Azra

//Peer Tutoring 12//
Biography: Hey I'm Azra and I'm finally graduating at the end of this year! There are a couple of things that are really important to me. Firstly, my family and I are really close including cousins, aunts and uncles. It's really nice having them in my life to share memories with. I know that if I ever need them I can count on them for anything. I also sing a lot; and am apart of the vocal jazz group here at gleneagle. I also love going out with friends and meeting new people. I'm really big on independence and figuring things out for myself, which I hope pays off next year if I decide to move. I also love spending time with kids, they always just make your day and have the funniest things to say. Hopefully, all these things will pull into one career so I have a clue what to do with my life.

Entry 1: I have been in the learning centre helping a variety of people. I mostly help with English assignments and papers. Mostly, I feel as a peer tutor you have to try and understand and connect with your students. They should feel comfortable talking to you and asking for your help. After you have established that comfort level it makes your job a lot easier to help, because the student will just ask you. I find myself getting better at explaining things so that other people understand and I have learned a lot already. Learning centre is a good place I believe because there are different kids doing different courses and if one doesn't need help one day someone else will.

Entry 2: I can improve by listening to my peers and understaning why they have difficulty, so I can help more efficiently. In the first week I was mostly working with one student, but now I work with two or three. What I noticed is that most students knew exactly what they were doing but didn't have the confidence in themselves to know if it was right. Giving them assurance I believe is apart of my job. Also on the days that there was less homework I was able to assist with other things that needed to be done. So I am always doing something useful. Areas I can specifically improve on would be being more prepared and maybe researching a little things to help with.

Entry 3: This week the learning centre was really slow, so I was mostly doing secondary tasks. I cannot say much about the improvement and progress of students because I haven't spent much time with them. Also the times I am tutoring its a different person each time. I do feel like the kids in the learning centre are getting used to having me around and they ask me questions when they need clarification. Other than that I'm not sure if I'm truly learning and experiencing the job of a peer tutor.

Entry 4: Peer tutoring is meaningful to me because it allows me to assist and help kids bring up their mark. I feel successful when I see an improvement in their mark. My role as a peer tutor in the Learning centre has encouraged all the kids there to ask me for help when they need it which makes me like a teacher but they also feel more comfortable and less intimidated to ask me because I am still a student.

Entry 5: This week many of the kids have started biology in science 10 and a lot of it is material I have already covered in Biology 11 or Geography 12. It was really a boost when the teacher also asked for clarification on a couple things. I was able to utilize the knowledge I already have and explain in at a lower level that was easy for science 9 & 10 students to comprehend. My greatest strength would be that I am friendly and that is why I have never had a problem with getting a student to do what I ask. I am able to use that skill and build respect in the relationship which allows us to work well together.

Entry 6: In the last two weeksI have felt less and less useful in my placement, so this week I decided to change my placement a little. I now help in a Chemistry 11 classroom where people do require more help, I particulary work with one individual and I am helping her catch up. Since I have taken that course last year it is easier for me to remember back to verses grade 9 and 10 stuff. I also think people in Chemistry are more motivated to be there because they chose to be there. I didnt have to push as much for people to get working and they approached me for help.

Entry 7: I've been helping in a different classroom most of this week and I have had this teacher previously 3 times. We always have conversations and sometimes he asks me questions to see if i'm paying attention. My student who I help sees that I understand the material through that and there is more trust. The best part of getting a new student is learning more about them and how to interact with them. It made me proud to be a peer tutor when others who didn't even know me asked for my help and it felt good to be able to help them. Being farmilliar with the teacher definitely helps too, they really make you want to do your best. There have been multiple conversations and occurrences that have made me proud and happy to be a peer tutor.

Entry 8: I do believe that my own ideas and experiences affect how I peer tutor. For example, I can remeber times in chemistry where I was copying down notes without understanding them which is of no help to anyone. It allows me to know whether the stdent actually understands what they are doing or if they are just guessing. That is why my experiences in that class are helpful because it is encouraging to the student that they can do it too. I also struggled in that class for a bit and now I help tutor it, which really is inspiring to some students who have almost lost hope of passing. Also I use my personality to be able to get comfortable with the students and teachers which is really helpful.

Entry 9: In my peer tutoring classes I feel I am able to interect with my students and teachers particularly well. I also feel that out of this experience I am making new friends and learning to get to know people better. It teaches you how to be a teacher and a friend at the same time which is a really helpful skill. I wish however, that teachers would put mroe use to their peer tutors. If there is nothing to do then give the peer tutor photocopying, organizing or something to do. It is really frustrating to go to my peer tutoring class and have nothing to do.

Entry 10: Peer tutoring gave me the chance to improve on many different skills. It made me a better teacher to friends and better friends to teachers. It really is a good course to improve your interactions with people. My favorite moments were being recognized and treated like a teacher. That’s essentially what you are in that class and it’s nice when you are given respect for what you do. Challenging moments were more when students weren’t motivated to improve their mark or do well for themselves. The lack of motivation is really disheartening for everyone. I feel I accomplished many meaningful relationships with teachers and students. To be a peer tutor you have to show your students how to be a good student, meaning you need to be a good student yourself. Teachers will always respect you if you’re a good student. Peer tutoring isn’t just about helping other people. It’s about improving your own skills, things you were once bad at you are now an expert at. One of my students became better at handing her work in on time and the other one went from failing a class to getting 60 percent. I felt very proud of my students and their accomplishments and I felt it was more them than me. They just needed a push in the right direction and they succeeded on their own. This course focuses more on the people than the subjects you teach, I felt that even though I was there students began to work more independently. Peer tutoring was an excellent opportunity and it taught me so much, even encouraged me to go into a profession where I can apply and use more of these skills.