Isabella and I were both surprised when we found out that we were paired together because we had met previously: I participated in the Vassar After School Tutoring (VAST) program during freshman and sophomore years and she was one of the students in my knitting clinic. It was exciting to have an established bond with the student that I am working with in this class and I look forward to learning even more about her.

Because Isabella and I already knew the basics about each other, we jumped right into project brainstorming. Isabella had some really creative ideas that involved her interests, such as making a presentation that combines her athletic pursuits, swimming, crew, and outdoor activities, with poetry. Isabella is also interested in American History, such as the Salem Witch Trials, and loves to babysit, so these are also potential project choices – maybe we will make a digital story that combines historical fiction with babysitting, which sounds like a stretch but could be challenging and really entertaining. Clearly, we need to narrow our focus and attempt to come up with some more concrete ideas.

I hope that in our next meeting, Isabella and I will work together to determine the nature of a project that will be engaging for the entire semester. I hope that, in our future meetings, I will get to see some of her writing because I think that her voice as a reader and writer will play a significant role in the trajectory of the our work together – maybe she can even create a little piece of writing to post on the blog!