One week at tutoring, Learning Edge Student Howard’s tutor was absent and Tutor Howard Anderson’s student was absent. The two were assigned to temporarily work together: a pair of Howards. Grown-up Howard, who prefers to go by “Howie,” joked, “I didn’t think anyone was named ‘Howard’ after 1955!”
Once Young Howard learned that there was another Howard in the program, he was insistent they work together. The other parties were amenable, and they pulled a switcheroo to form new tutoring pairs. It turns out, Howard and Howie were a good fit and they enjoy one another very much. We decided to see what else the Howards have in common:
Interviewer: What are your favorite foods?
Howard: Spaghetti and bread and nuggets and string beans.
Howie: Well, I like string beans.
Howard: I have a loose tooth! [As first graders do, Howard proudly showed me his loose tooth.]
Interviewer: That was one of my questions for you both! How many teeth have you lost?
Howard: One.
Howie: All of them! But they all came back
Interviewer: What is your favorite subject?
Howard: Spelling!
Howie: I was also going to say Spelling! It’s part of what I did for my job; I made sure everybody spelled correctly. [Grown-up Howard spent his career as a journalist, editor, and publisher, primarily for magazines. He continues to work, but not full-time.
Interviewer: What’s your favorite Learning Edge game? [Student-tutor pairs are invited to play educational games for the last fifteen minutes of a tutoring session.]
Both Howards: Easy! The map of the United States!
Howie: It’s a puzzle that features a landmark in every state. Howard can name all of them, and he told me about the tallest building in the world.
Howard: Burj Kalifa, in Dubai.
Interviewer: What’s your favorite day of the week?
Howard: Wednesday because we always have PE.
Howie: Friday…no, Monday! Because I get to spend time with Young Howard.
Howard and Howie will surely continue to get to know one another as the school year progresses and we look forward to hearing about other commonalities they share.