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High school students to expand new tutoring program
It just recently started, but Poland Seminary High School’s student council is ready to expand the free tutoring program it offers to elementary and middle-school students.
Student-council members launched the program in October and say that, so far, it’s a big success.
“It’s a need. There seem to be more and more students requesting it here at the middle school, and I think it’s something that student council can provide,” said Diana Ghizzoni, student- council adviser.
Several student-council members volunteer an hour of their time every Wednesday afternoon to tutor younger students at the McKinley Elementary School library.
For now, the program is limited by the small number of tutors who are available, but Ghizzoni and council members are in the process of recruiting more to accommodate the demand.
The idea came from the high-school students. “All of these kids came through the middle school, and they could see the need,” Ghizzoni said.
“Because we’ve been through these teachers already ... it’s easier for us to help,” said senior Misha Mathur, student-council president.
The sessions are not just about helping kids get through that night’s homework assignment, Ghizzoni said. One of the goals is to reinforce good study habits and skills such as critical thinking, she said.
“We try to teach them some good study skills, and also help them with homework and try to guide them through solutions, and maybe come up with new solutions,” she said.
Another program goal, Ghizzoni said, is to make the transition from middle school to high school a bit easier.
“They’re making nice connections with the high-school kids, which we think is great,” she said.
The extra help also is directed at helping students prepare for the new state tests they will take this spring. The transition to new standards, especially for mathematics, is one of the biggest issues she sees among those being tutored, Mathur says.
Seventh-grade student Sierra Sebastian says she comes to the sessions for help with her advanced-algebra homework, and has “definitely” seen the results.
“They help me remember what to do, ways to remember,” she said. “My grades have improved.”
As for the high-school students, Mathur says the program is as fun for them as it is helpful to the younger kids.
“It’s refreshing to see so many people who want to make a change in the community,” she said.