Alyssa and Teddy

Working with Teddy over the past semester has been an incredible experience. Teddy is so sweet and genuine, and his silly antics make me laugh every class. When I first signed up to tutor, I thought it would just be a fun experience to help a GiGi’s Playhouse participant with their literacy. Little did I know that this would be such an incredibly rewarding period of growth and learning for me as well. Throughout this semester, one of my biggest challenges was finding ways to keep Teddy focused. When Teddy is in the mood, he is such a bright learner, rapidly spelling out new words and eagerly reading on his own. But he would often get distracted, and didn’t want to participate in some of the activities.

I was a bit frustrated at first, not knowing how best to reach him and keep his attention without relying too heavily on the videos he loves watching and singing along to. But I’ve learned to incorporate songs, movement, games, and toys into every class to make class more interesting. The resources GiGi’s Playhouse has provided have been tremendously helpful as we fish for sight words together or piece together 3-letter word puzzles, practicing different skills through an array of activities. Last class, we had so much fun reading “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” as Teddy excitedly fed my mouse hand puppet with cookies and milk. May, a UH intern I work with, has been a huge help throughout the process, helping me brainstorm ideas and find resources for fun and engaging activities.

I believe that both Teddy and I have grown tremendously throughout the past semester, as Teddy becomes a more confident and capable reader, and I am a better tutor. I truly had the most amazing time tutoring Teddy and I’m so happy to have spent this time with GiGi’s Playhouse!

We are so grateful for you Alyssa! If you would like to enroll or be a tutor in the Literacy or Math program, please click the button below.