|
|
|
|
Empowering
tutoring: an Edison State student’s perspective
By Kloey Murphey
Edison State Community College
My fellow Edison State students and I spent the last semester
volunteering in the Empowering After School Program at the Greenville
Elementary and Middle School, working with students ranging from the
kindergarten to eighth grade. We helped them with homework in all
subjects including English, language arts, math, science, history, and
even an occasional art project.
When they didn’t have homework we worked on subjects they were
struggling in. Whether it was spelling sight words for an upcoming
test, practicing multiplication and division problems, or even working
with those terrible things called fractions, we helped the kids improve
on them.
We weren’t always serious though. When the kids worked hard they got a
well deserved break. Snacks would be brought out and we would give them
a short break to talk to their friends. We would also occasionally,
after a concentrated session of hard work, get out some games. They
were fun but also focused on learning. Whether it was Multiplication
Bingo, a board game where you have to make out sums of money, or even
Candyland for the younger kids, the games still helped them learn. I
loved to see their faces light up, hear their laughter, and listen to
their competition talk as they had a great time learning and practicing
their math skills.
I really admire the work of the adults in this program, as well as its
mission. They are dedicated to these children. It was really inspiring
to me to not only work with the kids but also to observe these amazing
adults. I think that this program is not only valuable to the children,
but the community. It helps kids who are falling behind in certain
subjects catch up before it becomes a problem. The kids who are
benefiting are also gaining more confidence by realizing how smart they
actually are and that they can actually do the work. I am very happy to
have been able to work with the kids and the amazing adults who make it
happen. I admire the goals of this program and how they are benefiting
our kids and community.
The adults give so much of themselves to the program to help these
kids. I also think that it is great that there are so many Edison State
students involved. For some kids it’s easier to relate to them and make
it more fun to learn and get help with their schoolwork. I also think
that it is awesome for older kids to be volunteering because the
younger kids really look up to them and form relationships with them.
The only not so positive aspect of the program was the lack of
volunteers at times and the student volunteers struggling to work with
some of the more difficult students. The program has many dedicated
volunteers, but we definitely could have had more adults some of those
afternoons. I know the program works hard to advertise itself and get
volunteers. I just know that the more volunteers that the program has
the more personalized we can make it for the kids and really get the
chance to work with every student.
The six Edison State Core Values that we learned in our Communications
class this semester were very relevant to this work. Volunteering for
the Empowering After School Program involved communication, ethics,
critical thinking, diversity, respect for learning, and teamwork. We
used communication skills when talking to the kids and other
volunteers. Ethics came into play by completing our hours and showing
up when we said we would. We had to use critical thinking in various
ways, whether it was responding to a situation that occurred during the
afternoon or figuring out the best method for a student to learn
something. We also had to deal with a lot of diversity. There are many
different types of kids in the program. They think, learn, and act
differently than other students and ourselves. I also dealt with the
value of respect for learning in this program. Whether it was doing my
best to help a kid understand a problem or helping to eliminate
distractions while the kids were working, I had to focus on the kids
learning and doing the work that they needed to do. Lastly, I came
across the value of teamwork with this program. A cafeteria full of
kids ranging from the kindergarten level to the eighth grade is a lot
to handle and each afternoon I had to work with the students and other
tutors to get the kids under control so that they could focus and get
work done.
I would full heartedly express to anyone how rewarding this program is
to both volunteers and the students being tutored. As a volunteer, I
got to know so many kids and was amazed at the things they could
accomplish when they gave their best work. I felt the same happiness
and excitement when the student I was helping finally got the right
answer to a problem. I also got lots of experience with my patience
being tested. Sometimes when you’re the only tutor working with a table
of first graders it can seem a bit overwhelming, but I learned how to
deal with all of it and pour my focus into helping the kids.
Also seeing the improvements in the kids from the first afternoon I
volunteered to my last was amazing. It was inspiring to see first-hand
how much the program and even I, in a small way, had impacted these
kids and gave them a chance for a brighter future. Some of these kids
were failing their classes or not understanding certain subjects before
the program and are now doing above average work! It is truly amazing
to see how these kids are growing in their education and their
confidence in themselves. This creates a positive effect in the
community. When they are learning and gaining confidence they are doing
better in school and will ultimately be more likely to succeed after
school. The program also brings community members together through
volunteering, donations, and the kids themselves. Overall I would say
that the program is having a wonderful impact on the entire community.
I am so happy that I got the chance to volunteer for the Empowering
After School Tutoring Program this semester. At first, like most
students I’m sure, it just seemed like another assignment to me. By the
end of my hours tutoring with the program I realized that I gained a
lot from the experience. It gave me so much happiness to work with
these kids, to see their faces light up when they solved a problem,
help them gain confidence in their abilities, help them to understand
problems, listen to them chat with their friends, joke around with them
at times, and even get to form close relationships with some of them by
the end. The program also really helped me to connect with the six Core
Values. They really related to this program and volunteering helped me
to better understand the values and how they can be relevant even
outside of the classroom. I am so thankful for the adults who make this
program run smoothly and I’m so happy to have been able to volunteer
for the semester. I hope that this program keeps running strongly for a
long time; it’s not just the kids who are benefiting from it but our
community.
|
|
|
|
