Dare to Make a Difference

In Immokalee, we have the opportunity to become tutors in a program called School on Wheels. As tutors in this program, we individually travel to a woman’s home to teach her conversational English one hour a week. This arrangement facilitates a very personal one-on-one relationship that, for me, has been and continues to be one of the most special interactions of my volunteer experience.

Perhaps because of the fact that (at first) only basic verbal communication was possible, I have learned that laughter, patience, smiles, and eye contact can reveal the general idea of what one wants to say. These movements can demonstrate kindness and personality. What is more important, however, is that that they also build a sense of trust as well as a sense of confidence in one another that smoothes the process of learning, breaks down teacher/student barriers, and slowly creates a nascent friendship.

To provide a better visual of how this looks, I would like to write about the woman who I tutor. When I first met her, it was after I had spent a half hour driving around Immokalee on the phone with her as she was patiently attempting to give me directions (in Spanish) to her home. With my basic Spanish, this was somewhat humorous from a retrospective point of view. After meeting her, I realized that she is, firstly, courageous for letting me come into her home and for putting herself out there to learn. Shortly afterwards, I realized that she is not only extremely bright but also has an astounding memory. In later visits, she proved herself powerful. She has raised several children and is in the process of raising a few more. She has sent her oldest son to college, and it is clear that her youngest children are also bursting to learn. Perhaps most importantly, however, she also is able to the find the humor in the small things in life, and my favorite memory is the two of us laughing for a good five minutes when it was me who messed up the model dialogue in English.

The lasting power of this experience with School on Wheels truly lies in this woman’s charisma and in the opportunity to see her each week, learn of her struggles and history, and see how she endeavors to learn a wholly new language all the whilst she cares for family and those around her. There is much to learn from her example.

(Picture was taken from Google Images/Printable Coloring Pages)

Sarah