Tutor/Student Interviews 2010-2011

Wayne & Arturo

Wayne (tutor) and Arturo (student) have been working together for the past school year.  Arturo, 4th grade, said his biggest challenge at the beginning of the year was learning the multiplication tables. When he started tutoring with Wayne, he agreed to practice his tables at home and at school during free time. Wayne reports that Arturo has made great progress in learning his tables and nearly has them memorized through the 12′s. Wayne predicts that by the end of the school year he will know them perfectly. Wayne also commented that Arturo is a great reader.

In their free time, Arturo plays with his dog and rides his bike. Wayne is a portfolio manager.

Why are you in the IIY program?

“It is fun because I get to learn more.” – Arturo

“I enjoy learning and helping others learn and I believe a strong education is the building block  to future success.” – Wayne

John & Falisha

John (tutor) and Falisha (student) have been working together for 3 months. Falisha, 4th grade, said her biggest challenge is mastering division problems. She has been working hard on this for several months and sees some improvement. She is in the Invest in Youth program because her sister is in the program and John tutors because he was asked by IIY Founder, Harriett Morton.

Charles & Jordan

Charles (tutor) and Jordan (student) have been working together for the past school year. Jordan is in 4th grade and said that math was his biggest challenge.  Charles focused on deciphering confusing math problems by taking them apart piece by piece and explaining the process as they put the pieces together to arrive at the answer. As they worked, they progressed from the class level then up to a higher level. Jordan said he had this success because he worked a lot on math in his spare time . Charles explained that Jordan is bright and he is a good tutor so the combo had excellent results.

Why are you in the IIY program?

“It is fun!” – Jordan

“To give back to my son’s school.” – Charles

Jeff & Henry

Jeff and Henry have been meeting twice a week at Bailey Gatzert since school began last fall. This is Henry’s second year as an Invest in Youth student.
In his day job, Jeff works as a paralegal for the King County Prosecutor’s office. He graduated from Seattle University in 2008 with a degree in criminal justice and philosophy. He is thinking about returning to school to obtain a MSW because he is interested in juvenile rehabilitation work. I asked him how he came to have a such a big heart for community. He said he grew up in a family with parents who instilled good values that included giving back to your community.

Henry was born in Seattle and enjoys seeing his grandparents who live in West Seattle on the weekends. He enjoys playing with the paper airplanes that he and Jeff made after they read a book about planes.

What is your greatest accomplishment in your work together?

“Henry has become a good reader, but has really improved in his writing. Jeff shared an interesting technique where every time Henry didn’t understand a word, they would write the word, look it up in a dictionary and add it to their word list. This process encouraged dialog between them, expanded Henry’s vocabulary and strengthened his writing skills.” – Jeff

What has been your biggest hurdle?

“It was difficult to find a book that Henry enjoyed. He didn’t have a school book, so through conversations Jeff discovered that Henry enjoyed sports. They found a book called “Two Minute Drill” which strikes an especially poignant chord with Jeff because it is a story about two middle school football players, one of whom is dyslexic. Jeff is also dyslexic and told me that this is one of the reasons he volunteers for Invest in Youth. He wants to help students who may be struggling with reading and writing as he did and the Invest in Youth program is streamlined for tutors and allows one-on-one contact with one student for the entire year.”
- Jeff

What is your greatest reward?

“The ‘one-on-one tutoring’ experience.” – Jeff

“Reading and seeing my tutor” – Henry

Why should others volunteer to tutor?

“It’s a great way to give back to the community and a child. It doesn’t take much time and you can make a difference in a child’s attitude toward learning that lasts a lifetime.” – Jeff