Bearcat Buddies!
The Bearcat Buddies program: check out my reflection blog to see how the process is coming along!
http://grantisabearcatbuddy.blogspot.com/
http://grantisabearcatbuddy.blogspot.com/
Documentation
In the spring of 2013, I participated in the Bearcat Buddies program at UC. Bearcat Buddies is a collaborative effort between UC and surrounding public schools. Students from the university travel to these participating public schools and, for about an hour, tutor the younger students there. The school at which I tutored is Ethel M. Taylor Middle School. There I was “buddies” with a third grade girl whom I tutored in reading, and a fifth grade boy whom I tutored in math. We’ll call them Sheila and Mike, respectively. I tutored each student for around 20 minutes, once a week, with one session immediately following the other. As a tutor in this program, it was largely my responsibility to set the tone for the session, decide how tutoring sessions would be structured, and make sure my students had someone they could rely on if they needed support, academically or otherwise. This experience held a lot of meaning for me, not only because of the opportunity to help these students, but also because of the things that my buddies taught me.
Initially, I chose to participate in the Bearcat Buddies program so that I could have a similar experience to my prior tutoring. I found through tutoring two students my senior year of high school that I really enjoy teaching and forming the teacher-student bond that invariably results. Tutoring gives you the unique opportunity to be a positive role model to a young person. Bearcat Buddies seemed the perfect opportunity to repeat this kind of experience. And, in many ways it did resemble my other tutoring experiences. I was given the opportunity to teach the students in a relatively free manner, using my own style of instruction. This was in some ways good, and in others bad.
I oftentimes liked figuring out the best way to convey information. I enjoyed being able to control the atmosphere in which I taught. I liked to be very personable with my buddies, and try to keep the mood light and encouraging. I have found that this attitude can take the pressure off of the student, help them relax, and allow for the student to have positive associations with the notoriously disliked process of learning. It is this positive association that I really wanted to promote through my time with my students, as some readings I explored (Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation by Schunk and Motivation and Education by Deci), held that this association is very important to the future of a student. I found that with Sheila, my job was relatively easy. She had a calm demeanor, was focused, and yet was not afraid to tell me a story here and there, which told me she was comfortable and not terribly overwhelmed by the learning process. Mike was perhaps too relaxed at times, so my job was to bring him back, while not restraining him and making him feel like he was being force-fed information. We always kept the mood casual, and I believe this helped him feel comfortable, though at times I had to tell him to focus, because his comfortable demeanor was taking away from his ability to settle down and actually learn. I have learned that it is always a balance between keeping the mood fun, and keeping it academic. This was a re-discovery for me, as I had forgotten how necessary the maintenance of that balance is when a student is learning. Some things about the student must be discovered first hand, like their attitude and focus levels. Other things, I feel were neglected slightly in the program.
Looking at the negative side of the program: on occasion, I was unsure of the best way to teach something, and ended up teaching above my student’s understanding. This was frustrating, because the last thing I wanted to do was confuse or intimidate my buddy. This could perhaps have been avoided if tutors had been told what the student had already been taught in a clear way. Also, if they had a way of better guiding math instruction, I think many tutors and students could benefit. In the interest of time, tutors were in a way thrown into the situation and left to figure out the best way to help their buddy. And, I think this ended up working pretty well, except in cases where I was less able to explain a concept clearly to my student. An additional drawback of the program was the issue of time. I think my time was so limited with my students, that we did not cover as much material as I would have liked, and I did not really form too personal a bond with either of them; however, this is OK. Ultimately, I think that the goal of forming a positive association with learning in both Mike and Sheila was met. As mentioned earlier, I think it may have been nice if we had some more guidance on how to teach certain concepts, or if we even had a better idea of where are student was academically, but time was very limited, and these things are difficult to communicate. Looking back, I always notice my shortcomings as a tutor: how I needed to be stricter at times, or how I did not teach something well. But really, I need to focus on the positive aspects of what we accomplished through the program. I know that both students learned a lot with my help, regardless of imperfections in the program, and I, too, certainly gained from the experience. It is that which I am about to relate that really set this experience apart from my previous tutoring.
Through the time spent with my buddies, I was granted exposure to a way of life and education with which I was previously unfamiliar. Ethel M. Taylor is a city school, and I have only ever been to very well-funded schools, or private ones. I am not saying that Taylor is not a wonderful school. It was only a different kind of school than I am used to. For me, it was an incredible, while altogether brief, immersion in the public education system. I witnessed true dedication to learning in students. And this was not just in a small percentage of students. It was widely accepted in the student body that tutoring was a necessary reality; it was just as normal as going to class. The whole school was encouraging learning, and going beyond just the necessary as far as education goes. This environment is very beneficial for all students, I believe. It not only allows those who need help to get it, but it also allows them to do so without any feelings of shame or embarrassment. In my old school, it was taboo to hear of someone being tutored. Everyone was quiet about it, out of fear of judgment from other students. That was the culture we had. But at Taylor, tutors and the tutoring process are embraced, and even admired amongst the students and teachers. Some students see a tutor every day of the week. I think that tutoring is so largely accepted because it is so largely necessary. Students on the whole are not always where they need to be academically, and that is difficult to remedy. Tutors are a crucial part of the effort to bring these students back to grade level ability. Teachers simply do not have enough time to make sure each student is doing what they need to do. In that way, the culture is also different from my old school. My old middle school was very small, so if a student needed personalized attention, teachers almost always recognized this, and had the time to help the student. This difference is an unfortunate reality of the public education system, though it is wonderful that tutors like those of the Bearcat Buddies program are being used to help the situation. I believe that while tutors and teachers do a great job, the problem may be a deeper issue with parent attitudes at home. This is more speculation, but from what I gather, these students’ parents do not always have the time to help their student when needed. Or, perhaps, academics are not valued as highly as they could be at home. Again, this is more speculation, but it seems that it may be an underlying cause of academic deficiencies in students. Bearcat Buddies not only allowed me these insights, but it also increased my teaching and communication skills. As a teacher of sorts while tutoring, I was able to work on my ability to teach at the students’ levels, and make sure they understood what I was saying. This is a crucial skill to have while communicating with anyone, and I am grateful for the opportunity to improve in this area. I will also mention that through the program, I got to meet two very awesome young people. While they struggled in certain areas, they each show such determination, charisma, and promise. I am honored to have been able to help them, and I wish them the best in their future academic ventures. Going forward, I will be able to apply many of the things I have learned from tutoring in my future.
I hope that my future holds more opportunities for these kinds of interactions and relationships to occur. I am working at a camp as a counselor this summer, and I believe that this will be the perfect venue for me to employ and further develop the skills Bearcat Buddies has allowed me. My communication skills will always be growing, and I know that this kind of skill will be crucial, not only at camp, but also for the rest of my life. The insight I have gained into the public education system has stirred in me a desire to participate in Bearcat Buddies again. This mirrors how my first tutoring experience led me to become a Bearcat Buddy. I believe that in most experiences, there is a positive lesson to be learned. From my first tutoring experience, I learned that I could truly help a student, and be a positive role model when it came to education. I also learned that I could be a friend as well as a teacher. From Bearcat Buddies, discovered all of these things again, while also learning more about the educational system and how socio-economic status can affect student opportunity and development. My take-away from Bearcat Buddies is that it is invaluable to stay in touch with the youth of today and help them when possible. Through this help, ultimately, the goal is to incite within them a love of learning, and a sense of responsibility for the learning of others. This cyclical phenomenon is explored in Perreault’s Citizen Leader, and it helped shape my goals while in the program. If this goal can be accomplished, perhaps public education will be better able to overcome the obstacles to its greater success. I feel that I succeeded in doing my part, inciting an interest in learning, though I do not believe that I will ever feel completely satisfied with my work as a tutor. There is always room for improvement not only in my tutoring skills, but also the way tutoring programs and public education systems in general are structured.
My artifact is a blog which I updated every week after my tutoring sessions. There, I discuss how the tutoring went, how both students were progressing, my reflections of how I was doing as a teacher, and what I could improve in my methods of tutoring. The blog can be found at http://grantisabearcatbuddy.blogspot.com/.
Works Cited
Schunk, Dale H. Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation. Educational Psychologist Vol. 26, Issue 3-4. 1991. Nov. 19 2012.
Deci, Edward L. et al. Motivation and Education: The Self-Determination Perspective. Educational Psychologist Vol. 26 Issue 3-4. 1991. Nov. 19 2012.
Perreault, Gerri, E. Citizen Leader: A Community Service Option for College Students. NASPA Journal Vol. 34, no. 2. 1997. Nov 11 2012. <http://journals.naspa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=jsarp&sei-redir=1#search=%22Citizen%20Leader%3A%20Community%20Service%20Option%20College%20Students%22
Initially, I chose to participate in the Bearcat Buddies program so that I could have a similar experience to my prior tutoring. I found through tutoring two students my senior year of high school that I really enjoy teaching and forming the teacher-student bond that invariably results. Tutoring gives you the unique opportunity to be a positive role model to a young person. Bearcat Buddies seemed the perfect opportunity to repeat this kind of experience. And, in many ways it did resemble my other tutoring experiences. I was given the opportunity to teach the students in a relatively free manner, using my own style of instruction. This was in some ways good, and in others bad.
I oftentimes liked figuring out the best way to convey information. I enjoyed being able to control the atmosphere in which I taught. I liked to be very personable with my buddies, and try to keep the mood light and encouraging. I have found that this attitude can take the pressure off of the student, help them relax, and allow for the student to have positive associations with the notoriously disliked process of learning. It is this positive association that I really wanted to promote through my time with my students, as some readings I explored (Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation by Schunk and Motivation and Education by Deci), held that this association is very important to the future of a student. I found that with Sheila, my job was relatively easy. She had a calm demeanor, was focused, and yet was not afraid to tell me a story here and there, which told me she was comfortable and not terribly overwhelmed by the learning process. Mike was perhaps too relaxed at times, so my job was to bring him back, while not restraining him and making him feel like he was being force-fed information. We always kept the mood casual, and I believe this helped him feel comfortable, though at times I had to tell him to focus, because his comfortable demeanor was taking away from his ability to settle down and actually learn. I have learned that it is always a balance between keeping the mood fun, and keeping it academic. This was a re-discovery for me, as I had forgotten how necessary the maintenance of that balance is when a student is learning. Some things about the student must be discovered first hand, like their attitude and focus levels. Other things, I feel were neglected slightly in the program.
Looking at the negative side of the program: on occasion, I was unsure of the best way to teach something, and ended up teaching above my student’s understanding. This was frustrating, because the last thing I wanted to do was confuse or intimidate my buddy. This could perhaps have been avoided if tutors had been told what the student had already been taught in a clear way. Also, if they had a way of better guiding math instruction, I think many tutors and students could benefit. In the interest of time, tutors were in a way thrown into the situation and left to figure out the best way to help their buddy. And, I think this ended up working pretty well, except in cases where I was less able to explain a concept clearly to my student. An additional drawback of the program was the issue of time. I think my time was so limited with my students, that we did not cover as much material as I would have liked, and I did not really form too personal a bond with either of them; however, this is OK. Ultimately, I think that the goal of forming a positive association with learning in both Mike and Sheila was met. As mentioned earlier, I think it may have been nice if we had some more guidance on how to teach certain concepts, or if we even had a better idea of where are student was academically, but time was very limited, and these things are difficult to communicate. Looking back, I always notice my shortcomings as a tutor: how I needed to be stricter at times, or how I did not teach something well. But really, I need to focus on the positive aspects of what we accomplished through the program. I know that both students learned a lot with my help, regardless of imperfections in the program, and I, too, certainly gained from the experience. It is that which I am about to relate that really set this experience apart from my previous tutoring.
Through the time spent with my buddies, I was granted exposure to a way of life and education with which I was previously unfamiliar. Ethel M. Taylor is a city school, and I have only ever been to very well-funded schools, or private ones. I am not saying that Taylor is not a wonderful school. It was only a different kind of school than I am used to. For me, it was an incredible, while altogether brief, immersion in the public education system. I witnessed true dedication to learning in students. And this was not just in a small percentage of students. It was widely accepted in the student body that tutoring was a necessary reality; it was just as normal as going to class. The whole school was encouraging learning, and going beyond just the necessary as far as education goes. This environment is very beneficial for all students, I believe. It not only allows those who need help to get it, but it also allows them to do so without any feelings of shame or embarrassment. In my old school, it was taboo to hear of someone being tutored. Everyone was quiet about it, out of fear of judgment from other students. That was the culture we had. But at Taylor, tutors and the tutoring process are embraced, and even admired amongst the students and teachers. Some students see a tutor every day of the week. I think that tutoring is so largely accepted because it is so largely necessary. Students on the whole are not always where they need to be academically, and that is difficult to remedy. Tutors are a crucial part of the effort to bring these students back to grade level ability. Teachers simply do not have enough time to make sure each student is doing what they need to do. In that way, the culture is also different from my old school. My old middle school was very small, so if a student needed personalized attention, teachers almost always recognized this, and had the time to help the student. This difference is an unfortunate reality of the public education system, though it is wonderful that tutors like those of the Bearcat Buddies program are being used to help the situation. I believe that while tutors and teachers do a great job, the problem may be a deeper issue with parent attitudes at home. This is more speculation, but from what I gather, these students’ parents do not always have the time to help their student when needed. Or, perhaps, academics are not valued as highly as they could be at home. Again, this is more speculation, but it seems that it may be an underlying cause of academic deficiencies in students. Bearcat Buddies not only allowed me these insights, but it also increased my teaching and communication skills. As a teacher of sorts while tutoring, I was able to work on my ability to teach at the students’ levels, and make sure they understood what I was saying. This is a crucial skill to have while communicating with anyone, and I am grateful for the opportunity to improve in this area. I will also mention that through the program, I got to meet two very awesome young people. While they struggled in certain areas, they each show such determination, charisma, and promise. I am honored to have been able to help them, and I wish them the best in their future academic ventures. Going forward, I will be able to apply many of the things I have learned from tutoring in my future.
I hope that my future holds more opportunities for these kinds of interactions and relationships to occur. I am working at a camp as a counselor this summer, and I believe that this will be the perfect venue for me to employ and further develop the skills Bearcat Buddies has allowed me. My communication skills will always be growing, and I know that this kind of skill will be crucial, not only at camp, but also for the rest of my life. The insight I have gained into the public education system has stirred in me a desire to participate in Bearcat Buddies again. This mirrors how my first tutoring experience led me to become a Bearcat Buddy. I believe that in most experiences, there is a positive lesson to be learned. From my first tutoring experience, I learned that I could truly help a student, and be a positive role model when it came to education. I also learned that I could be a friend as well as a teacher. From Bearcat Buddies, discovered all of these things again, while also learning more about the educational system and how socio-economic status can affect student opportunity and development. My take-away from Bearcat Buddies is that it is invaluable to stay in touch with the youth of today and help them when possible. Through this help, ultimately, the goal is to incite within them a love of learning, and a sense of responsibility for the learning of others. This cyclical phenomenon is explored in Perreault’s Citizen Leader, and it helped shape my goals while in the program. If this goal can be accomplished, perhaps public education will be better able to overcome the obstacles to its greater success. I feel that I succeeded in doing my part, inciting an interest in learning, though I do not believe that I will ever feel completely satisfied with my work as a tutor. There is always room for improvement not only in my tutoring skills, but also the way tutoring programs and public education systems in general are structured.
My artifact is a blog which I updated every week after my tutoring sessions. There, I discuss how the tutoring went, how both students were progressing, my reflections of how I was doing as a teacher, and what I could improve in my methods of tutoring. The blog can be found at http://grantisabearcatbuddy.blogspot.com/.
Works Cited
Schunk, Dale H. Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation. Educational Psychologist Vol. 26, Issue 3-4. 1991. Nov. 19 2012.
Deci, Edward L. et al. Motivation and Education: The Self-Determination Perspective. Educational Psychologist Vol. 26 Issue 3-4. 1991. Nov. 19 2012.
Perreault, Gerri, E. Citizen Leader: A Community Service Option for College Students. NASPA Journal Vol. 34, no. 2. 1997. Nov 11 2012. <http://journals.naspa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=jsarp&sei-redir=1#search=%22Citizen%20Leader%3A%20Community%20Service%20Option%20College%20Students%22