"You're Not Like Any Girl Tutor I Ever Imagined"

[dr_pretentious]

So said my youngest student when I cheerfully accepted his suggestion that we use the verb "to fart" as our example in an explanation of the perfect and progressive tenses. As in: The pig was farting that day where often it had farted before. Half an hour later, he could still explain back to me the differences between simple past, past progressive, and past perfect, without needing to resort to porcine flatulence. I don't care if that's his default verb for every grammar explanation we do for the next five years, as long as it works.

Comments

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

THe fact that you let him do that makes you an awesome teacher.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think so. At least I'm not just more of the same.

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

'... as long as it works'

Hear, hear! :)

[jamesenge.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is great. Reaching students is always the hardest part.

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

Duncan would love learning from you!

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

With a student who just couldn't sit still, I used to conduct our sessions while kicking a ball around in his family's basement. Something about kicking a soccer ball made him feel, and sound, vastly smarter about what he'd read. From time to time, I say, "Take five minutes and write down what you just said," and then we'd get back to kicking the ball until he'd talked his way through the thoughts for another paragraph.

I highly recommend this method, if Duncan ever gets stuck on a homework assignment.

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

"Girl Tutor" is capitalized in its own right, yes? Foglioesquely?

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Since my Inner Monologue involves a lot of Idiosyncratic Capitalization, I think it must be.

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Awesome...what a recommendation!

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

And oh, my man and boy will LOVE to learn about grammar from you.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

And many thanks to your menfolk for desensitizing me to fart humor so that I could be completely unfazed when my student decided to see where the word choice boundary was.

[wild-place-king.livejournal.com]

Jeez, I wish you were my tutor!

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Well, I happen to have some time slots opening up in January, when a couple of my SAT students will be done with their testing season...