2nd blog topic question 2

I spend thirty-five hours each week from June to August with four foot nothing energetic toots. Spending 7 hours a day with lively kids no higher than my hip, who are anxious to learn tennis is fun, but can be quite the task. Sure the summer tennis program is all about making sure the kids are having a good time and keeping everyone happy, but I sometimes face obstacles when it comes to communicating with these tiny youngsters. I realize that it is a whole situation when communicating with kids anywhere from 3-16.

I can no longer talk to these kids like I would my friends or my co-workers. I have to always make sure what I am saying is age appropriate. It is frustrating at first every summer when I go back to work, because I have to get used to the fact that a whole different type of speech is needed during the day, when I am in the presence of these kids. I realize that everything I say, ask, and respond with, has to be in the simplest form that these kids can understand.

It is especially difficult when teaching these kids new tennis moves. I can no longer just explain step after step, in detailed form like I do in the evening, for the adult group. I need to make sure to speak slowly, use the most straightforward terms and continually ask if anyone has questions. It is very frustrating at first when all I hear is, “what does that mean,” “how do you do that,” “can you say that again.” Then I realize that I am dealing with kids who are just being coming literate or have not been literate for that long. I no longer feel frustrated, but I begin to think of ways that I can get on their level.

After getting used to the fact that I am teaching some kids a fifth of my age, I begin to adjust my speech to accommodate their needs. My sentences no longer contain vocabulary words that would be used in speech when talking with my co-workers, friends or family. I begin to use words that you would hear in a kindergarten classroom. Usually when explaining how to grip a racket to the 18-80 age group at night, I tell them to hold onto the handle of the racket, with their hand clasped a certain way around it and to hold on firmly. This definitely does not work for the younger bunch. Instead, I have to teach them to hold their racket by comparing it to shaking someone’s hand. When explaining something to the younger bunch, I have to use the least amount of words to get my point across. I also found that the kids understand stuff better when I relate it to everyday situations.

When going back to work in the summer, it takes me a while to adjust my speech to get on the same level as the kids I am teaching. Once I do this, I realize that it is so much easier to communicate with then and understand their needs. I put myself in their place and realize how hard it was when I was first becoming literate and trying to understand directions and speak with adults.