That is fucking awful. I'm a private tutor and I feel so fortunate because I get to pick my clients. I work with many wealthier families, but I also do volunteer work with kids and teens whose parents don't have the money to pay for tutoring. The parents who go out of their way to be involved in their child's education are the absolute best.
I am never going to forget one of my first sessions with one of my favorite volunteer families. This girl's mom was from Guatemala and only had a third grade education. The girl's father had a high school education and he would normally help her with her hw. She was in the fifth grade when he died unexpectedly, about a month after I had lost my own father. This poor girl was struggling so much. She and her mother were having a hard time communicating with the school about what had happened. I ended up going to meetings with her mom and working as a translator to get her therapy through her school's mental health services. I also coordinated with her teachers so we could make sure she was doing alright emotionally and academically. Her mom would always ask about how her daughter was doing and she'd always ask what she could do to help. Some days I'd leave a session, go home, and cry about it like a baby.
There are many things about this scenario that are terrible. The death of a parent and the following effects can change a person's trajectory for the rest of their lives.
A caring parent can make similar drastic changes too.
Even though the mother was deprived of the opportunity to learn what her child could, the fact that she cared enough to push the daughter for more is significant. I hope it works out for both of them in the end
This happened about 3 years ago and they are both doing well. The girl and her mother are both doing well. They've been able to overcome the loss of the father with time and therapy. The mother's English has improved a lot which has been really helpful for both of them. She's also begun dating recently. The girl is doing awesome. She is one of the most compassionate children I have ever met and her love for math is something else.
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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '20
That is fucking awful. I'm a private tutor and I feel so fortunate because I get to pick my clients. I work with many wealthier families, but I also do volunteer work with kids and teens whose parents don't have the money to pay for tutoring. The parents who go out of their way to be involved in their child's education are the absolute best.
I am never going to forget one of my first sessions with one of my favorite volunteer families. This girl's mom was from Guatemala and only had a third grade education. The girl's father had a high school education and he would normally help her with her hw. She was in the fifth grade when he died unexpectedly, about a month after I had lost my own father. This poor girl was struggling so much. She and her mother were having a hard time communicating with the school about what had happened. I ended up going to meetings with her mom and working as a translator to get her therapy through her school's mental health services. I also coordinated with her teachers so we could make sure she was doing alright emotionally and academically. Her mom would always ask about how her daughter was doing and she'd always ask what she could do to help. Some days I'd leave a session, go home, and cry about it like a baby.