Day 7

I really enjoyed today, which is very good considering the day I had last week. I guess being in my bad mood last Wednesday, I completely forgot to even ask Emma and Taylor how they did on their test. They both got A's which was fantastic and I was very happy for them! Something that I have noticed is that they don't get overly happy when they receive a good grade. When I praised them both for getting A's, they responded in a way that said, "Thanks, but it's really not that big of a deal." I've heard them say things like, "I feel like a genius in this class," and, "This is such a joke." I started talking with them during the warm up and realized that they notice the poor motivation of their fellow students as well which affects them and their opinion on their own progress. They compare themselves to the other students and believe that just because they receive an A on an assignment or test doesn't necessarily mean they are smart themselves. They think that they are just smarter than the other students who they see not even trying. This made me a little sad because both of these girls are smart beyond belief and I give them so much credit for trying to graduate early. Yes, they may be in a class full of students who fail most of their assignments and don't try at all, but they need to see that their good grades and motivation count for something. I was very surprised with their reaction to their grades that I didn't even know how to respond without bashing the other students. I want them to know how much their effort means to me, as a tutor, and how it really shows their character. I wasn't expecting to come into this and learn to appreciate effort because I've always grown up trying in everything I do. I have to remember that some students aren't as fortunate as me to be surrounded with positive motivation.
For some reason, today brought me to another one of our book club books called The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap. The author discusses in the introduction how the traditional family is collapsing and has been for the past few years and I think today has made me notice it drastically. In "the good ole days," the typical traditional family has been considered happy, successful, and consists of a married couple, but to me it has changed so much. I've overheard many students at Classic City talking about their "baby daddy" which is definitely not part of the traditional family. Emma and Taylor both have divorced parents which is also not considered an aspect of the traditional family. Not only in Classic City have I noticed these changes but in my everyday life with the people who surround me. So many people and their families that I know are drifting from the typical traditional family and I think it is affecting students now and their life goals. For example, some students at Classic City may have grown up with single parents and have been forced to work to help provide for their families. This could be one of the main reasons why they are not as motivated to finish school because they just want to get a job and be done with the whole ordeal. I think I need to stop being as harsh when I talk about the struggling students because I honestly don't know what they have been through or what their family life is like. It's just difficult to have sympathy sometimes for them when they continuously don't show any signs of caring or effort.