The Tutor and Teacher
Introduction
"Nothing is really work unless you'd rather be doing something else" - James Barrie
The variety of experiences I have had in educational contexts have confirmed that there's nothing I'd rather be doing. These experiences relate to the same two topics: youth empowerment and language. I have volunteered as a tutor with America Reads and Study Buddies and as a teacher’s assistant in Burgaw, North Carolina during spring break with the Alternative Spring Break program. I have also volunteered in resource rooms at the local BOCES School for students that have been removed from the public education system because of misdemeanors. In all these volunteer positions, I have worked with students that belong to a low socio-economic class, often single-parent families, and lead an impoverished life in terms of family support and educational resources. My efforts to work with them on homework and school work are supported by my belief that a good education will provide them with the skills and background to break down social pressures and achieve upward mobility. The following sections include lesson plans and activities that have helped me engage and support education in these communities.
My work in classroom settings includes teaching Hindi at Hamilton College and teaching English at the local Refugee Center. These two experiences have helped me directly apply the theoretical knowledge of language acquisition that I have gained through my psychology courses. In both of these settings, I have aimed at implementing sound teaching techniques that support the psychological processes involved in learning and language. The following sections include lesson plans from classes that include these techniques.
