10/28 College Essay

Today is Friday, and my student was not here. I checked with the teacher to make sure I was in the correct classroom and he said yes, and that she was absent, but that I could work with another ELL student. They were workshopping their college essays. I was thrilled because this was my area of expertise. The girl I was working with asked if I could read over her essay and give feedback… and oh my gosh was I blown away. She talked about her transition here, and what happened back in her country, and she has faced more struggles than I may ever in my entire life. I learned the importance of sensitivity. I had to think of how I would respond after reading this. I thanked her for sharing all that with me, and how strong of a person she was. She was upset because her English wasn’t all there so it was difficult for her to portray how she felt-- but I reassured her that what really counts, with things like this, is making it personal, which she had done an excellent job at. I hope that this essay helps her in the college application process.