Teaching kids and teenagers is always very challenging, whether they are 10-year-olds or Grade 10 students. Just this week, I tutored a Grade 10 student who was preparing for her high school final exams – and her weakness was writing (her highest score was 9-out-of-24 for essays).

I brought 10 different examples of B.C. high school essays that got an A or a B to show her what “good” and “excellent” essays look like. I explained how to write an effective first paragraph (ie. introduction) with my own example on the whiteboard, how to write a strong second paragraph (again with an example on the board), and also how to connect them to the third and final paragraphs.

I explained too that the example essays are useful because they all show the proper way of writing an essay. Unfortunately, the student said she wanted to write her essay using her own methods.

At the end of the lesson, she left all of my handouts on the desk and did not take them with her!! It means she didn’t want to read or review the good essay examples at home.

I was frustrated because it seemed she did not care. This is where my “passion” or “caring too much” in teaching really showed because I was annoyed that the student didn’t want to accept my suggestions/ideas. Maybe it’s easier for me if I didn’t care so much – but that’s not my teaching style; I’ll be frustrated if students don’t listen or accept my feedback.

But hey, that’s the life of a teacher.