My experiences as a math tutor
At my school, which is a K-12 building, we have kids in the higher elementary grades (3-6) who just don’t know their math skills. There is a great need for students who can help teach these children their basic math. I stepped forward to help out.
I’m no math wiz, but I maintain a B to a B+ in my Honors Calculus class, and when my teacher asked if there were any among us that would care to give up a study hall once or twice a week to help kids with their math homework and help with their math facts, I volunteered because I felt a pull to it, as if I was being compelled to help these kids. So, I signed my name on a sheet of paper and waited.
About a week and a half later I was told that the Elementary principal had collected information, and was ready to greet us with a little pizza lunch, which I thought was really cool. We went and talked for a while, and after writing down my study halls, and which ones would be most convenient for me to miss, I was back to my normal lunch.
Fast forward 3 weeks.
I’ve finally been assigned a “Math Buddy.” Actually, I was assigned a math buddy on a Monday, with the request to begin immediately on Tuesdays and Thursdays to go and help my buddy, who for the article, I’ll call Kyle.
Kyle, is almost math illiterate. His higher addition (as in 15+28= higher addition) is suffering, and he’s only learned up to his 5s in multiplication. Kyle is in the 5th grade! By the 3rd grade I knew all my multiplication facts up to 12s because I had a teacher who wouldn’t let us go to recess if we didn’t get all of our multiplication facts done and correct in a certain amount of time. That sort of stimuli isn’t present in our current school system.
There isn’t any personal attention, there isn’t any help other than what I’ve been doing. I’m building from the ground up, at the 5th grade level when he should have been taught this kind of thing in 2nd or 1st grade.
I should say that Kyle is not a stupid child. He might not be a excellent student, and he has a home life that’s less than desirable, but he is not in any way dumb. He thinks reading is boring because no one calls on him to read, and that he doesn’t have any books at home, just an Xbox. He truly appreciates what I’m doing for him, and he likes when I come up to work with him. Not only does he not have his math facts down, he also doesn’t have very many friends. At the 5th grade age, most kids are really cruel, and Kyle has adapted himself so that he is a little tough man. Kyle can’t weigh more than 70 lbs, and be about 4 foot nothing, but he’s a tough little guy. He tells me who he doesn’t like because they try to beat him up.
Every time I talk to him, I feel exacerbated that he hasn’t been taught, that he hasn’t had this information so many times he could do it all in his sleep! Apparently having children come up in front of the class to do some work is a faux pas, because it might “embarrass and/or hurt the child’s feelings if they don’t do it right” Reading out loud might not be a good idea because “the children don’t need that kind of emotional stress.” To be honest, I think it’s a bunch of bullshit.
What the hell is this “No Children Left Behind Act” doing for Kyle anyway? I don’t see it helping to pay for more intensive tutoring and programs for students who are behind in their classes, at least not in my school.
So I’m praying for Kyle... and I’m going to give his tutoring everything I have. I just hope it’s enough.
Peace,
Beebes