Unusual "Date" - Part 2

He is a 9 year old boy in Primary Three, whom I shall call Johnny.

We met in a classroom in his primary school. The purpose of our date was for me to read to and with him, and hopefully motivate him to read more, and to inculcate good reading habits.

This is part of a volunteer reading programme that I recently took part it. The programme is meant to help students who are weak in their English. Most of the children who were selected for the programme came from families which are not well-off, those with family problems, or if parents are unable to coach them.

It runs for 16 sessions, about an hour per session.

Last week was supposed to be our first meeting, but Johnny did not turn up. The school’s general office made two announcements for him over the PA system but he did not appear. The volunteer coordinator said he probably forgot about it. And true it was. It was later found out that he had gone home.

I was quite excited prior to the session last week (it was my first volunteer stint with children), so was the disappointment over the wasted trip. It had been a while since I felt this nervous sense washing over me.

The adult world works differently from the children's. In the adult world, people talk even if they dislike one another; they laugh and smile even if there is nothing to be happy about; they say "see you again" when they really meant "I hope we don’t ever meet".

But with children (at least most), they say and do what they truly feel and think. Raw and with no pretence involved. That’s what makes me nervous. I have no idea what a primary three kid (boy especially!) likes, what he reads, what he does in his free time etc. I learned from the volunteer coordinator that Johnny likes ghost stories so I specially borrowed a book called "The Bookstore Ghost", with lots of big pictures and few words, from the library.

I pulled the book out from my file and chirped, "You like ghost stories, don’t you? Let's read one today!" When he saw that, he reached into his bag and pulled out a "Mr Midnight" book, with no pictures and lots of words.

I immediately felt silly. "The Bookstore Ghost" looked too easy! But I could not possibly rewind my actions with a remote control. I know how awful or ridiculous it feels when your abilities are underestimated. And worse still, to be treated younger than you really are. At least I did not like it when I was young. In the end, we did reading on both books.

I specially wore cute t-shirts for the reading sessions, hoping to "connect" better with children. Last week was Pink Panther, this week was Mr Bean. But I seriously doubted Johnny noticed it. There and then I decided, I shall just dress as I like the next time onwards.

Before the session, I bought an ultra-man picture that allows one to do glue painting. It comes with a frame, so once it is finished, it can be hung up on the wall. It’s pretty cool, I thought. I can already picture the gleam on Johnny’s face when he sees it.

As I reached into my file to unravel the surprise, I casually asked, "Do you like ultra-man?" That was a no brainer. All boys like ultra-man, don’t they?

"No." NO?!? I stopped short. Too late, I had already pulled out the ultra-man picture. Again, there was no remote control.

"Well…..hmmm….can you help me do the glue painting on this picture anyway?" Again his standard nod and we both got down to work. When it was finished, the time was up too. Frankly speaking, I felt a little at a loss after the session, as if I have not done much. I wondered how Johnny felt, if he felt anything at all.

The term "generation gap" kept popping up (ha!). I have yet to use the term on myself, not with reference to someone younger. The volunteer coordinator assured me that everything would go on well from here. I was not totally convinced, but I certainly hope so.

Johnny’s command of English was much higher than I expected, and I wonder how to help him from here on.

What books should I read with him this week? Tough choice, tough decision. It's just a few days away, I had better start doing my homework.