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“[…] For some children, reading happens naturally, but that’s not the case for a lot of children.
“A simple rule like English words can’t end in the letter ‘v’ will teach children to spell so many words [like] ‘have’, ‘above’, ‘give’, ‘live’…”
Wired868 highlights the day-to-day lives of everyday Trinbagonians in our ongoing series entitled: ‘A day in the life…’ Today, we speak with an online reading teacher:
Photo: Getty Images
Q: What led to you becoming a reading tutor?
A: It was Covid time, and I had to teach my own son, so I started to teach other children, as well. What happened is I created an Instagram page, and people got to see how I was teaching my son, and they were interested and messaged me, and that’s how the business began.
Q: How old was your son at the time?
A: He was three years old then, so he should have been entering pre-school.
Q: How do you prepare for the lessons?
A: I try to tailor it based on the children that are before me, so I have a plan … like I’m doing A, B, C, but some children you have to change the plan and do A, C, B. So I tend to prepare based on the needs of the child.
Q: What are the age ranges of your students?
A: From 5 years old to 12 years
Q: Is there a specific programme or technique you use in your classes?
A: Yes. I use something called the Science of Reading. The fact that reading is a science [means] it is structured — like how we would structure Math. In school, they structure Math, and they make sure you learn from small ‘1 +1 is 2’. It’s the same with English, but in our school system, they tend not to do that.
(Editor’s Note: The online tutor has a BA in English and Research and learned about the Science of Reading online.)
Q: Can you describe a typical day as a tutor?
A: My role as an online reading tutor begins at 5.00pm and ends at 8.00pm. I do have another job during the day as a customer accounting officer. A typical day is a lot of talking; a lot of, ‘You’re not listening, pay attention.’ There are a lot of good moments as well when you see the child has gotten it now, and you’re like, ‘Yes!’ It’s a fulfilling job.
Q: How do you keep your students engaged and inspired, especially in an online setting?
A: Games. As long as I teach something, we play games on it. So, one day, I will have a teaching session, and the other day will be games based on what they have learnt.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of being an online reading tutor?
A: The most challenging aspect … hmmm. I don’t know…(chuckles)… receiving payment on time from parents.
Q: Can you give our readers a summary of one of the most rewarding experiences you have encountered thus far?
A: Sure. There was this little girl who came to me — she was eight years old at the time, and she did not even recognise the word ‘the’. She could not read the word ‘the’. I showed her the word, and she was clueless, but now she’s reading. She’s now nine years and still not at her level, but she is able to watch something now and read it.
Q: If the opportunity arises, would you be willing to do your classes in a face-to-face setting, or do you prefer the online platform?
A: At this stage, I prefer online because I have more resources for online work, and doing face-to-face work would require overheads. I play a lot of games with the children, so I will have to get the games physically and stuff like that. So it would be a costlier overhead, whereas Zoom is just $800.00 for the year, and you’re good to go.
There are a lot of free games, so no, at this stage I would prefer (unless somebody is willing to sponsor) to continue online.
Q: How are you able to balance this career and family life?
A: It’s a challenge at times. I am married and have two sons. Sometimes, I am so engrossed in creating new material and finding new games and new ways to teach the same thing. Children tend to get bored, but you want them to remember it. I think up all kinds of songs and stuff like that.
I have to remember to teach my own children, too, and not just other people’s children. I am working on fixing that, so for the new year, I’ll be cutting down on the number of classes I have. Presently, I have eight classes and I am cutting it to four classes, so I am cutting them by half.
Q: What advice can you give to parents whose children are struggling with reading?
A: Teach them the rules of the language. There are 31 main rules that teach the English language. For some children, reading happens naturally, but that’s not the case for a lot of children.
A simple rule like English words can’t end in the letter ‘v’ will teach children to spell so many words [like] ‘have’, ‘above’, ‘give’, ‘live’.
Teach your children to sound out words. Don’t have them just memorising words by rote because when you do that, after a while, you will ask them to spell the same word, and they won’t know how to spell it.
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Germaine Jones-Palmer works in the public sector and is a student at COSTAATT pursuing her BA in Mass Communication. She is presently an intern at Wired868. Germaine is passionate about encouraging others to live purposefully.
“Teach your children to sound out words. Don’t have them just memorising words by rote because when you do that, after a while, you will ask them to spell the same word, and they won’t know how to spell it.”
I have my doubts about her method. For me, the best way to teach your children to read is to read to them often. Reading and spelling are two completely different creatures although, I concede, they are related.