Before my first day at Lindamood-Bell, I was skeptical.  I thought it would be just like any other tutoring I’ve done before and that I wouldn’t have any fun.  I thought I’d have to sit still and that the tutors wouldn’t be very interactive.  But, of course, I was wrong. 

When you first walk in the door you wouldn’t suspect it’s a tutoring place.  You feel like you’re at home.  It was much different than any other tutoring I’ve done because we focused on one main theme instead of two different subjects.  The people at Lindamood-Bell are very kind, generous, and lovable.  You can easily get to know them, especially since you don’t have only one tutor for your entire time there.  The tutors can also get down to business and be really serious about getting the lesson done while still making it fun.

Working in a group was a lot of fun because I was able to make a new friend.   This also gave me a partner to talk to during breaks .  My group partner was a sweet friendly person.  We could easily relate to each other, and in a way we were both goofy.  It made the lesson more fun.  One example is that we would think of a tune to read our words out loud together.  This sped up our work and helped us concentrate more, because we had something fun to keep our energy level up.  My partner was also a little bit older than me and set a good example for me.  Being with her reminded me that when she was serious, I knew I had to be serious too.  I couldn’t wait to go to Lindamood-Bell every day and see my partner.  I had something special to look forward to because I knew my friend would be there and we would have a great time together. 

Our group was special – we were the only group at that time, and we were allowed to make up our own name (which rhymed and fit our personalities).  We were able to concentrate better on our work because we had our own little room with nice peace and quiet.   We got to decorate our room and move things around to make it comfortable for ourselves.  Working together, we tried to master goals such as getting “100 graduates”, or mastering a new word, or correcting each other while we were reading.  I think it was more effective in a group because by correcting your partner, you not only help them, but you help yourself.  By both of us trying to get up to “100 grads”, for example, we were more motivated and more confident because we were a team.  Also it was special because when we were not taking a turn, we could listen to our partner and get a real feel for the words, which helped me learn faster.  So even when I was resting I was learning.