LOG
I spoke with Jenifer Sanchez, the assistant Principle.
We are trying to figure out what staff member I can study with.
So far we have decided to get the paperwork out of the way, then go from there.
We are trying to figure out what staff member I can study with.
So far we have decided to get the paperwork out of the way, then go from there.
Organization: Mesa High school
1630 E. Southern Ave
Mesa AZ 85204
Phone: 480-472-5900
Required Session #1 (5 points):
Date: ___9/26/2011_______ Time: _10:00 am_____ Number of minutes you did service: ____60_____
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words)
I went in to talk with Theresa Ratti about the avid program and what I could do in it. We went over what was required of me if I was to volunteer. We discussed scheduling, like being on time, and giving her proper notification if I couldn’t be there. She walked me through what the avid kids did and told me I would probably be helping with English essays. We went to the administration’s office to set up appointments with the vice principals and counselors. She feels by asking them about the high school dropout rate I can get a well-rounded conclusion than just working with the avid kids.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
I think it went well. We set up an ongoing schedule for me to be at Mesa High every Thursday from 1 pm until after school. So roughly 1 o’clock to three/three thirty.
Required Session #2 (5 points):
Date: ____9/29/2011______ Time: ___1:00___ Number of minutes you did service: ___135______
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words) I met Theresa in room 126. This is the Avid Room. Avid is a program for second tier or solid B students. The program is designed to help the kids move from high school to a four year University.
Theresa asked me if I was better at math or English. I told her English, so she put me with an Avid tutor who had already been helping the kids for a few weeks prior. He had all the Government, History, and English students in his tutorial group. He showed me how the avid tutors grade the avid sheets, detailing a student’s progress, and showed me what steps there were for tutoring each subject. The main thing you have to do is put all the information the students and you gather on the drawing board. This step is crucial so that all the students in the group get the information and receive equal time.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
It was my first day in the avid room so it was pretty much a learning curve kind of day. I think the other tutor did well explaining things to the kids. I basically observed him doing his job.
Required Session #3 (5 points):
Date: _____10/6/2011_____ Time: __1:00____ Number of minutes you did service: ____120_____
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words)
I got my own tutor group in avid. I helped the students with questions they had for their assignments. I had four trigonometry students to help. We went over everyone’s question in order. After answering all the questions I had the students fill out reflections for the day. We went over all the steps in the process to solve their trig questions. One of the students already had his question answered before class so I had him explain how to get the answer for his question. He explained the process in detail and was correct in his explanation.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization? We ran out of time before I could ask them questions about graduating and why they do avid. The reflections that they students do are similar to our reflections. I did not get to meet with the vice principle yet.
Required Session #4 (5 points):
Date: _Oct 20th 2011_________ Time: __1pm____ Number of minutes you did service: _120________
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words) I reviewed a group and avid tutor again. The tutor taught the students about the constitution. They asked review questions about different math questions as well. We briefly discussed the avid program goals. The students are aiming at going to four year universities or higher. One student explained her ambitions for a master’s in education. The tutor explained certain steps she should take when getting different levels of education. The periods were short that day so I couldn’t get into detail about my project questions.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
The sessions went fine. The class periods were shorter so not much was done outside of the students tutoring questions. The administration office has still not confirmed an appointment for me to ask the dean questions about drop out causes. In particular I want to know how many students go back to high school or get a G.E.D. after dropping out.
Required Session #5 (5 points):
Date: Nov 3 2011 Time: 1pm Number of minutes you did service: 120
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words)
I asked the students to answer questions about high school drop outs. I also took a few minutes to discuss why the students felt it was important to graduate. I wanted to know why they worked so hard to not only graduated but also enrolled in a program to prepare them for college. I needed to know what makes them function versus a student who drops out for various reasons. The responses I got were very interesting. Some student are simply following childhood dreams while others are working hard because they do not wish to live from paycheck to paycheck. After or during our discussion we also went over the students questions for the day. Some of the students were filling out scholarship forms and discussing how to renew certain scholarships if they qualified. Apparently some students did not get certain ASU paperwork filled out in time for next year but they program director said that the program may be accepting more applications but the students needed to get it together and keep to the deadlines.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
The session went well. I think the students responded well to my questions because they had been thinking about the future a lot. It’s funny because the purpose of avid is to prepare them for college the future come up often.
Required Session #6 (5 points):
Date: ____Nov 10 2011______ Time: ___1pm___ Number of minutes you did service: 120
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words)
Today I handed out sheets with several questions on them. I wanted to get quotes from students for my project. I wanted to get specific responses to some of the things we discussed so I could form a poll. After receiving the question back I am not sure how I will form a poll because the answers were so varied. I will be quoting the students in my final project. I feel that this gives an in depth and personal explanation to my assessment. I explained to the students that I will be quoting them so I needed their full names and permission to quote some of their responses. They were more than willing to help. Some of the students even answered more than one question on the sheets to make sure I had enough information for my project. I thanked them for taking time away from their studies to help me. We still went over all their questions and looked up a few answers to the government questions that were not as easy to find.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
Often times the government questions involve cases from the Supreme Court that you have to look up. So I and the other tutor often grab our smart phones to find the answer for students by searching Google for cases. Today there was a substitute who yelled at me when I was looking up the answer because she thought I was a student. I only note this because I thought it was funny that all my students told her “he’s a tutor” and she did not admit her mistake. Instead she proceeded to lecture us about how it is not fair for a tutor to have his cell phone out when students cannot do so. Overall it was still a nice day and I think the students enjoyed answering the questions for my project poll.
Required Session #7 (5 points):
Date: ____Nov 17 2011______ Time: __1pm-3pm____ Number of minutes you did service: _____120____
What did you do? Explain in detail. (150-250 words)
I met with the assistant principle and tutored with a group. . I told the students I was leaving and thanked them for their participation in my project. We went over the questions they had and a few of the other tutors were addressing the students’ issues, like lack of work ethic. In avid students are supposed to bring difficult questions in to get help but some of the students started bringing in questions that they had not even attempted. These behaviors worked against the purpose of the program as we were there to help them with in depth issues they were struggling with.
The meeting with Mrs. Gomez was about fifteen minutes long. We discussed student issues and why some don’t graduate and we also discussed different programs offered by Maricopa county to help students graduate. She gave me the website to Maricopa public schools so I could look up and take a detailed look at the programs.
How did the session go for you and those involved from the organization?
It was my last session. Some of the students were disappointed, we all had fun tutoring and learning from each other. The meeting with Mrs. Gomez was very though provoking for me. She made me realize that my contribution to the program was something that the seniors needed.
Emarree Williams
CRE 101
December 3, 2011
29485
Final Log Report
The organization I did my service hours at was Mesa High School. Mesa High School has a program called Avid. The Avid Program prepares students for four year universities. The avid program is a step up from Advanced or college preparatory classes because it helps the students concentrate on getting into college. Mesa High has well over one thousand students. There are roughly One hundred and fifty students who are enrolled in avid. Each period has roughly thirty students and there are at least five periods of avid each day. I served at Mesa High School for seven weeks, two hours at a time. My total amount of service was approximately fourteen hours. I could not complete the regular twenty hours of service due to Mesa High School’s and Mesa Community College’s conflicting semester schedule and breaks. I also had conflicting work and class schedules. However I utilized the time I had available wisely.
As time went on it was easier to help the students. I was nervous initially about tutoring because I did not know if I could provide the information they needed. I quickly learned that tutoring in avid is about letting the students teach each other. As a tutor you keep them on track but they must find the answers themselves or with fellow students. The general atmosphere of the Avid program periods I tutored was very focused yet relaxed. The students have fun yet get their questions answered in a timely manner. It is important to keep students on track during a session because the questions that students present to you are supposed to be from subjects that the student is struggling with in his or her classes. Once I knew what was expected of me and how the tutoring process worked the process of tutoring became routine. I went in selected a group or assisted another tutor with his group and help students with their questions.
I learned that I could be more professional than I thought. At my job, I work one on one with people in their homes. I was worried about maintaining a professional demeanor in such a structured environment like Mesa High School. I learned that being professional and relatable benefits the entire group involved in whatever project you are doing. I realized that volunteering is a necessary process in life. You have to give back. The other tutors were there giving their time as well. It is not an easy task to take on additional responsibility outside of the already pressing tasks of school, work, and your home. I admired the other tutors because some of them had more classes and more training involved in the Avid program than I did.
Working with the students was definitely the best part of the tutoring experience. It is impressive to see a student learn right in front of you. The steps students take to teach each other how to do something can be very simple compared to me grabbing a book and trying to find an answer. The term self-teaching came up many times during sessions because that is literally what the students in avid are required to do. The best thing I can compare a session in Avid to is being in a college study group. Everyone adds something to the table in Avid. Students leave the sessions knowing more than when they came in.
I was surprised at how determined the seniors at Mesa High School are. When I was a senior I was not as mature as some of the students I tutored were. After assembling into groups they get to work right away. Everyone decides which rotation they will take in introducing their question and everyone aids in finding the answer. It was very interesting to watch the process happen. I have had teachers explain in less detail how to solve some of the math problems that students were struggling with. They broke down formulas and solutions for each other routinely. It was nice to see students networking with each other in such a positive way.
I will not be involved with tutoring at Mesa High School simply because of my schedule. However in the future if the opportunity comes up or I have another assignment where offering my services will benefit everyone, I will contact Theresa Ratti again to volunteer. One of the reasons why my service took so many weeks is because my schedule did not line up very well with school hours. My schedule caused me to only be able to serve two hours at a time. In the future if I did volunteer again I would try to get a better, less conflicting schedule mapped out. I value the time I spent at Mesa High and I was told by a member of the administration, that my volunteering benefited the students in a positive way.