Having recently transitioned to a shelter in Victorville (85 miles northeast of Los Angeles) and struggling to adjust to her new school and life out in the High Desert, Abigail reached out to us requesting assistance. She was originally resistant to tutoring each week, but ever since connecting with her online tutors, Ashley and Rupini, Abigail has shown considerable improvement in her demeanor and outlook. Abigail is spending the summer preparing for her final year in high school and is very close to being on track to graduate. She is also participating in our Summer Program. Keep up the great work, Abigail!

Pearanna is a 6th grader. She comes to the tutoring session every week with her brother. She is such an amazing kid. She always finishes her homework with little help, and after that she continues to read a book. She is a good reader and artist. She is a quiet girl, but her smile is loud and bright. As the oldest kid in the group, she shows mature behavior, which I am so proud of.

I love getting to work with Jessica weekly, see her reading improve, and see how excited she gets when she answers something right. It’s not easy for a 6-year old to go to school all day and come home just to do more schoolwork, yet I try to find a way to make it exciting for Jesse. Whether it’s getting stickers at the end of each session or playing some games in between schoolwork, my goal is for her to always walk away happy. I am really grateful for what School on Wheels does for these kids, and I feel lucky to be a part of their community.

Ethan has always shown an interest in learning. When I first started to tutor Ethan, he was shy and would wait until I gave him the answer. I’m pretty sure he did this because he was afraid to be wrong, but over time he has grown in knowledge. The first month of tutoring Ethan he did not know his numbers to 100 (or at least knew some and would skip around). I can now say he has learned his numbers with the help of the number song we found on Youtube in addition to other practice exercises. He no longer waits for the answer to be given to him but says it with confidence. When going to tutor Ethan every Thursday, he always has a positive attitude and is willing to try new study skills to improve. I truly feel honored to tutor Ethan and feel that he deserves the student of the month award!

When I first met Caleb, he seemed reluctant to participate in our sessions. After a lot of hard work and determination, he has become much more comfortable with trying new or challenging activities. With reading being a major area in need of improvement, we worked a lot on developing his reading skills. I have seen him grow from reading with hesitation to reading with enthusiasm. He now enjoys reading about new topics every week. I am very proud of his growth, and I am excited to see him continue to prosper.

Tanner is an artistic, curious, and bright student. He sees math problems in his own unique way, and it is amazing to see the gears turning in his head and the smile that lights up his face after working hard to reach a solution. Tanner is growing more confident in reading (especially when it’s about exotic animals!) and his eagerness for math has helped him progress from basic multiplication to exponents. Congrats Tanner on Student of the Month! –Sammy Pedersen, Tutor My name is Dawn, and I have been tutoring a 2nd grade student about 6 months. We have been focusing on his literacy and math skills. He has learned how to tell time and how to use decimals! He also is excited about building his literacy skills through learning games on the internet at the library. He also has his own library card now too! Way to go, student!! – Dawn Hildebrand, Tutor

“Zy” is always ready to tackle a new challenge. His persistence and positive attitude are always really inspirational. I have seen his hard work and mindset reflected in his improved reading skills. He also loves to draw and be creative!

In the half year we have worked together, the thing that shines out about my 2nd grade tutee Collin is a blooming self-confidence. At first glance, one might think Collin is shy. In fact, though, he has a strong sense of who he is and an inspiring integrity, which have become more apparent as he gets more comfortable and trusting of me and our lessons. Collin teaches me what he needs to let this internal blossoming occur: uninterrupted silence as he works on a task, verbal support when he gets stuck and acknowledgement when he succeeds. Perhaps like other teachers, I come away from the lessons wondering who is teaching who.