Research

Research

Leukemia, a type of cancer that is categorized by the overproduction of white blood cells in the human body, affects about “15,780 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 years” each year (E Ward, C DeSantis, etc). The bone marrow of the victim produces these white blood cells that do not die when they should. Due to their surplus, normal blood cells are not given the space they need to do their job (American Cancer Fund). The effects of Leukemia include a fatigue, shortness of breath, fevers, weight loss, bone pain, etc (WebMD).Despite the pain that comes with this disease, it is one that is possible to fight against and win. I have seen it myself. Mr. Schwark assigned a 20% project to our AP Language class, in which we were expected to come up with an issue we would like to tackle, something beneficial, or even something we have always wanted to do. I was unsure of what to do, while everyone else seemed to have a solid idea on what they were planning. One day, Schwark informed us about a mother who needed help tutoring her third grade daughter. Her daughter, Leah, had leukemia. Her disease entails, “treatment that includes radiation therapy to the brain, or some types of chemotherapy, [that] may affect learning ability in some children”  (cancer.org). Unfortunately, Leah was one of those children affected. I was immediately interested when I heard of this opportunity. I love the idea of being able to help people, so after he was done explaining I quickly raised my hand to volunteer. I spoke to her mother, Jennifer, and we agreed on me coming over to help every Wednesday. Before I met with Leah, I wanted to find some ways that may be beneficial when it came to her understanding the work. I learned some new things when it came to the way children learned, such as applying, “what they already know about the relationships between letters and sounds to read a new word” (Koralek,Collins). Therefore, when Leah came across an unknown word that started with a sound she knew, I would remind her of the sound and she would figure out the rest of the word. In addition, by researching different methods I was able to come up with a way of helping Leah that worked best for her. On the days where Leah was unmotivated to do her work, I would try to push her by using rewards. However, this method would not always bring about positive results. This type of, “motivation is likely to result in limited progress that vanishes when the reward disappears” (Greatschools Staff). After Leah got her reward, she would not be as willing to work during our next session together. I also found a way to motivate Leah that she responded well to. During my research on methods, I learned that by “allowing students to choose the type of assignment they do or which problems to work on can give them a sense of control that may just motivate them to do more” (TeachThought Staff). When using this with Leah, she stayed focus and worked diligently. Throughout the course of our sessions, I continued using this method when she strayed off from topic. At the end of our time together, Leah had improved as a student and as a learner. I am proud to say I was able to help her succeed, and get her back to where she was supposed to be.