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.

Last Month With Leah

Last Month With Leah

Time with Leah has been dwindling down each month. I have seen her once so far this month, and Jennifer has suggested that today will be our last session together. During our previous visit, we began with studying her multiplication tables. Later we began studying information on China since Leah had a history test on it the next day. We focused on that for the majority of our time together, since Leah did not have much homework. When studying I repeatedly asked her the same questions in a different order until she knew everything by heart. During our final session together, she told me that she did well on her test, only getting one wrong. I was glad that I found a way that worked for her. Additionally, on our last day together we began working on a graphic organizer she had to complete for Passport Day. Leah wanted France to be her country for Passport Day, so she had to come up with three reasons with supporting details as to why she deserved to have France over other students. Leah was very motivated to fill up her organizer with the best reasons and details she could find. Since only one student could have France, she was determined to be the student. I helped her through it, and together we were able to finish it on time. Leah was happy with the results and I hope it was enough to get her the country she wants. Afterwards, Jennifer spoke to me about how much Leah has improved since the beginning of the year, especially when it comes to her reading. She was very happy with the improvements, and I am glad that I helped Leah catch up. Although it was our last day together, I am hoping I can continue to help her next year. I left an impact on her life, and she left one on mine.

April With Leah

April With Leah

During the month of April, I have not seen Leah as much as I usually do. Rather than seeing her every week on Wednesdays, I have only seen her for one Wednesday in April. Between her getting sick, me getting sick, and spring break, we have not been able to have time together.  I am hoping she has been improving on her skills, if not I plan on pushing her to get back to where she was. Although the school year is almost coming to an end, I will do my best to help her reach her best. We only have one more month until June, and with June comes a summer mindset. Leah will most likely be more excited about summer than she will be on her schoolwork, or the schoolwork will lessen to almost nothing. She has worked hard all year, and she deserves to be rewarded for everything that she has achieved. Therefore, I am going to have to use May as my “final stretch”. It is the last month to continue to help her reach her potential. Once summer hits, Leah  deserves to be a kid. She deserves to run, swim, and explore. She has earned it.

March With Leah

March With Leah

March has just begun, therefore I have only seen Leah once so far. During our time together, she remained focus. Although when we began on her math, she told me that she did not know how to do it. So I explained the work to her, and she began to understand it. Since math appears to be her weakest area, hopefully the after school program she has been attending will teach her important skills. When it comes to her spelling, Leah is also reluctant to do the work. However, she gets nearly every word correct. I think she just sees it as more work and does not want to do it, even though she excels with it. My goal is to come up with a way for her to want to do it, without complaining about having to write each word twice. Maybe when she makes close to no mistakes, she will be happy with her work and want to continue. Nonetheless, she should be happy with her work now. Leah only messes up one or two letters in a few words, which is something she will be able to improve on. When I see Leah next, I hope that her spelling skills will develop further and that she has a further understanding of math. If not, I will continue to do the most I can to help Leah excel. In our second meeting, we decided to study spelling words by doing a practice test. She would have to rewrite the words that she spelt wrong at the end. Leah was more enthusiastic about this approach, since it was less writing for her. However, it still benefitted her spelling skills. In our third meeting, I continued to use this method. She agreed to it, and got her work done fast. I m happy that I have finally found a way to help her improve and keep her motivated at the same time.

Febuary With Leah

February with Leah

So far, February has resembled January. Leah continues to work hard and be interested in her work, with the occasional distractions. However, she has been focused and we get to finish before our time is over. I love being able to see a change in the way Leah works. She has improved in a variety of ways, and being able to help her improve is amazing. In the beginning, she was more focused on getting to know me, and talking rather than working. Although, now she keeps pushing to get her work done and I am proud to see her excel. Just being able to work with her is a privilege in itself. She is an amazing young girl, and has endless potential to become the best version of herself. However, my days with Leah have decreased. Instead of helping her for two days a week, I am only helping her on Wednesdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Leah is participating in a math program to help her improve her math skills. She has started staying after school to work on math problems, where teachers are available to assist her when needed. Although we have less time together, I am glad she is getting the most help she can possibly get. Now she can get immediate help and explanations on subjects that are confusing to her. When I see her on Wednesdays maybe she will find math easier than she did before.

January With Leah

January With Leah

The New Year looks promising for Leah and me. Although I have only seen her once so far, our time together went very smoothly. She was interested in her work, barely complained, and was motivated to finish. Leah had to read the same book twice in order to improve her pronunciation. The first time she read it by herself, and the second we took turns reading the sentences. This made her more enthusiastic in finishing, and she breezed through her sentences. Maybe working together in this way is the key to keeping her interested in her work. She paid attention as I read, and it seemed as if she was even reading along in her head. During our next visit, Leah continued to work diligently. She stayed on topic, and even explained what work we had to do. However, there were some moments where she became distracted. While writing her spelling words she would write them in unique “fonts”, which unnecessarily took up more of our time together. Over time she would stop and write them in her regular handwriting, becoming focused once more. All in all, Leah has been improving with every visit. Together we have come a long way from where we started, despite it only being a few months. Now we are comfortable with each other, making it easier to get the work done by working together. Although there are moments where Leah loses focus, she quickly goes back to work which is something she has not always been doing. As more months go by, I know there will be even more improvements with the way Leah understands her work.

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.