He Won By Just Sitting and Looking at the Screen

As for me, weekends are also for hustling. I teach kids even on weekends. I used to be a Kids Church teacher every Sunday but since the pandemic happened, I looked for ways on how to spend my weekends as meaningful as possible. Luckily, I have found a way on how to earn extra cash on weekends.

I tutor my nephew, my cousin's son, every weekend for a price cheaper than my usual tutorial rate because they're family. My usual tutorial rate is Php 500 per hour but for them it's only Php 200. My nephew is 5 years old and loves to play so it's really a struggle to let him do some tasks, especially when it comes to writing.

In our city, the students from pre-kindergarten up until senior high school receive full academic materials, from uniform, shoes, snacks, notebooks, bags, rubber shoes, P. E. uniform, and a lot more. Since my nephew is just in pre-kindergarten and learning from home using a laptop is difficult for a kid like him. Kids like him should be at school and do interactive and physical activities because they learn easier that way, they're still playful.

Everytime we have tutorial session, I make sure we use the things given by the city government in our activities. There are clays, board, crayons, mini abacus, flashcards, mini clock, and a lot more. Maybe I'll name them next time in one of my articles this month.

Our tutorial sessions make me laugh and exhausted at the same time. He's the kind of kid who always ask questions about everything. I love kids like him. Curious. But sometimes, he can't help it. There are times when we are writing the alphabet but he keeps on stopping letter after letter because he asks questions that are not related to our topic. Of course, as a teacher, I always make sure to answer him but I also remind him that we should focus on what we're doing.

I'm glad he finished pre-kindergarten with a smile on his face. Last week, the school announced that there would be an online event for the pre-kindergarten students. My cousin and my auntie were so excited because finally, my tutee's hard work paid off. He'll be a kinder student this coming school year.

When the program started online, my auntie asked my nephew to just sit down and watch.

My nephew, with his curious trait, he asked Mananalo po ba ako dito? / Will I win here?

We laughed. My aunt explained that it is not a game so all he needs to do is to sit and watch.

My nephew is a good follower. He followed what my aunt told him. He watched as he sit. He watched and listened as the master of the ceremony announce and present the students from other sections who are soon to be kinder students.

By the moment his name was called and his picture was presented on screen, my nephew screamed - Nanalo ako, Lola, nanalo ako! / I won! I won! Grandma, I won!

He jumped up and down. He was so happy. The rest of the family laughed because of his reaction. He thought he won because his name was called.

After the program, he told his other cousins, my other nephews and nieces, that he won and that his classmates won as well. Lol. I can't stop laughing.

As I was typing this, I am still smiling as I recall his reaction. My aunt explained to him already the importance of the program and that he didn't win because it's not even a game in the first place. Still for him, it is. Aigoo.

July 3, 2022