Monday, July 25, 2011

Day 319 --- My Personal Tutor

When I was a tutor for young kids and I tutored math, it was so interesting to me, yes and even frustrating to me to observe that every week my student came to my house, I had to teach the same principle.  Now come on, when I taught the idea of factoring, that 3 and 4, together was 7 and multiplied together was 12.  Thus that was the key of factoring.  However, every week I had to teach, and re-teach my students that concept. 

I can remember that often I paused after they had left, feeling just a tiny bit guilty, collecting payment for teaching the same thing over and over.  It's such a simple principle and so much math is based upon, I could not understand why those young kids could not grasp it. 

So I taught it over and over again.  Finally after about $200 worth, and repeating myself hundreds of times, a light turned on and this "slow" student started to understand.  Three weeks later, they were experts in factoring.  But what a road, to teach him/her the concept of factoring.

Then, sadly I look in the mirror and realize the challenges I have currently I have had before.  Often, throughout my life, I have realized that Father was "blessing" me with the same type of challenge, trail, and opportunity of growth.

I am sure my Father questioned His "slow" students, me in particular.  He knew that the lesson was one that I had to understand before I could progress to another one He was holding for me.  I had to master that special concept before I could move to the next concept.  If I never did, then the next lesson He wanted to teach me would not make sense and I would fail my course.

I guess my tutoring should have prepared me for these repeated lessons, these repeated trials, these familiar challenges that I get to enjoy today.  He is my Tutor, and I must learn and perhaps one day that lesson will come to me as factoring did long ago to those students.

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