobs is to model for the parents how they can review the memory work at home, and I think I've really missed the mark sometimes on this.

I am supposed to be replicable. 

Parents are supposed to be able to go home and replicate (if they so desire) what we're doing in class.

With my Mary Poppins bag of tricks, I don't think I've been very replicable at times. I don't know...

If a parent sits in my class and thinks, "I could never do that," then I don't think I'm doing my job.

This is why CC's so big on 'stick-in-the-sand.' We should be able to introduce new grammar on a beautiful tropical island, next to a clear blue lagoon with our toesies in the water, using just a stick in the sand (this is my secret mental picture every time someone says that!). If we add a bunch of bells and whistles, are we really being replicable?

I know that no tutor feels like this picture with the stick-in-the-sand analogy, right? Right...

Ha! I know, I know, but we have technology now, what's wrong with the iPad and PowerPoint and my phone?! Hello! This is the 21st century!

Yes, yes, I hear you.

But, the truth is, Tutor, not everyone has what we have. If we make introducing new grammar look hard or 'magical,' as in something only we can do, our parents may become discouraged or overwhelmed. And I know nobody wants that to happen, because if you're a tutor, you love these kids. And because you love these kids, you love their parents and want to equip them for success at home.

Please don't think I'm preachin' to you, because I'm really thinking about myself here. I'll definitely be making some tweaks to my class for Cycle 3. I'm just bringing it up because if these thoughts are crossing my mind, maybe they've crossed yours, too? 

And, I'm not talking about review games. I love me some bells and whistles and hula hoops and bean bags and sticky hand slappers during review time. Bring it and bling it, I say!

So, as tutors, that's just something to think about...

Are we replicable?