The reason I started volunteering at School on Wheels can be traced back to my childhood. At an early age, my mom stressed the importance of using education to assimilate and achieve the American Dream. Success for me is remembering where I came from and helping those in need. I’ve had many awesome experiences at the Skid Row Learning Center, but there’s one that reinforced my purpose of being there early on. After one of my first sessions, an elementary student asked me to play Jenga with him. I was afraid and didn’t know what to say while we were playing, so it was a good thing that he was a chatter box. He told me about the last school that he went to and how he missed his friends, the playground, and the monthly student store. As he continued, I kept thinking that his descriptions of the school sounded like the one I had gone to, and his eyes lit up when I said the school name. He asked if I could read minds. We were both excited about the discovery and were able to establish a hometown bond that day. Volunteering at School on Wheels has been one of the greatest privileges I’ve had. I encourage anyone who is thinking of tutoring to lean in and give it a shot— you’ll be surprised what you learn about yourself in the process. The impact you’ll have on a child’s educational and emotional development will radiate through all parts of your life.

I found School on Wheels while looking for tutoring jobs. I have a degree in Child Development and wanted to use it in a way that showed that I understood them and cared. I have a student who is a native Spanish speaker and sometimes I forget how to translate certain words for him; many times I’m scrambling, trying to remember the words, and he thinks it’s the most hilarious thing! I can’t help but laugh with him. If you are thinking of volunteering, I’d say do it. Just remember, this isn’t for some shiny medal or people congratulating you on social media; this is for the kids. They need someone who is there to support them, to make them smile, to be consistent in showing they care. No medal could take the place of a child’s smile.

I found School on Wheels after trying out a few different volunteering experiences using Volunteer Match. School on Wheels’ mission spoke to me in a way that the others didn’t, and they provided me with a more consistent opportunity to volunteer, one that allowed me to focus on my immediate community. Being able to show these kids that there are caring people in the world who can and will help others means a lot to me. My favorite experience so far during tutoring has to be the time my student had no homework and I had no materials; we ended up using a whiteboard to work through multiplication problems together. Initially, he was shy about working out a problem on the whiteboard but we made it into a competition and wound up laughing and challenging each other with new math problems. The next time he didn’t have homework he specifically asked if we could work through math problems because he had so much fun and it made my heart melt a little. Volunteering as a tutor has been incredibly rewarding for me. When I first signed up, I wanted to stick to administrative and behind the scenes type volunteering; I was a little intimidated by the tutoring aspect! But now, I’ve been tutoring for over a year and I love it. I would tell anyone who is thinking about volunteering to stop thinking and just do it!

I learned about School on Wheels while seeking out new volunteer opportunities. The second I had read about their purpose and what they truly care for I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. Something I have come to notice is that my students like to help each other, either with homework or just some random activity we’re doing. They help each other and it brings a genuine smile to not only my face but the other tutors as well. These kids are so bright and their love for creativity is something I always look forward to seeing every week. If someone is considering tutoring with School on Wheels I would encourage them to do it whole-heartedly! The kids may be a little tough to get through to at first, but once you get to know them, they’re some of the best kids you’ll ever meet!

I learned about School On Wheels through my local NPR station, KPCC. I believe I have so much to learn and to give! Recently I was going over multiplication with one of the students and initially he stumbled with some of the problems, but I was astounded and elated at how quickly he came to understand the concepts. He was basically performing expansions! To anyone considering volunteering as a tutor, I would first commend them on wanting to help out, then try to tell them how rewarding my experience has been. The students might not always be responsive, but slowly, with patience, they do warm up to you. You get to help them have those “aha!” moments. You come to see their potential. You slowly learn how best to get them engaged. When you get them going, it is such a beautiful sight! They are children, after all, and just like us they want someone to be there and be proud of them. In this way, you get to be a positive influence in their lives.