Yesterday was so Sad!

[Corey123]

Yesterday was a very sad one for me!

The tutoring progtram is winding down for the summer, and I tutored my students for the last time.

My little buddy came down for his tutoring session with me. It hurt me so deeply to have to tell him that that would be his last time with me for the season!!

"Why?", he asked. I explained to him that the program stops for the summer, but it starts again in October. "That's not fair. When is October?,' he says. I gently rubbed him on his back and head to console him. He really likes me an awful lot wants me to be with him.

We played games for his last day with me, and I didn't have him read. When it came time for him to go back to his class, we hugged and shook hands. We didn't want to separate at all! We both began to cry a little.

When he left the library after saying bye to me, and was on his way back to his class, I cried alone in the library. It was so very sad and painful for me to see him leave the room and to think about possibly not being able to see him at all during the summer!

He really is a great kid and we got so close to each other that it was so sad and heartbreaking to see him leave the room. I'll see him again tomorrow and again in two weeks, but this child won me over and has touched my heart so intensely and very deeply in a way in which no other child there has ever done before!

It's going to be so hard and a very painful summer for me not to be able to see him for three months. I know that we'll both get over it, but he's like the son or nephew that I've always wanted, and since he told me that I remind him of his dad, that alone, really made me feel so proud of him to know that I'm sort of his "second dad"

I cry for him a lot now. He's just one special child that happened to meet me and share happy times with. Maybe I should not have gotten so attached to him, but I just can't help it - especially when tutoring him and getting to know him. I'll gladly ask to tutor him again in October, and I'm sure that he'll want me back as his coach again as well.

But It'll soon be happy times again for us! I just LOVE to listen to him talk and talk and talk!!

 

[Dina]

Corey,
You've made me cry reading your post. As an elementary teacher, I know how you feel when you get attached to some kids. But don't give up seeing your little buddy. This summer, plan some sort of movie date with him and a few other kids that you tutored. Try to stay in touch with him by coming up with small field trips. I know my daughter's 2nd grade teacher still takes her former students to the movies and other places. End of the year doesn't mean you have to completely stop seeing your students. I sure hope you can see your student this summer before October. Kuddos to you and a job well done with those kids. Keep smiling!

 

[kitchenelf]

We have no control over who touches our heart, {{{{{{{Corey}}}}}}.

 

[David Cottrell]

Dear Corey, You are a great American. Give me an email when you can. David

 

[quicksilver]

Looks like you both had a growing experience. Take it for what it's worth - a gift.
They don't have to be in the present to be a present.
I'm glad for your experience, but sorry for your sadness.

We're here for ya.

 

[Corey123]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts.

Eleven years ago, I was overcome by this same extremely powerful and sad situation with one of my nephews! He was nine at the time, and I would take him to the movies, a restaurant like McDonalds and other places. I even took him to Disneyland in Orlando!

He was going to SC to visit his dad for the summer. I dreaded the day that he left to go down there and cried my eyes out often because I missed him so much! When he came back at the end of the summer, I was so glad to see him again, and it wasn't long before we started hanging out again, doing what we liked to do!! He would come over and spend weekends with me and we hung out!

He was a cool kid! Now I find myself back in the same sad scenerio with not being able to see THIS kid. I imagine that could give him my number, which I thought about doing so that he can call me and talk to me.

Yes, taking him to the movies would be so nice as long as his parents are ok with it. Then I'd take him to eat lunch. I thought about doing that maybe on Saturtdays or when he doesn't have anything planned with his family. Sort of a mentoring thing.

He's the only boy in his immediate family, and his dad works two jobs, according to what he told me yesterday. I imagine that it's kind of hard being the only boy with two sisters.

That's probably more than likely the reason why he took to me so quickly and so deeply! I'm sort of like his Big Brother, so to speak. I love him like he's my very own son. Sure hope that he'll still be in the program next school season! I want to work with him some more.

He doesn't like to be refered to as being little, but I like to think of him as my little buddy anyway!

 

[Corey123]

More bad news!

I was all set to go this morning to the school when I got a call from the coordinator a while ago telling me that the event for this morning was canceled!!

That the event has been moved to June 13. So now, I'm forced to wait two weeks before I can see my little buddy again! This is torture!

But it at least gives me time to get him a birthday present / card for his nineth birthday.

He told me that he wants a child's dictionary that is at his age and grade level with pictures. So that he can understand it a little better.

 

[texasgirl]

Aww, that just shows what a wonderful and special person you are!!

 

[suziquzie]

I have a friendly little guy I could donate.......

 

[Corey123]

That's great! Who is he?

But I'm sure that everyone has met and became a friend to that very special child out there who has gotten so close to them that he or she makes their heart just melt away.

It just can't be helped when you're tutoring a child and he gets so very close to you like that! Once in a great while, there's a child out there who comes into your life and just makes you want to help him and make friends with him.

It happened with my then nine-year-old nephew, my two other nephews whose father died. But I like helping and working with these kids! I feel that I'm giving them something that is priceless and will hopefully make a lasting impression on them for many years to come. That is to help them with their reading skills and become more educated and better than I was!

I told my little buddy that. That I want him to be better than I was and so that he won't be tourmented by his peers because he has trouble reading. He understands that. He and the other kids are our future. I'm so glad to be there for him and be a part of his happy life.

And when other kids might try to pick on him and poke fun at his reading skills, I got his back!! They're not going to do that when I'm with him because I will not stand for it. I love this boy very much like he's my own child. I can't help it. We mean the world to each other and we like each other very much! It's a special bond that we formed. And no one can take that away from us!

 

[Corey123]

Today, I as at a Barnes & Noble store just browsing around, so I thought about my little buddy's approahing nineth birthday which is in July, so I got him what he told me he wanted; A dictionary with pictures.

It's a colorful one with many, many, many pictures of most of the words and items described in the book. I think he'll LOVE it!!

I just hope that I can be with him on his birthday at least. I'm quite sure that he told his parents about me and how deeply I care about him. That I'm giving him a lot of attention at school in helping him to read.