Heart Volunteers are Excited to Begin Tutoring!

August 24, 2023

School is about to begin for Charlotte students, and that means we are on our way to another exciting year of math games, relationship building, and high fives with Heart students! We are grateful for our wonderful tutors who return year after year to partner with elementary students to work on foundational math skills and confidence each week. What keeps tutors coming back, and what are they most excited about as we get closer to our first week of tutoring? We reached out to a few returning tutors who shared their favorite things about working with students in Heart!

Relationship Building!

Tutors are excited to get to know their new students this year! Working with the same students each week allows tutors to build strong and meaningful relationships with their students. Rachel Korf, who will be starting her 4^th year as a Heart tutor, stated, “I can’t wait to get back to school to meet new students and build that relationship. It’s so fun to get to know them, to see what we have in common, their interests inside and outside of school, and to figure out how we can make the math games fun working together!” Wai Yau began tutoring in 2019 and has continued each year since. She told us, “I really look forward to getting to know and building relationships with my students as we work on math skills together!”

Growing Confidence!

Seeing students build foundational math skills and increase their confidence throughout the year is another key factor that keeps tutors excited to return. Linda Vanderbosch, a tutor starting her 9^th year with Heart told us, “I’m getting excited for tutoring to see my students’ confidence in math grow!”  Mike O’Hara, who is about to begin his 6^th year tutoring with Heart, shared a story about when increased confidence in tutoring had an impact on his student’s work in the classroom. “One of the great joys of tutoring is those times when ‘a light comes on’ in the student’s mind.  Last year, after a session on alternate ways to add three-digit numbers, the student turned to me, wide-eyed, and said, ‘I could use this in class!’” Wai also shared that seeing her students’ math skills grow is important to her. “It excites me to see them gain confidence in various competencies during the course of the school year!”

Fun and (Math) Games!

The Heart curriculum provides fun and impactful ways for students to gain math skills in a one-on-one format, and tutors get to have fun playing the games too! Rachel shared that she is looking forward to some of her favorites. “I’m excited to play some of my favorite games like mystery trains and war, especially when we make them timed and try to beat our score! I can’t wait for all the fun and learning I’ll get to do with my students and see their growth and success throughout the year!” Adam Jupiter began tutoring virtually in 2020 and has come back to tutor in-person every year since. He is excited to share his love of math with his students again this year! “I can’t wait for Heart Math Tutoring to begin this year! I’m excited to meet my students and begin the amazing journey to get them to love math the way I do! I love nothing more than seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces when math becomes fun,” said Adam.

Making a Difference!

If you’re a new tutor this year, and aren’t sure what to expect, know that there are many before you who felt the same way. Mike shared, “When I started tutoring I didn’t know if I could really do it, as I have no background in education and my own children are long grown.  After five years I know I’m doing some good, and it’s because of the solid structure of the program and the excellent support at all levels.” Tia James, who is about to begin her 5^th year tutoring with Heart, said, “seeing the overall growth of my students’ mathematical skills and confidence, is a pleasure to have contributed to. I am elated to have built relationships with my students that have allowed them to develop a strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long term success.” We want all of our tutors to feel comfortable and prepared for tutoring so that they can spend their sessions getting to know their students and building math skills through fun activities!

Thank you to each and every one of our volunteers; we hope you are as excited as we are to meet students and begin another year of tutoring!