I wanted to write about my experience working with the children in reforzamiento for the past three months in order to give the new volunteers an idea of what we did there. Christophe and I worked with what turned out to be about 25 children, who had a wide range in age and grade. There were children who did not know their alphabet nor their numbers, others who were reading at a (US measured) fourth grade level, and others who were doing fractions and squared numbers. It was a great experience as I love to work with children, and these kids were great. On one
level they were very affectionate and well behaved. Discipline was seldom a problem. Short attention spans and lack of motivation were the main challenges. On another level, they (and their parents) wanted (them) to work during their vacation (October - December) because they had failed a grade or had problems in school during the past year. They were motivated and attentive. It is a great pleasure when seeing a child learn.
The way we set up the program was to have 4 classes daily, two in math and two in reading/writing. The math levels were varied in each class, because it didn't matter if they had different capacities. We tried to group the reading levels together, because reading is more time intensive, in terms of student/teacher time, and t
here was only three of us. Thus we tried to have no more than three reading levels in each class. We set up a master schedule which gave each student 3-4 classes in each subject, each week. At first, it was difficult because several students could not come when they were scheduled, and we had to rearrange the schedule a few times. But ultimately it worked out, and they showed up when they were supposed to come. We also sent home a sheet of paper with their individual schedules as a reminder.
We tested each student at the beginning to evaluate his/her level in each subject. Math was easy, however, we soon realized that some children could add and subtract, but when we dictated to them a number, for example one hundred and fifty-eight, they could not write it down in numeral form, i.e., 158. We had to back track a few times and restart with the basics. Reading was much more difficult. Some could
verbally read a book, but would not understand what had happened in the story. Some could read, but could not spell when given a spelling test. Some had illegible handwriting, even though they were reading at an advanced level. Some could not look up a word in the dictionary and others could. Thoroughness is necessary when testing for their skills.
For math, each student had a notebook. We wrote problems in their book every night in preparation for the next day. As they worked we would check them, and as they mastered something, for example addition, we started on the next thing, subtraction. Our progression was basically as follows: counting (speaking and writing); identifying random numbers; adding without carry-over, and then with it; subtraction without borrowing, and then with it; multiplication tables; multiplication problems first with 0-9, then 10's, then 100's (we started out with one number on bottom and the
n two); and finally division without remainders, and then with them. We did a little work with adding and subtracting quetzales. We constantly reviewed whatever they had learned before. It is amazing how quickly they forget! We tried to vary the activities with flash cards, number games, etc. One of the most difficult concepts to get across is the idea of place value: the 1s, 10s & 100s columns.
In reading and writing, everyone had a notebook. We would alternate between reading (or learning the alphabet and syllables) and writing. We would practice cursive and manuscript handwriting, spelling, alphabetizing, looking up words in the dictionary, new vocabulary, dictation, and critical thinking (how to put a story in the correct sequence of events, interpreting what will probably happen in the story based on the given information, etc.) When we read, they usually choose the book (from a presorted book shelf with separated reading levels,) and they would read it aloud. We would question them about compr
ehension. We tried some creative writing which they really enjoyed. For the children just learning their alphabet and syllable pronunciation, we played games and practiced speaking a lot. Memorization can only be disguised in so many activities. We also read to them as a group. With long stories, a little bit can be read each day.
Short attention spans were treated at times with encouragement, and at times with admonishment. By varying the activities as much as possible, creating a learning environment
* where they took charge of their own learning (i.e., we were not simply telling, talking, and showing: they too were asked to question, to demonstrate, and to teach others,) the lack of attention was often overcome. Constant positive evaluation, like a check mark for a correct problem and sticker-stars at the end of well-done class, were helpful, too. We had to coax them into admitting when they didn't know the answer to a question. At first they rarely admitted to it, but became more comfortable as the class progressed . (I assume being wrong or not knowing in their normal classrooms means they get in trouble or get chastised.)
It was very frustrating when a child would not make an effort to try a problem. I would ultimately ask them why they had come and if they didn't want to learn, they
could leave, in a nice and caring tone of voice. It was even more difficult when a child was simply not very bright and no matter what I tried, he/she did not get it. In these cases, a lot of patience and creative teaching was needed. Sometimes, I would skip whatever it was that they were not getting and returned to it latter. "No Puedo" was not accepted for any reason in any subject or project.
They loved to do arts and crafts projects after each class. Sometimes this was just coloring and sometimes it was a creative craft that we came up with based on the materials we had on hand. There was a large supply of "stuff" with which to be creative. This as just about everything that we did. The children progressed in the three months that we were together. There is a notebook in the reforzamiento bodega which has a general outline of each student's progress. We tried to update it every once in a while. St
Qudents came, for the most part when they were supposed to be there. If they missed two or more classes, we would ask other students and in some cases go talk with the parent. Because almost all of the children's parents worked at UPAVIM, it was not difficult to talk with them about any questions or compliments we had. It was good to keep them informed, and we could have done better at this.

There were three of us working together in reforzamiento. We alternated off for the afternoon class (1:30 -3:00), and worked together in the morning from 7:30 to 12:00. We worked with different students each class time, floating amongst the different students. For the most part, we all prepared the books for the following day; however, this did not always happen. There are so many things, so many projects that can be done here at UPAVIM
Othat it is easy to take on too much. A fault that I have always had has been saying no to someone when they want or need something. I always want to say yes, and when I get too busy, eventually the quality of some of the projects that I am doing starts to diminish, not to mention the balance within my life. There is a need for reflection, down-time, and personal activities. (If you have a significant other or others, then their is even greater need for "off-time".)
Communication is must when working together. People need to share ideas and teaching styles, and there needs to be some general agreement for the sake of continuity in the student's learning process. With six people working in reforzamiento, will there be someone who is the acknowledged team leader? Who will be in charge and how will this be decided? Everyone needs t
o be clear as to what their roles and responsibilities are. Everyone needs to know how to listen to everyone else's ideas and feedback. Of course, there will be disagreement. How can this be solved so that the working relationships are good and the students get the best possible tutoring experience?
Some other questions are:

how to decide on student's class schedule?
teacher's work schedule?
preparation of classes--who, when, & what?
how to arrange the class and the lessons?
what problems from the students can be anticipated?
how will problems between students be handled?
how will conflicts between tutors be handled?
if students do not come, will someone seek them out?
how can the children's attention and trust be gained, so that they
kee
p coming back?
how can tutors get time off so that they do not burn out quickly?
how can everyone's ideas and work be valued and incorporated
into the program?
what are the roles and repsonsibilities of the tutors?
what priority does reforzamiento work have over other work at UPAVIM?
how can tutors get support (emotional & technical) when they need it?
what about supplies--who buys them and what?

These are just some of the questions that I might ask were in a group of 6 people working together. There are many other questions to ask depending on the people involved. I would suggest some serious preparation time be spent before reforzamiento starts. Discussion and communication is a must. Setting down clear guidelines, roles, and responsibilities, all the while making sure that everyone is saying/understanding the same sentence, can only be great start. I wish you all luck and have fun.