December With Leah

December With Leah

My first visit with Leah this month was more difficult than the rest. She seemed more hyper and tried to distract me from her work. Despite the fact I continued to tell her we have to stay focused, she still attempted to distract me. When we had to glue her vocabulary words to a paper, she laid on the couch upside down while gluing them, taking up more of our limited time together. She only wants to make it more fun, but nevertheless I want to help her improve. But at the same time, I understand how work is not the most fun thing to do for her.. At the end of our time together, she held unto my legs to stop me from walking, and full on bear hugged me until her mother made her let go. Over time, we are getting more comfortable with one another, and I honestly love spending time with her. In contrast, the past few visits with her have gone smoothly. She has been more interested with her work and has even finished early with me once. Leah worked diligently, and seemed determined to finish her work. This definitely has to do with her mood, considering some days she is not interested at all, but other days she works efficiently. Every visit has now ended with Leah begging me to stay, and hugging me as if her life depended on it. I loved being able to help her, so when I realized that Jennifer, Leah’s mother, needed more help, I was eager to offer more assistance. I now go over two days a week, rather than one, and hopefully this will increase my chances of figuring out what drives Leah to work harder.