Low average attendance prompts program to rethink approach

BY ZACHARY CHEEK
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The after-school Tiger Tutoring program sees an average of 10 students in attendance per day. This number troubles assistant Tiger Tutoring adviser Miguel Quiñonez to feel and has him wishing that more student would take advantage of the resource.

“I definitely feel that it is underutilized and I want to encourage more kids to come,” Quiñonez said.

According to Tiger Tutor Anuya Kamath, the program is underutilized because the program is not completely getting the word out to students who may need the help. Kamath would like to see more publicity for the program so that students know it is always an option for those struggling in class.

“[The program] is probably not mentioned a lot, I don’t know how many students are totally aware of it,” Kamath said.

Sophomore Dylan Kay attends Tiger Tutoring almost every day.

“I don’t get help. I don’t really need it. I just come to help others,” Kay said.

According to Kay, the most popular time that students rush to attend Tiger Tutoring is during the weeks of midterms and finals.

“A lot of people come right before midterms or finals, but are not using it the way it should be,” Kay said.

Kay feels that the small percentage of kids the do attend Tiger Tutoring are not taking advantage of the programs offerings.

“They just come here and sit, and not really do any work,” Kay said.

Quiñonez wants to create an environment of constant communication of students and tutors.

“I want to make tutoring that, connected to somebody that cares for you, and will be there for you,” Quiñonez said.

Quiñonez hopes to structure the Tiger Tutoring program similar to the way he received tutoring back when he was in college. He wishes that each student can set an individual appointment for the exact subject that he or she wishes to receive help with.

“I think it would be better if we had more of a structure where we knew who was gonna show up, and we could plan for that, versus just kind of showing up,” Quiñonez said. “It worked, because I did not miss my appointment, because I knew that they were going to be there.”

Kay also feels like many students in Tiger Tutoring are hesitant to ask any questions and that the classroom environment is not as interactive as it could be.

“You can tell that they’re struggling, but they are too afraid to ask,” Kay said.

Sophomore Nick Chang chose to hire an in-home tutor as instead of attending Tiger Tutoring. He prefers this approach to gain a more personal, one-on-one style tutoring.

“You can get more connected with an actual tutor, instead of getting distracted by student tutors,” Chang said.

Tiger Tutoring adviser Lisa Vaccaro believes that struggling students can obtain an equivalent level of tutoring by the students tutors after school.

“Don’t underestimate the capability of the tutors, they are really versatile, and their résumé’s are fantastic. They’ve done the most challenging classes, they have excellent grades, and just really really enthusiastic, good tutors,” Vaccaro said.