May 2006
Literacy Tutoring Tip:
Saying Goodbye
As the end of the school year quickly approaches, it is time to start thinking about how to say goodbye to the child you tutor. As a mentor you have, no doubt, become an important person in your child’s life--just as they have become important to you, so take time to acknowledge that relationship by honoring it with a special goodbye!
First, choose your last tutoring day ahead of time and share that with your student. Show him/her a calendar, and together you can create a countdown to your last time together.
If you feel like giving your student a gift, here are two suggestions:
* Rather than buying something, use this opportunity to make something together that is meaningful to your student. For example, you might spend the last few weeks making a book together about what special things you spent time on, or you could each draw a picture of each other and give them to each other as gifts.
* Choose a book that you have enjoyed reading together, and donate it to the school for future classes to enjoy! (Don’t forget to insert a GBJCL book plate in honor of your tutee!)
(Please note that we do not require gift-giving, and that we do not encourage volunteers to buy material items for tutees, since not all students in the classroom have tutors themselves.)
Finally, help your team leader organize a celebration to mark the end of the year, where you can share your proudest moments together as a group! You can celebrate at your partner school with the teachers and students, or more privately in someone’s home.
