I worked with the tutoring program again the other day. The variety of experience these kids bring to the program never ceases to amaze me. Each one seems to have an emotional depth that seems evolved beyond their age, but perhaps I'm biased based on my upbringing which was very different.

For several weeks have worked with a child, I will call him Ryan, who is very detached from the group in general, instead looking for friendship among the volunteers and in particular me and the other male volunteer. He will sit at his own table during opening activities, remaining distinctly seperate from the other children. He approached me this week and said, "Can we be friends? I can't hang out with [the other male volunteer] anymore. He is cool, but I was told I need to make friends with the other kids. Do you want to hang out?" I responded, "Alright, did you bring your homework or anything we can go work on? If you bring something for us to do we can hang out and not get in trouble." The relationship has to be defined on very strict terms, which makes it intriguing because while it is kept strictly a tutor/pupil relationship the boundaries of what that includes are flexible. He needs to practice his reading, so I ask him to bring something in that he likes to read. I try to keep the system as flexible as possible, while not betraying the system entirely. Altogether, it forms a relationship that is comfortable, yet structured.