Just Another Student

As time goes by the students seem to be getting more and more comfortable with each other, they interact more with each other and get more involved with class conversations/arguments.

As a mentor in that class I'm supposed to help out the students, there is a student in the class who doesn't speak English, since I'm bilingual I help her out at times, when she doesn't really know what's going on. I don't mind helping her out since that's the way I started when I came from Mexico, but if I'm going to be taking my time to help her out I expect her to put some effort in as well. I won't say her name for respect but I will describe her a bit, well she's about thirteen or fourteen years old I don't know for sure but that's about the age I see on her. Well she's about my height or a bit taller so about 5'3, she has a petite figure with long legs, she has some caramel like skin color and two big rounded eyes, she has some big full lips and she's Salvadorian. She is really sweet and all, but I don't like it when people have the advantage to get some extra help and yet they take it for granted. When I came to Reno I didn't speak any English either and I didn't have the help I'm providing to her, I still made it this far, she seems to be pretty smart but she doesn't want to put any effort into the class. I always try my best to tell her what to do and how to do it, at first she would work with me and pay attention to everything I told her, for about a week I would talk to her everyday from the beginning of class to end explaining everything the teacher would say she would pay attention and it really amazed me how she would actually pay attention to me. I would talk to the teacher about her and all, he would cut her a lot of slack when it came to her work too since she didn't speak any English, I honestly think that was a mistake. After a while of me helping her out and all a homework assignment was given to them, they were supposed to make up a continent. I explain the assignment to her and she told me she understood. Once the assignment was due I talker to her about it so that I could acknowledge her effort, she told me she forgot it, I didn't flip over that since I know things like that happen. after a few days she keep on "forgetting it" that's when I knew I was wasting my time.... 

After this I didn't approach her as much, I even notice when I approached her she would make that "leave me alone face". I know she's really smart and she has potential but there isn't much I can for her if she doesn't put any effort into it.. I feel really disappointed in her because most students that come like that don't put any effort into school because of the language barrier, thus they just give up on it and attend to it just cause they have to. I will continue to try to help her, I don promise much though.