(FLOC is recognizing outstanding tutors who have shown enthusiasm and commitment to their student(s) in a series of articles called “Tutor Spotlight.” Peyton is a tutor in the Saturday Morning program.)
I started tutoring because I wanted to give back to my community; I think kids are amazing (usually much cooler than adults); and I thought it would be something that my love of reading and writing would be helpful with.
Also, I think each of us, and especially myself, can recall teachers that really changed the way we view the world, or motivated us to improve ourselves, and those teachers were an inspiration for me to start going to For Love of Children (FLOC).
As for FLOC itself – I love FLOC. The staff has been very helpful. It’s interesting because the first student I had was very challenging, and the first coordinator I had (Lana) is now one of my current coordinators, and she keeps giving me helpful hints or encouragement for how to best tutor.
As for the students themselves, I have learned a lot from them, and the key for me is to always have a positive attitude. Every kid I have had, at heart, just wants to be liked and impress me. The biggest challenge is that kids will hide whatever they don’t know to impress me, or to avoid areas that might be difficult. Also, patience is extremely important.
Sometimes it may not seem like the student is really picking up that much, but I have learned that encouragement and showing interest in reading/math can really go a long way. For example, with my current student, Papa, I think showing an interest in his reading and encouraging him to write is extremely important.
