Students of the Month – July 2015
Region 1 – East LA to Pasadena
– Lariell, 11th Grade. Lariell is everything I could ask for in a star student. He is eager to learn, brave when he has questions, and tenacious in finding answers. Since I met him only a few months ago, he has raised his grades enough to play sports. He dreams one day of owning his own business which I know he can do, given his great drive and attitude. I can’t say enough good things about him. Keep up the great work, Lariell!
Liz Reznak, Tutor
Region 2 – South Los Angeles
– Beautiful, 1st grade. Beautiful is a six-year-old student with a huge desire to learn. She has a very shy demeanor yet is quick to participate in every learning activity presented to her. Beautiful enjoys reading short stories, especially ones with Disney princesses. She is always eager to assist her siblings with school related work when she notices them struggling. Beautiful deserves to be Student of the Month because she displays an aspiration to learn and works earnestly as part of that desire. Beautiful is such a pleasure to have in group. With her gentle enthusiasm, I know she will be a great pleasure to her community.
Raquel Munoz, Tutor Coordinator
Region 3 – Westside
– Joseph, 1st Grade. There is no single word I could use to describe Joseph that would adequately portray his character. He is thoughtful, always ready to share with his younger brother and other students. He is committed, always completing his homework before our sessions. He is brilliant; one time he corrected me on an exercise and I loved it! But beyond this, Joseph is an incredibly talented student bursting with joy, and I am so lucky to be his tutor. Among students, Joseph is respectful and soft-spoken; he is a natural leader. Joseph loves to draw so we try to incorporate it into every learning activity. In preparation for this summer, we are completing an “ABC Book” in which Joseph chooses a noun for each letter of the alphabet and then draws that object. Joseph is a passionate learner. I can’t wait to continue working with him as he enters the first grade.
Mahsaw Motlagh, Tutor
Region 8 – Ventura County
– Rhianna, 3rd Grade. I am a new volunteer with School on Wheels, and was lucky enough to be paired with my student Rhianna. She is a delightful eight year old girl who just finished second grade. Bright and cheerful, Rhianna is a good student, but math is not her strong suit. We are going to work to change that this summer!
Using School on Wheels’ pre-assessment tool and numerous website resources, Rhianna and I are going to work to improve her math skills. Our specific goal is for her to master her multiplication tables. We’re starting with skip counting by fives, using computer games and flashcards. I’ll strive to keep it entertaining.
Jennifer Moore, Tutor
Region 10 – South Orange County
– Chase, Kindergarten. I tutored a kindergartener for a few months and faced more challenges than I had anticipated. As we spent more time together, I realized how to help my student. What he needed was a fun-based approach with games, incentives, and the occasional big challenge of cracking a beginner reader book. It took me many attempts and readjustments to match his learning style with my teaching style, but the end result was his reading confidence and my pride at his progress.
The tutors for the four brothers, all members of the School on Wheels at UCI Club, managed to make reading gains with their students by playing games and working with manipulatives, which I made at home. I grew to be quite fond of Chase. During the last few sessions with him, he was visibly proud to be able to read basic sentences and eager to tackle new challenges. He grew to be motivated not by the tangible incentives I gave him of snacks, high fives, and praise, but by the sense of accomplishment he felt after reading a word correctly without any help. His toothy and excited grin, in turn, encouraged me to keep working to find other learning strategies suitable to his age and personality. Unfortunately, my tutoring sessions with Chase and his family have since ended, but I now recognize my struggles in working with him as learning opportunities for the future.
Kylie Toy, Tutor
Region 12 – North Orange County
– Mark, Grade 8. It has been an amazing opportunity to tutor Mark because I truly enjoy watching him learn and grow. Mark and I have focused our time on studying mathematics and reading. At first, I was doubtful how spending one hour a week could help with his academics, but Mark has proven me wrong. After a few months of tutoring, Mark’s report card showed incredible progress. In addition, he won two recognition awards during a year-end awards ceremony at his elementary school. Working with Mark has been my pleasure. I am thankful and proud of having him as a student.
Mark is interested in playing drums; one day, after a tutoring session, he thoughtfully decided to teach me some basic drum beats as a way to give back to me. Recently, Mark has also been sharing his talent as an artist to help me improve my drawing skills.
InJae Yoo, Tutor
Online Tutoring
Jonathan, 3rd Grade. Jonathan has made huge gains since online tutoring 1-on-1 with his tutor, Farrah Haddad. From the beginning, Jonathan’s mother told me that she was worried about Jonathan because they’d been moving from shelter to shelter, which meant that he missed a lot of school. Since Jonathan joined us at the shelter, I noticed that he often felt like he wasn’t good at anything. He looked defeated and wasn’t motivated to participate in activities with the other kids. After a couple of online tutoring sessions with Farrah, sometimes twice and even three times a week, Jonathan was able to excel in school. He also smiles a lot more now, is more energetic, and is just more confident all around. Recently, Jonathan has been coming to my office everyday telling me how smart he is and how much he’s been improving in math. He’s always reciting his times tables in and around the shelter!
I just want to say how thankful I am for School on Wheels and Farrah for helping Jonathan. It’s so great to see Jonathan grow and thrive. Thanks so much. You guys truly make a difference!
Michelle Baek, Jonathan’s Shelter Staff