Luis was a very smart and active bilingual 5-year-old boy. When his family educator, Eveline, started meeting with his family, his mom, Maria, expressed concern about his speech and behavior. His preschool teacher had informed her that Luis needed help, so she had him take the Early-Childhood Screening for Minneapolis Public Schools. He passed these tests with an average score, but his mom and teacher were very concerned about his behavior. Luis would never sit still for story time and had a hard time following rules at school. Eveline explained to Maria that every child develops differently, and that Luis might need time to learn and adjust to his school environment. Eveline taught Maria new tools to help manage Luis’ behavior and adjust to his surroundings.
During the first home visit, Luis’ lack of attention was very apparent. He couldn’t sit for more than two minutes, and his mom had to keep telling him to sit. Eveline explained to Maria that it was okay and asked Luis if he wanted to jump. He said yes, so the whole family jumped and counted. Luis thought this was great, and giggled at seeing his mom and dad jump around the house. After jumping, Eveline sat down with Luis and read him a book, and amazingly, Luis sat and listened intently. His mom and dad were amazed. After the visit, they told Eveline they were shocked at the style of the home visit. In their culture, education is often approached with a stricter, more formal style in which the children just sit and listen to the teacher talk. It was apparent that this style wouldn’t work for Luis, and Eveline knew this from the start. She knew she had to teach his parents new ways to play with their child and give them the skills to identify his learning style.
After Eveline had worked with the family for over a year, Luis’ mom and dad have come to believe she has worked miracles. Luis is no longer in trouble at school and is going into kindergarten fully prepared. His mom and dad love the educational play and are always asking for new activities and lessons.
