I was part of a wonderful lesson today, and it may just have
a lasting effect on one student.
That is why I teach – to change one life. I tell this story not to brag, but just to demonstrate
that God is in the details, and express my gratitude to Him for putting me in a
position to serve.
I have no lessons in the high school on Thursdays, so I
volunteer my time with the elementary/primary grades on that day. I work with 2nd, 3rd
and 4th grades, and consider my time spent as playtime, because I’m
really only supporting the lead teacher in the class. I can teach the students a song, or help them read in small
groups, but I’m not planning or running the lesson, so it’s very easy for me.
One student in fourth grade is new this year, and he is finding
it hard to participate, because he has a severe stuttering problem. His name is Damil (Dah-MEEL). It is hard for Damil to speak more than
two or three words without taking 5-10 seconds to get the next word out. So naturally, he doesn’t speak much
during class. But he is good in
math and is a good writer, and understands Kazakh, Russian, and now some basic
English.
When I was introduced to Damil, he had a hard time even just
telling me his name. And When I
came back to class today, an idea that had occurred to me when I met him came
back to my mind, very strongly. I
asked the teacher for permission to take Damil aside and work with him
one-on-one. I briefly described
what I wanted to do, and she told Damil in Kazakh what we were going to try to
do, and he agreed to give it a try.
Instead of speaking to each other, I sang my questions to
Damil, very quietly, and he responded by singing. We practiced the strategy for about 20 minutes, and he found
himself not only reading more smoothly, but being able to converse more
smoothly as well. He could
sing-read the questions in his book, and then sing to compose his own
answers. I sent him back to the
rest of the class, and he read (sang) three sentences in a row, all smoothly,
while his classmates sat there open-mouthed. At the end, they even applauded for him.
The lead teacher has taken on her own shoulders the
responsibility to inform all of Damil’s teachers that he can learn to speak
more smoothly by singing. I
am aware that singing doesn’t always lead to long-term fluency in speaking, but
it can be one success along the road. Both Damil and I left the class much happier today. I
have researched the issue, and I will continue to find ways to support Damil in
his quest to speak more fluently – in all three languages.
Jim and I often include in our morning prayers the request
to have the chance to serve one person that day – to influence for the better
one person’s life. I have no doubt
that the Lord answered that prayer today in a rather dramatic way. And I am grateful to have been prepared
to help meet a child’s needs.
