POA

"If you don't know where you're going, you might wind up somewhere else.". That's what Toby Keith says in his hit song "Somewhere Else" and I think he says it right for those of us who are working with children.  The title of this post is called POA, which stands for "plan of action".  Coming into  a new year of tutoring, whether you have been tutoring for many years or not, it is still a brand be year. A new grade level, new material, and new year older, and perhaps a new student.  That's the thing about new years, it brings something new no matter how well you might know a person.  With this being said, a plan of action is necessary when coming into any situation, you always want to feel prepared and ready to work with your student from the minute you see them on your night of tutoring.

Your plan should be one that is:
-consistent:  Don't say you are doing one thing and then do something else, that is confusing and your student might. It take you seriously.
-challenging:  unfortunately, students get into the misguided habit of just doing enough to get by rather than pushing themselves to exceed.  We want to give our students the most rich experience that we can with the short time we see them.  Move away from memorization and ask your student high-level thinking questions that promote them to be problem solvers.
-promoting success:  every thing you do should end in a positive outcome.  Whether it is a high five, an extra ten minutes in the computer lab, or a game of their choice, praise your student for doing a great job and you will see successful learning happening more often.
-visible:  Write down your POA so you and your student can see what is coming up next, and you both are ready and prepared for a successful tutoring experience.

Here is an example of what your tutoring POA might look like:

6:00pm Arrive to tutoring, greet your student and head to your classroom.  Catch up on the past week, weekend activities, and then discuss your plan for the evening.  Involve your student in the plan, they might have certain projects or activities that they really need to do.
6:15pm  Work on homework, project, or practice a reading or math skill
7:00pm  Spend 15 min in the computer lab or playing an educational game
7:15pm  Choose a book from our library in the resource room, and read the first few pages or chapter together.  Save the book for next time.
7:30pm head back to the room to grab your personal items and head downstairs for departure.