First Meeting with Marisol

My first meeting with Marisol went really well. We met at the Rec Center and it took me several minutes to find her, but when I introduced myself, it is obvious that she was eager to get started. Since we did not have a GED book handy, I simply asked her to tell me the things she has trouble with in English. She told me how she didn't understand how to sound out the letters "a, e, and i". I wrote them out phonetically for her and wrote down several examples of them in words. She started to understand the sound of each letter and by the end of the hour, she was saying them correctly. I also showed her how to log on to the computer using her name and password and how to get on the internet. She commented that her kids have computers and know how to use them but she has no idea. I found it funny because my mom is not very technologically inclined and I could understand her confusion with the technology.

After meeting with her just once, I could tell how much she wanted to learn. She is an extremely hard working woman who is working two jobs and trying to support her family. Her brothers are attending school and are learning English and she would like to get the same help. In the beginning of this class, I was so excited about the service learning project. I have always loved helping people. In this case, it works out even better because I am a Spanish major and it has already come in handy with just my first meeting with Marisol.

Helping these employees is a great experience. They are so appreciative of our willingness to help them achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves. I really cannot think of something I would rather do for an hour than to help someone with a problem. I look forward to my next meeting with Marisol and this time, we will have a book to start advancing towards her goal of getting her GED.