On any given day, Victoria can be seen, pencil in hand, working diligently to combine letters into words and words into proper sentences. When reading, she may furl her brow at a certain word, but she'll sound out each letter until she gets it right. Recently, they've been working on "sight words". These are words that a reader will know automatically (ie: the, when, other), and are a necessary bridge to becoming a fluid reader. Each sight word is written out on a note-card and together they work through a stack. For each sight word Victoria gets correct she colors in a big star in her tutorial journal, which Ms. Carlisle has drawn in prior to the start of the session. This opportunity to combine academics with coloring is only the start.
"One fun activity that we have done is the 'Make Your Own Mad-Libs' book. Victoria gets to customize the story by filling in the blanks and illustrating the pages herself. When we finish, she gets to take the books home to read with her family. This has been a great way to practice identifying and writing the letter combinations that we are learning, and the final product is a book that she can be proud of."
Just because the students are small, doesn't mean the hurdles are any smaller. Stephanie Carlisle, a graduate student working toward a masters in Teaching at Boston College, knows this. Twice a week she comes to Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton to work on basic-skills literacy with first grader Victoria Cole. Victoria is an amiable child and a willing student; the kind of student that any teacher would love. But, not unlike many of her peers throughout the public school system, she lacks the necessary tools to be a competent reader and perform at grade level. For the past two month, Ms. Carlisle has been working to get her there.
"The thing that stands out the most about Victoria is her positive attitude. She rarely turns down a challenge; in her writing assignments, she would rather write words that are difficult for her to spell than change her creative ideas to make the work easier. Her hard work is paying off, too - in the weeks that we've been working together, Victoria's reading and writing have come a long way."
Congratulations to Victoria Cole and Stephanie Carlisle
for their hard work and achievements!
March 2010:
Victoria Cole & Stephanie Carlisle
Student & Tutor Pair of the Month
This is what Natashia had to say about working with Deja:
"Deja and I have worked together since September 2009. Over the past six months we've tackled negative integers, mean, median, mode, range, strengthening skills to solve basic mathematics using the four major functions, along with conversions of fractions, decimals and percents. After focusing each session on her weakness and incorporating her interests, it became clear that Deja had a better understanding of the material presented. She has begun to master most of the topics in each session. Deja's greatest achievement throughout the six month period was scoring approximately 20 points higher on her last Show What You Know assessment, which was a tremendous improvement. Essentially, Deja is an amazing student who tries hard and it shows, especially through the improvements she has made on each Show What You Know."
Deja Jacobs is an 8th grade student at Smith Leadership Academy in Fields Corner, Dorchester. Twice a week Deja meets with Ms. Natashia Thomas to work on basic-skills mathematics. We asked them both to write a little bit about their experience together. This is what Deja had to say:
"My tutor Ms. Thomas is great. Out of all the tutors we had she's the most interactive and actually wants to help me. I like when Natashia knows that I don't get something, and I also like how when she comes in to tutorial she always has a smile on her face.
Recently I've been working on percentages, converting fractions and working on negative numbers. We also have been working on review like multiplying decimals and using mean, median, mode. These are helping me in math... I would recommend tutorial for my friends that need it because you get paired with someone who cares about your education and wants to help you. Basically, this is how tutorial has been helpful and improved my math skills."
Natashia, a senior studying Business Management at Simmons College, has always found time to help in her community. A Brockton native, she tutored her peers in math at her high school. Before joining TfA, she worked in a Dorchester community center. "She's got a 'let's get this done' attitude that really motivates her student and her tutors," says Smith Leadership Academy Program Manager Christopher Baginski. "Always on time, always professional, and all-business, I'm thankful to have her working with us."
Congratulations to Deja Jacobs and Natashia Thomas
February 2010:
Deja Jacobs & Natashia Thomas
The lesser-known side of our program is the affect it has on our tutors. Often, they'll leave a session having learned something of their own. Patrick, a senior at Emmanuel College and a veteran tutor in our program, had this to say:
"I like having the opportunity to work one-on-one with a student. Every session is not perfect, but I have learned what works for my student and I can see that I am making a difference. My student has a personality that can light up a room. She is quite extroverted and persistent when speaking, The combination of these attributes makes me smile often. ...The best way for my student to produce great work is when she is comfortable in her setting. It is important and possible for her to be herself while maintaining a professional demeanor. Not only has she improved drastically in her reading comprehension skills, I feel that she has matured greatly as a person. It was a pleasure to be her tutor."
December 2009:
Kadeeja Davis & Patrick Welton
Kadeeja Davis is a tenth grade student at Community Charter School of Cambridge. Twice a week Kadeeja meets with Mr. Welton to work on her reading comprehension and composition writing skills. We asked them both to write a little bit about their experience. This is what Kadeeja had to say:
"In the tutoring program the tutors are very nice, they sit down and work with you on your work and actually help you out. I learned how to start writing down vocabulary words that I did not understand and define them. Also they helped me learn different ways of understanding an article; I can reread the paragraph over again and once again define words. While in the tutoring program I have noticed that my writing skills have improved so much compared to when I started the program. I have been learning a lot about myself and the way I always second guess myself.
"My tutor is so nice, he makes me laugh and smile when I have down days... My tutor is the best tutor ever. He never yells or gets frustrated when I ask a lot of questions. He seems very interested in what I have to say.
Congratulations to Kadeeja Davis & Patrick Welton
for their hard work and persistence!
If I can do the program all over I would not change one thing about it. These moments will forever be with me."
A Tutor Reflects...
better with my student to have a more productive tutoring session. Because of the variety of activities, I find my student also stays focused and engaged, so that before you know it, it is time to go.
This semester my student and I have been working on writing well-developed essays in preparation for the 10th grade MCAS. At the start of the program, my student and I would read aloud and attempt to discuss the passage. However, I found my student to continually be at a loss of words. When I gave her writing prompts, I found her sitting there for long periods of time producing a couple of disjointed sentences. Throughout the semester I worked on inspiring my student to think creatively about interpretation which helped to give her the confidence to speak her mind. I found myself taking ideas from other tutors at training sessions and implementing them in my lesson plans. For example my fellow tutor gave me a great idea he had been using with his student. His idea of making the student come up with three main arguments to a writing prompt in the five minute Do Now at the beginning of the class was a success with my student. After my student took her Writing MCAS, she came into tutoring talking about her essay with satisfaction written on her face. Looking back at the beginning of the program, I am so proud of the gains my student has made. She now not only articulates her thoughts better, but is able to write a well-developed introduction.
Three days a week Tutors for All teaches and inspires students at City on a Hill High School. However, the secondary students are not the only ones being taught and inspired. The college student tutors are gaining just as much in the three tutoring days. I have worked at different tutoring jobs around the Boston area, and Tutors for All has been the most successful and productive program with which I have worked. Tutors for All provides on-target training, efficient lesson plans, and an open and friendly environment while maintaining a high standard of professionalism. Tutoring my student is consistently a high point in my day due to the productive structure and continual progress of my student.
Before the program started, Mark Destler provided extensive and on-target training for the tutors that allowed us to be prepared and ready for any challenge. In addition to orientation training, the weekly training sessions keep us organized and refocus us on our goals with our students.
Training sessions are filled with professional training from Mr. Destler along with group activities where we work together to discuss problem areas with students and bounce ideas off each other to find a solution. This has successfully built a camaraderie between tutors. In my free time at work, I find myself updating fellow tutors on my students progress and hearing new ideas and news from other tutors.
On my way to work, I take the bus with worries on my mind of college and projects, but the bus ride home is a different story; I am filled with a sense of pleasure and success. I am going home knowing I had a productive day with my student, looking forward to continuing the progress she has been making, and realizing that Tutors for Alls structure and support has made all the difference.
Heather Felix
Lead Tutor Fall 2005
One of Tutors for All's strengths is the structure of the program. The lesson plan provides the tutors with an efficient plan for the limited time they have with the students. I was unaccustomed to the schedule set up for the program, but once I adjusted to it, I found that I had the most productive tutoring sessions with my student. Time was never wasted but neither was it rushed. The lesson plan is a useful material for the tutors because is prepares the tutor for the day ahead and keeps the tutor focused on the lesson. I now realize that in other tutoring programs I would tend to go off on tangents for fifteen minutes and never finish my lesson plan. This past term I have learned how to manage my time
