#5 Blog Post - Kamille

Tutoring for the first time at EMK last Wednesday was more of a challenge than I initially thought it would be. I've always been someone who enjoys getting tutored by other people but never the other way around. I guess I don't enjoy the idea of tutoring someone because I have never felt confident enough in myself to teach another person a subject that I wasn't strong in. It wasn't until high school that I realized the importance of having a tutor. Prior to that, I "got away" with school through engaging with my teachers, talking to others, and honestly Google. But, elementary school and middle school compared to high school was definitely easier. The pace of work didn't really pick up (in my opinion) until my freshman year. Integrated Math 1 was the class that changed everything for me. I never was a huge math person but this class, at the time, felt like rocket science (boy was I in for a surprise *aka Pre-Calculus and AP Statistics*) I began getting more and more frustrated on the daily that I didn't understand the material. My mother suggested trying a tutoring program that she found out about through her job. Although I was hesitant at first and didn't want to admit to needing help (because honestly who does... lol), I put my pride aside and gave it a go. It ended up being one of the best things I could have done for myself. I ended the class with an A and throughout my high school years I utilized tutoring often. Even more importantly, when it came down time to take the SAT/ACT and apply to colleges, I spent endless hours at a tutoring center known as C2. This company spreads throughout the country and provides support for high school students in all subjects. I went there for math and science mostly, but later on began to prepare for standardized testing exams and have my college application essays read and edited. They even helped with specific tests such as gaining AP credit and subject tests that are sometimes requested through Common App. I definitely partly owe my success in high school with maintaining my GPA and handling all tests to C2. Reflecting on this experience has caused me to want to be that influential in someone else's life as well. I think that's why I struggle with tutoring overall, because I set high expectations for myself. No one wants a tutor that can't help them or isn't being of aid in their life to reach their best potential in regards to school. Even I have had those experiences and they led me to be wary about who I spend time on allowing them to tutor me. In relation to EMK, I feel a strong push to work as hard as I can with these students so that they too can feel the same benefits that I was impacted by through tutoring. Starting my next session, I am going to try to make an active attempt to better my skills and interactions with the 11th graders.