Southwest students step up to help math scores
Pictured above, Southwest senior Alejandro Jimenez helps freshman Mariah Munday during the Thursday morning tutoring program.
November 25, 2015
Charlea Mills
Every Thursday morning at Southwest High School, the commons area is filled with students studying furiously. At each table, a few students sit together, heads together, pouring over tablets, textbooks, graph paper and notes. Students are learning, guided by one another, and the result is creating a ripple effect among the students.
When Southwest High School math teacher Karen Huffman saw some of her students struggling with test scores below par, she took a proactive approach. Huffman said, “We were struggling with our math scores, and we wanted to bring up our EOC and ACT math scores. So I asked some of my upper level students to help out with the students who were struggling in some of the other classes.” All of the upper level students agreed to help, and all but two of the struggling students in some of the lower level math classes accepted the offer for help. Each week, there are between 20 and 25 tutors helping the 30 students in the program. Huffman said, “All of the kids in the program want to be tutored and are working hard. They’re appreciative for what they’re getting.”
For the past few months, every Thursday means an hour of time to get together and work on assignments and concepts that the students didn’t grasp during class. The differences in the test scores have been extraordinary. Huffman said, “I had one girl who got a six percent on her first test to a 75 percent on the second one just from this tutoring.” The students in the program agree, the one-on-one time makes a huge difference.
Emily Snyder, a sophomore, said, “My test grades have gone up. The tests have gotten a lot easier since this started.”
Hailey Benninger, also a sophomore, said, “If we don’t get it during class, we can always bring it to tutoring and ask.”
Both Snyder and Benninger work with senior Haven Brown. Brown said that she had been tutoring outside of the program since she was in high school. “I was always helping kids with math since freshman year. So helping now was always going to happen. Now, it’s more convenient. Now we have a set time once a week when they know I can help them, and I can still have a life instead of everyone asking me anytime they see me.”
Not surprisingly, the students tutoring get a lot out of the program outside of protection of their free time. Those benefits just don’t impact their grades. Huffman said, “There’s no direct benefit for them, no extra credit. They are just helping to help.”
The gift of giving is sometimes the greatest reward. For Bryan Jimenez, a junior, tutoring is about passing it on. “It shows how much knowledge you have, and you can apply it to someone else. Then once they get it, they can pass it on to someone else. It’s fun because you bring math to life and actually use it.”
Veronica Ray, a sophomore that Jimenez tutors, said, “It means more help, and it’s a lot less stressful because I actually get my work done that I can’t finish in class.”
As you mill around the crowded tables in the commons area, there is mostly quiet with a low murmur as the students talk to each other. Huffman walks around the tables, making herself available, but the students rarely utilize her. Occasionally, she will meet eyes with someone, but as she makes way over, a student who doesn’t remember a certain concept will get up and walk to another table to ask another tutor. They might switch tables for a bit until the student grasps what they were missing before they go back.
Instead of relying on their texts or their teacher, they are relying on one another. While they might raise their hands for a tough question, by the time Huffman makes her way over, someone has usually stepped in to help, and Huffman just gives them a thumbs up and says, “You’ve got it now? Great job.”
There is a camaraderie that exists in the space where there is no judgment and there are no stupid questions. The safety net provided for students who are struggling is held by their peers.
“It’s amazing to watch them. They are engaging and learning; it’s really incredible,” Huffman said. Walking around listening to the students, incredible is the best word for it.
Charlea Mills
Every Thursday morning at Southwest High School, the commons area is filled with students studying furiously. At each table, a few students sit together, heads together, pouring over tablets, textbooks, graph paper and notes. Students are learning, guided by one another, and the result is creating a ripple effect among the students.
When Southwest High School math teacher Karen Huffman saw some of her students struggling with test scores below par, she took a proactive approach. Huffman said, “We were struggling with our math scores, and we wanted to bring up our EOC and ACT math scores. So I asked some of my upper level students to help out with the students who were struggling in some of the other classes.” All of the upper level students agreed to help, and all but two of the struggling students in some of the lower level math classes accepted the offer for help. Each week, there are between 20 and 25 tutors helping the 30 students in the program. Huffman said, “All of the kids in the program want to be tutored and are working hard. They’re appreciative for what they’re getting.”
For the past few months, every Thursday means an hour of time to get together and work on assignments and concepts that the students didn’t grasp during class. The differences in the test scores have been extraordinary. Huffman said, “I had one girl who got a six percent on her first test to a 75 percent on the second one just from this tutoring.” The students in the program agree, the one-on-one time makes a huge difference.
Emily Snyder, a sophomore, said, “My test grades have gone up. The tests have gotten a lot easier since this started.”
Hailey Benninger, also a sophomore, said, “If we don’t get it during class, we can always bring it to tutoring and ask.”
Both Snyder and Benninger work with senior Haven Brown. Brown said that she had been tutoring outside of the program since she was in high school. “I was always helping kids with math since freshman year. So helping now was always going to happen. Now, it’s more convenient. Now we have a set time once a week when they know I can help them, and I can still have a life instead of everyone asking me anytime they see me.”
Not surprisingly, the students tutoring get a lot out of the program outside of protection of their free time. Those benefits just don’t impact their grades. Huffman said, “There’s no direct benefit for them, no extra credit. They are just helping to help.”
The gift of giving is sometimes the greatest reward. For Bryan Jimenez, a junior, tutoring is about passing it on. “It shows how much knowledge you have, and you can apply it to someone else. Then once they get it, they can pass it on to someone else. It’s fun because you bring math to life and actually use it.”
Veronica Ray, a sophomore that Jimenez tutors, said, “It means more help, and it’s a lot less stressful because I actually get my work done that I can’t finish in class.”
As you mill around the crowded tables in the commons area, there is mostly quiet with a low murmur as the students talk to each other. Huffman walks around the tables, making herself available, but the students rarely utilize her. Occasionally, she will meet eyes with someone, but as she makes way over, a student who doesn’t remember a certain concept will get up and walk to another table to ask another tutor. They might switch tables for a bit until the student grasps what they were missing before they go back.
Instead of relying on their texts or their teacher, they are relying on one another. While they might raise their hands for a tough question, by the time Huffman makes her way over, someone has usually stepped in to help, and Huffman just gives them a thumbs up and says, “You’ve got it now? Great job.”
There is a camaraderie that exists in the space where there is no judgment and there are no stupid questions. The safety net provided for students who are struggling is held by their peers.
“It’s amazing to watch them. They are engaging and learning; it’s really incredible,” Huffman said. Walking around listening to the students, incredible is the best word for it.
