Personal Narrative Analysis

This week marks a joyous and heartbreaking occasion: the return of Kyle. Kyle was the pleasant, playful, and motivated resident whom I tutored during my first few weeks at The Faine House. After an unfortunate incident, Kyle was forced to move out and until recently, I did not hear much news about him. At the beginning of the week, my supervisor and the Independent Living specialist approached me and asked if I would consider tutoring Kyle again. Though I understood more clearly all that Kyle struggled with, my answer was a resounding “yes!” and I waited excitingly for his return. Hours turned into days and Kyle did not show up. Each day there was a new excuse ranging from “I have to work late” to “I can’t catch the bus” and a few others. I somewhat feared the state that Kyle would return in, but I remained optimistic. I knew he had unaddressed mental health issues and that his living situation was unpleasant, but I held out that Kyle would be okay.

When we sat down to begin working, I could not even bring myself to honestly ask about his personal life. I feared opening a chest of dark truths that I would not be able to bear. Instead, I dove straight into the basics of fractions and decimals, hoping for the best. What I expected to be a quick review wound up being a long and arduous lesson. Kyle was seriously deficient academically, but that was not his biggest barrier. Kyle was distracted, anxious, broken, and stressed. The family he had gone back to did not support him; rather, they used Kyle to support themselves. Money was tight and they took almost everything he had earned. Add to that an anxiety disorder, ADHD, and possibly bipolar disorder, Kyle’s troubles seemed