Samual

Samuel's Peer Tutoring 12 Page
Biography: I am currently a Grade 12 student. I decided to take this course originally simply because I thought it would be a class that wouldn't require much hard work. However, I recently discovered how much fun and beneficial tutoring can be. As a tutor, my responsibility is to make my students' high school studies less painful and get them interested in the subjects they are currently studying(science and math). On the other hand, being a tutor can enhance my interpersonal communication and time management skills. I choose math and science because I am confident in those fields. I am currently taking calculus and chemistry and have already taken math 12. I believe I can be of help to the students I tutor.



Week 1: In the first week, I got to know a few students in the learning centre. The students all seemed nice and were very excited. During this week, I only had the chance to tutor in science 9, science 10, and essiential math 11(not the courses that I'm most confident in since I have taken those 3 years ago). I have worked with three students so far. However, I spend most of my time with one student. It is not because that the student needs extra help, it is because the other two students say to me everyday that they have nothing to work on. I hope they are not saying that simply because they are afraid of me making them do intense science and math work. For the student that I work with the most, I have so far helped him to study through the first test and two quizzes. I go through the homework with him and test him on his notes, homework, and textbook. The student have been very brilliant and have pretty much answered most of the questions I came up correctly. I suggested to the student that we should aim for a mark around 90 percent; however, I can see from the student's face that he doesn't want a mark that high. Have I been asking for too much?

Week 2: Like last week, I spend most of my time on tutoring a grade 9 student in the learning centre. The student has shown strong control over the materials he's learning now. However, I was asked to tutor a student in grade 10 that needed help on science. Even though that topic that the student needed help on wasn't hard, the student and I had a really hard time getting things done. On that day, the teacher gave me several worksheets for the student to work on. At first, I planned to get the student working on the sheet and provide comments and feedbacks as the student's doing it. However, she refuses to do it, saying that she already knows how to do the questions. Because of the student's poor performance on her previous quiz, I had to get her do it. The student was not willing to do the questions unless I make her do one out of twenty questions only. However, I got her to do at least 5 questions on each question type by making up excuses like "I gave you hint on this question, it doesn't count," or "try another one, you did not get it right." Later on, she got fustrated and decided not to do any more work. If I had used a harsher, tougher attitude toward getting her to get the work done, maybe she would've listened to me. A tutor has to take control over the student at getting her work done. Otherwise, the student would've got nothing completed.

Week 3: This week was just like all other weeks. I have been spending most of my time on one student (the only student who is willing to get help in the field of math or science.) The student has been really nice to me and we have been really close. Besides him, there are students who only come to me when there are questions. There are also students who have work but decided not to do them no matter what I say. With the student that I usually tutor, we have got lots of work done and he has achieved a mark of low A. He is alot more confident than the week before. This week, we have became really close and we talk about lots of stuff. However, though I have alot of interaction with the student, it seems like it prevents him from focusing and getting work done. The student has been making jokes every few seconds and talked about what type of games we should play after school. Though I'm happy to see that I'm so connected to the student, but I also feel uncomfortable to see that it has been an obstacle that keeps him from studying. I need to find out a way of keeping the student to focus on his work.

Week 4: This week was short, and I have been doing the same things as usual. This week, one of my student got his science 9 course mark before the break. He was so happy that he got a decent B and so was I. Recently, I got to know how the teacher feels in a class. It's a completely different feeling. When the student is concentrated with what I'm speaking, I will feel comfortable to go deeper and deeper with the material we're working on. When the student gets the questions you ask, you can feel the sense of accomplishment along wtih the student's progress. When the student gets distracted, you feel annoyed and will harden your attitude of working with him. When your student purposely decided not to do the homework the teacher assigned (or the questions I ask the student to go over,) you feel angry as if you have been treated unrespectedly. In other classes, my feeling is dependent on my own attitude toward learning. However, tutor someone is the other way around. Your feeling is dependent on the student's progress. Sometimes you get feelings that are polar-opposite in the same period. Being a teacher is not a easy task.

Week 5: This was a short week. However, the week was pretty special for me. Instead of the usual student that I work with, I got to work alot with some of the other students in the learning center. I helped a student with his math project and another student with her science test. This week, an experience that makes me feel special is that a student that is getting over 95% in science 10 asked me to explain a whole chapter and come up with questions to help her study. It makes me feel like I have the ability to help a person that is already that smart to do better. Right now in Peer Tutoring, I've got the chance to meet different students: students who fade out when Im talking, students who listen carefully and concentrate when I'm talking, or students who take my words for granted and completely ignore what I say. Peer Tutoring can definitely give me the opportunity to practice get people interested to what I say. My interpersonal communication skill will surely develop.

Week6,7: (Entry 6) This was a rather, unusual week. The grade 9 student I usually work with was not at school because he was sick the whole week until Friday. He is now feeling better and is recovering. The grade 10 student who is working on science has gotten the highest mark in her class. It gives me a sense of accomplishment since I was able to help her with her questions before the test. The most unusual thing that happened in this week was that a grade 11 student who is working on math that has no concern over his mark and is currently failing the course turned to me for help. He has started to show passion oh his school work and he is actually doing great. I believe he will have no problem getting a B or even an A on his upcoming test if he prepares.

Week 8 (Entry 7) This week was really... dry. None of my students have works that need my assist or any questions for me. However, I started to see the not concentrating thing going on with my student again. This week, I'm starting to show irritation and uncomfort with how my student spend their class time. As a peeer tutor, I dont have the direct jurisdiction over asking them to do their work. On the otherhand, the grade 11 student I have been working with has began to not bring his work to me and ask me questions. When my student say they have nothing to work on, there is nothing really that I can do. I hope they show more care toward their academics.