Michelle


 * BIOGRAPHY**

Michelle Kwee is Canadian born raised in an Indonesian family. She is and has been involved in many extra-curricular activities such as choir, vocal jazz, musical theatre, student council, leadership, and grad council. She aspires to graduate Simon Fraser University with a business degree and to continue the hard work into her career. She enjoys to sing, dance, act, and eat. Whenever she gets the chance to be able to do any of those things, that is where you will see her the happiest. She is currently employed at the Kumon Learning Centre where she tutors elementary and middle school students.




 * JOURNAL ENTRY #1**

Although I have been in Peer Tutoring for a short period of time I have already learned quite a bit. In my biography I have said that I work at Kumon, and although I have learned quite a few things there, peer tutoring at the learning centre is definitely not the same. Kumon consists of a majority of elementary to middle school students whereas the learning centre is all high school students. High school students have different behaviours which has taught me to adjust the way I am used to tutoring. I am still adapting but this past week has already been a great learning experience.


 * JOURNAL ENTRY #2**
 * what can you do to become a better tutor/mentor in your classroom. Where can you improve?**

I think that if I took more of an initiative instead of falling into a routine too easily will definitely help me improve to become a better tutor. Right now I have started to fall into a routine that isn't allowing me to grow and improve. I need to take more of a leadership role which is what I think the teacher's at the learning centre are wanting as well. It is quite a challenge for me at the moment especially because I don't know what the teacher's want me to do or how they do things specifically. I just need to take more of an effort to ask the teacher's what they want to see in me throughout this semester. Another way for me to improve is to find more engaging and interesting ways to help students. I find that teachers take the more safe and boring route and that is what I am trying to avoid. These type of goals will definitely take time but I am willing to work at it.


 * JOURNAL ENTRY #3**
 * Describe connections you are making with students. Do you feel comfortable in the classroom? Are there students who you haven't been able to help or reach? Describe an experience you've had so far where you helped a student and saw an improvement (if you've seen any improvement at all in your students). **

I've been having a lot of one on one time with a certain student and I have been able to really help him stay on task and complete his work which is what I have been informed that he has been having troubles with that. I grown to be comfortable and have been able to work more effectively as I become more comfortable in the learning centre environment. I would like to try and help more students but even though I have been focusing on one or two students, I still have many learning experiences with them. I am really glad that I have seen improvement with the student I am helping and I will still try to seek new and different way where I he can improve.


 * JOURNAL ENTRY #4**
 * What makes peer tutoring meaningful to you? You are not just a student in this class, you are more like a teacher. How does this change the experience you have in this class compared to your other classes? **

Although peer tutoring isn't like a class where you learn from a specific curriculum, I learn in many different ways. I have been able to learn in ways of improving my teaching skills, also to supervise the students, and other ways as well. What makes peer tutoring meaningful to me is when I see my students improve day by day. Their focus in their work increases as our relationships grow. I am looking forward to more improvement on both sides (improvement with the student and with me as well) and more learning experiences to come whether they are big or small. It was very important for me to realize that they're not only learning but that I am too.

**Describe an experience in Peer Tutoring this week where you felt confident. Why did you feel this way? How can you take this experience and use it to grow confidence in other areas of your life. We all have different strengths - think about yours and how you use it in Peer Tutoring.**
 * JOURNAL ENTRY #5**

I feel confident whenever I am able to connect with my students. It gives me a sense of achievement because not only am I able to help them with their school work, but I am also able to connect with them through other things such as extra curriculars or other interests. I find it useful to be able to connect because it makes it easier when trying to find out their best learning styles and how they interact. I can take this experience into my own life when I soon go into the real world in my work place as the job I aspire to acquire with take a lot of networking and working with a lot of different types of people. I find that my strength is networking so it was a good experience getting to know different types of people in this course.


 * JOURNAL ENTRY #6 **
 * How is your peer tutoring placement going? Write a general summary of the last two weeks, what you participated in, and what the students are working on/learning. **

I am learning quite a bit of things in my experience at the learning centre. I have grown quite a close bond to the two students I have been peer tutoring. Today one of my students showed me one of his worksheets that we worked on together as he held up an 11 out of 12 marked sheet. He showed me proudly with a huge smile attached to his face, and that really made me happy. It shows that I do really make some sort of an impact to their working skills so it feels like my time is definitely worth my and their while. Right now the students are working really well and are responding to my requests when it is time to stay quiet and do work. It has been an awesome experience so far and I am always looking forward to new challenges.

**Did you have any particularly meaningful conversations in these last two weeks? This could be a conversation with a teacher or student. If you can't think of anything - write about a joyful experience in your Peer Tutoring class. What has happened that made you feel happy, or proud to be a Peer Tutor.**
 * JOURNAL ENTRY #7**

One of the students that I help peer tutor and also work with was stressing out about the amount of homework and tests. I helped remind him that it will all turn out good in the end and that all the stress will soon be worth it. After we talked about it for a while, he felt better and more confident about his ability to conquer highschool. Hopefully the talk I had with him will constantly remind him that hard work and dedication will pay off. I really stressed the idea that the teachers arent assigning you homework to torture you but they are there to teach you discipline. The choice is his whether he will do his homework or not, but the choices and habits he makes now will definitely reflect his choices and habits he will make in the future.
 * JOURNAL ENTRY #8 **
 * How do your personal values, goals, and and ideals reflect in peer tutoring? Do you find that you rely on your own personal experiences, beliefs and goals when helping students in the classroom? How so? Give a few examples.**

My personal values, goals, and ideals reflect in my peer tutoring because I always strive to meet new people because when I meet new people I always learn something from them; whether it is patience, trust, etc... I definitely rely on my personal experiences and beliefs in not only during peer tutoring but also in other things as well. Whenever I tell a student to quiet down or to work hard it is because that is how I was raised at home and also in all my classes. I try my best to reflect the personalities of my mentors and the people I look up to whenever I am in the classroom so they can somewhat know the good experiences I have in the classes I've been in.


 * JOURNAL #9**
 * Two "stars" and one "wish". Describe two activities, actions, or teaching experiences that you did well over the last two weeks in your Tutoring class. In addition, give yourself one 'wish' on something you would improve in your tutoring, attitude or classroom work.**

When one of my students was working on a big english project, he asked me to help him because he drawing wasn't one of his strengths. I encouraged him that not everyone is good at drawing either and that if the teacher is able to see that you put a lot of effort into it, that your grade will definitely reflect upon that. As his confidence was gained, I was glad to see that his final product wasn't bad at all and that his project looked really good! Another experience is when there are days when they don't have any homework and they are either reading a book or reading ahead in class. Those days are the days where I really get to know the students on a personal level. They tell me what their hobbies are, and what their other interests are and we are able to share jokes and laughs together which I have really enjoyed. One wish is that I hope to really teach them rather then guide. I want to be able to help them actually learn something but sometimes it is hard when their homework doesn't allow me to do that. I am still waiting for the perfect opportunity.


 * JOURNAL #10**
 * The semester has gone by quickly, and many of you are graduating! Write 300 words to sum up your semester in Peer Tutoring. What were your favorite moments? What did you learn about what it means to be a Peer Tutor? What moments were challenging? What do you feel you accomplished this semester? Write about a favorite lesson or a time when you felt really proud of what you've done in the classroom.....500 words.....this is your last entry!!!!!**

One of my favorite moments was really getting to know the people I was tutoring in the class. I did not only get to know them on an acquaintance level but also on a personal level. I got to know their interests, their favorite songs, and about their friends and family as well. I have learnt that one of my students loves watching hockey and playing basketball and baseball. There isn't one class where he isn't telling me about a recent game he watched on TV or the last game he played on a local Coquitlam field. It is nice getting to know them aside from just their studies because that is how I can dig deep when trying to tutor them. I learnt that when you know them on a friend basis but yet still keep that respect level in tact that that is the most efficient way in trying to get them to work and to listen to you. I feel like I accomplished greatly in the "understanding the student" aspect of things. Not everyone is the same and not everyones studying and working habits are the same. I have learnt to adapt to what is their comfort and work about them instead of them working around me, that would not take us anywhere if that were my strategy. The moments that were challenging were when they didn't have homework because there were a lot of days like that. If they have nothing to be tutored on then it is kind of hard to grow. My favorite lesson where I truly felt proud are the times where they tell me the marks they got on the homework or projects I help them on. It really makes me feel accomplished knowing that he/she is proud of their mark. Overall it has been a great experience especially since I was at the learning centre because I got to work with people who had troubles in this area and this was a completely different comfort zone for me which I was definitely ready to overcome, which in the end, I truly think I did.