Volunteers of the Month – July 2024
Goretti Salcido Castaneda
I had to pick an organization to complete my hours for school at CSUDH. However, I wanted to look for something different and School On Wheels caught my attention.
Ask your mentor/coordinator a lot of questions even if they seem silly. Always communicate with families and talk to them after each session and let them know what you are working on and what they can do to help.
My student taught me that doing a check-in before, in the middle, and toward the end helps him understand the material. He always reminds me that there are different ways people learn and because we have been building consistency, he expresses to me when he is feeling frustrated. We have been learning about different coping skills together on things he can do when he feels frustrated or sad.
He taught me the majority of the characters from Roblox and that is how I got him to read too. There is a character called Piggy.
Yuling Wong
At the time, I had just moved to LA and was looking for ways to connect with the local community and contribute meaningfully to it. I had also been tutoring since college so when I heard about the opportunity to be a volunteer tutor with School on Wheels, I felt it was the perfect way for me to apply my skills and give back to my community.
Go for it! Not only will you be able to make a positive impact on your community, but you’ll also be able to learn from them, grow with them, and be inspired by them in the process.
This past Mother’s Day, Sophia and I made a card to surprise her mother during our tutoring session. When I suggested the idea to Sophia, I wasn’t sure if she’d be open to it and I didn’t know if we’d be able to complete the card within the hour. However, Sophia immediately took ownership of this project and already had a creative vision in mind. Under Sophia’s direction, I helped cut up tape and colored paper while she drew some artwork and wrote in the card. By working collaboratively, we were able to execute Sophia’s vision and her mother absolutely loved the card. It was definitely some of the most fun Sophia and I have had together, and I’ll always remember how much care she put into making something special for her mother.
Yuri Mansukhani
I wanted to begin volunteering at School On Wheels because of the experience I would gain. I love working with kids and would like to continue to work with them in the future. I would like the give the opportunity for these children to be heard.
I think patience and also there is no shame in asking the kid that you are tutoring questions the parents or anyone else who works with School On Wheels, like your coordinator, there is no shame in asking questions especially if you have never really tutored before. I think rather than typically paid tutoring where the child is more privileged and is able to have different kinds of resources, us being the person that is supporting the child is your priority when you are doing the sessions.
I think reflecting back on what I felt or what my thought process was when I used to have to get tutoring and understanding from a child’s perspective tutoring is not the most fun thing in the world but I also recognize where I am at right now with school, it’s gotten me really far. Not necessarily even if the materials that I was being tutored on didn’t stick with me what my tutors told me and and taught me and showed me about work ethic.
I have tutored three students now but I think with Tyon specifically it emphasized that every child is so specific and functions so differently and you always have to be adapting and willing to listen to them and actually hear them out when they are saying something is difficult. And question if the difficulty is because of the material or rather the teaching style and going off of that. He taught me that I need to be more preceptive and analyze more than I thought I would and not at face value.