By Levi Lavy, Edison State Community College Student
I started tutoring elementary and middle school students in February. I was thinking that I would put in the hours I had committed to and go on with my life. At that time, I didn’t think that I would do well with kids (especially teaching them). I was more of an introvert and would prefer not to work with other people at all. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. I started looking forward to coming to the tutoring sessions, and before long, I had completed my hours. I decided to continue because of the impact that I felt I was making on the students. I wanted to do all that I could to help them succeed in school.
The tutoring program is making a tremendous impact on the students and also the volunteers. It is impacting our community even if we do not realize it. It is giving students, struggling in basic math and reading skills, an opportunity to succeed. Each student learns in different ways. Some struggle emotionally and some have tough challenges outside of school. This program focuses on adapting to each student and helping them to succeed. It also provides a way for the tutors to communicate with the children in our community. I can’t think of one negative thing about this program because without it, some of these students could fail at school
This experience has taught me things that I did not know about myself. At first, I did not think that I would be good at tutoring students. But then I realized the importance of this program and the positive effect that it has on them. I became willing to do whatever I could to help these students. I guess that I became a better tutor than I thought I could be.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with many different students. One of the experiences that I had while tutoring involves a particular student. She came into the program extremely struggling. She was shy and frankly, I did not know the best way to help her. After a few tutoring sessions, I realized that she needed to work with the same tutor every time. So, I continued to work with her and sure enough, it started to help. She started to improve a lot and is now doing much better in school. For a while we worked on a story. She started by reading a book and writing a summary about it. Then she extended the story by imagining what might happen next. We were able to create an actual book from her story and illustrate it. This is just one example of the impact that this program makes on these students.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of teachers and support staff, many of the students that we work with are seriously struggling. Some of our fifth and sixth grade students continue to struggle with basic math. This is a serious problem because it is hard to learn division if you cannot multiply. Multiplication is extremely important in advancing in math. Some students struggle with reading and comprehension. Others struggle with staying focused. These are basic skills that are required for academic success. It is very rewarding to watch them improve.
This experience has made me a better person. It has taught me many things and has enhanced my communication skills. In the United States, over 1.2 million students drop out of school each year. This often occurs because students don’t get the extra help that they need with their academics. This should motivate each of us to do more for these students. It should inspire us to do what we can to positively impact our community and the people around us. I look forward to continue being a part of this amazing program. The tutoring program is actively changing lives and positively impacting our community and I am grateful to be a part of it.
Levi Lavy, May, 2021