Thursday Session with Lisa Blackwell

She was a good speaker, who talked about the psychology of how and what a child experiences, when they learn. My learning experience is very far removed from what many of these kids must struggle through on day-to-day basis. I have to humble myself each day that I walk into the schools to work with the "struggling" kids. Dr. Blackwell also talked about her work with middle school children and how by that time, most of the students, who are having trouble in academics, believe that they lack the ability. I remember when I was in middle school. I knew many of the kids that I was around still "got it" but they were so stigmatized as being "special ed" and not as "smart" that they hardly had any chances to display their abilities. She also pointed out that all people, even adults, have a hard time feeling comfortable about taking on a challenging learning experience. I know that this was the situation with my own foreign language experience. I avoided and still do at any cost. I was fortunate to have enriching learning experiences early in my life, so that I was aware of the ability to learn that I had inside of me. One of my goals as a Reading Buddy is to be the provider of an enriching learning experience to each of the 5 kids that I work with.