Mar 27

Students of the Month – March 2023

Michael – Age 14

Ever since my first day tutoring Michael, I’ve known that he was a special kid! He always comes to our tutoring with such positive energy! He always comes to section with a big smile on his face, tells great jokes, and is a very good listener!

One of the subjects that Michael has found challenging is math. We have been working on it for quite some time now and he has made great progress. He struggles with basic math foundational skills. Every section, we spend 20 minutes watching a Khan Academy video covering that topic, and do some practice problems afterwards. I have him vocalize his thoughts as he is solving the problem; that way I can catch his mistakes as he is learning how to do the math problem.

Michael wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing so that he can support his family. As of now, he doesn’t know the specifics of what to do with a marketing degree, but it is my goal to work with him to find his ideal career choice in marketing. I hope to help him find his passion so he can do what he loves.

I learn things from Michael all the time. His favorite animal is the dog, and he has taught me a lot about them. From him, I learned that dogs can smell 40x better than we can!

– Alex Vu, Tutor

Lukas – Age 11

Lukas is a beautiful human, always respectful, helpful and showing care and kindness to his little brother, his mother, and me. He is creative, with seemingly limitless curiosity and enthusiasm. He loves building things — first and foremost with incredible lego structures, and more recently with pottery — to see what he can create. He is curious about all sorts of music and is giving the flute and trombone a go. He is always looking up information about his interests. Lately it has been with gemstones. In the past it has been with subjects like super fast trains and Axolotls. He tells funny jokes and sometimes riddles. I have introduced the game of chess and we have begun exploring that.

We work on math and reading skills interlaced with learning about subjects that come up from reading and conversing. We have worked on storytelling (speaking out loud), encouraging his creativity and increasing his confidence. We both agree that tutoring online has its advantages as well as its challenges. Focussing can be difficult at times, but Lukas always does his best. For now, when Lukas looks into his future he sees many possibilities because he is so very open and curious. He sees himself selling gems, being a paleontologist, or perhaps a potter.

Tutoring has challenged me to find different ways of keeping engagement through the screen as well as making sure I understand the academics. Lukas and I learn together, and it is incredibly rewarding work.

– Mana, Tutor

Multiple – Various Ages

I work with multiple students at a shelter and wanted to acknowledge them as a group. It’s so inspiring to see that these kids can experience joy, even while their lives are so very unstable.

Inconsistent attendance at school is a common problem. I try to help students according to their ability, not their official grade level. I wish I had more time to develop relationships with my students, so I could learn about their hopes and dreams. When they move on from the shelter, I wonder where they are and how they’re doing.

I have stability and many blessings that I should not not take for granted. Being able to help those less fortunate than myself is very rewarding. If you’re interested, check it out!

– Karen Steen, Tutor