Week 2: The return of SNACKTIME!!!!

Before the tutors and tutees hit the books each day, everyone gets together to enjoy snack time! Whether they are munching down on some oranges or bartering for the treasured bag of Cheetos, all the kids take this time to unwind, chat with the tutors (usually teasing us about UNC's recent triumphs or Duke's slide in the rankings), play some hop scotch, or gossip about their new crushes! Besides laughing hysterically at all the kids' antics, I usually try to take this time to check up on Dereese's social life and just be a good friend. From our heart to hearts, I have concluded that most of Dereese's struggles in school are more a problem of being misunderstood by his teachers or having low, even non-existent, expectations rather than a difficulty understanding subject matter. I have learned that tutoring is about so much more than integers and probabilities, it is about truly caring about a child with unlimited potential. My experiences have shown me that the kids benefit most when they trust their tutee, when they know that the tutee will always be there to listen. Whether it is a listening ear when the kids talk about their home lives or some experienced advice regarding their newest crush, tutors can help their tutees in ways far beyond dictating multiplication tables and grammar lessons.

The First Week at the Center

I first entered the West End Community Center, a local Durham after school program, as a mandatory service learning component of Foundations of Education 100. For 2 hours each week, I worked with Dereese, an amazingly street smart self proclaimed "balla" who has endured greater hardships in 11 years than many of us will in a lifetime. In return for my poetry and reading lessons, Dereese taught me how to CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (with a soda on the side), how to woo the ladies, and-most importantly- how to persevere in the face of adversity.
After a semester of dance parties (as part of number line lessons, of course) and basketball shoot outs (as a probability lessons), I could not wait to return to the center this semester, but this time as a volunteer. During my first day back at the center, one of the brilliant 3rd graders approached me and asked if I could bring all my friends, so that he too could have a tutor. This is the reason why I am hoping to share my experiences with you. Durham public school district and after school programs are desperately in need of volunteers to tutor struggling students. Please consider getting involved! You can truly help change someone’s life forever!