Students of the Month – August 2023

Malkai and Makah – Age 6

What makes these students unique is their character. Both Malkai and Makah are both tenacious hardworking individuals; in the few short weeks we have been working together, they both have made tremendous progress towards not only reinforcing the knowledge they know, but also learning new material.

Both Malkai and Makah had difficulties with their reading, when sounding out more complicated words. How we worked on it was finding extra materials that broke down the words into smaller, easier to read parts that allowed them to work on them correctly. Malkai would like to become a police officer when grown up, and Makah would like to be a nanny taking care of children.

I have learned a lot from working with these students! They often ask creative and insightful questions, helping me understand various perspectives and ways to improve myself. They have allowed me to refine my communication skills and provide more effective explanations when discussing a problem.

– William Yaworski, Tutor

Melody Valadez – Age 13

Melody has so many qualities that make her special. She is incredibly sweet, has a big heart, and is passionate about art. Her art skills are so impressive, and she has a ton of drive to improve and practice her drawing skills. She is also a fabulous older sister and is so good at being patient, attentive and giving.

When I started tutoring Melody, she was learning how to visualize and simplify fractions and ratios. Melody loves math, but fractions can be very tricky to get comfortable with! To practice, we would draw out the answer to our simplified fraction or ratio to see what the answer represented. We had fun drawing on the whiteboard or adding in emojis and now, after practicing, Melody has so much more confidence when working with fractions and ratios.

There are a few things that Melody really hopes to do in the future. She loves art, and thinks it would be very special to share her love of art with others, maybe as an art teacher. She is also very compassionate and helpful, so she’s considering becoming a doctor, to make a positive difference in a lot of people’s lives.

Melody is kind, warmhearted, and resilient. Even when I know she’s really busy and has a lot on her plate, she always shows up to tutoring with a positive, bright attitude. She reminds me that even when things are stressful, it’s important to stay kind and to remember to do things you love, like doodling and other art. I’ve really enjoyed the time that I’ve gotten to be Melody’s tutor!

– Nora Flynn, Tutor

Ruben Milian Lopez – Age 7

Ruben just completed first grade, but disruptions in his life have made his first year of learning very difficult. Although he has the same innate learning ability as any healthy 7 year old, he has not been able to build a knowledge base upon which he could construct a successful academic career.

Some initial conversations have led me to conclude that Ruben is not confident that he can learn. And I thought that the best way to deal with this is to prove him wrong.

Ruben is a very smart young man and every session he learns something new. My goal is to let him know that he can in fact learn.

– Chris Clautice, Tutor