After-School Tutoring

           So many low-income students lack the opportunities that others take for granted. One of the most basic, fundamental tenets of justice is equal opportunity, and there can be no equal opportunity without equality of education. A good education is one of the most important things a child can have, and for some disadvantaged students, whose parents may not be as educated or encouraging, it is critical that the schools step up and do their part to help teach these children the skills they need to excel.
          But sometimes, that just doesn't happen. Sometimes, instead of the education they deserve, struggling children find themselves in noisy, overcrowded classrooms. I myself attended an underfunded, low-income school. I know first-hand that it is possible to get a good education at such a school—but I also know that it can be very, very hard. I had the fortune to have two highly educated, loving parents who were able to give me the extra help and encouragement I needed. Not every student has that luxury, even though they deserve it.
           I've seen classes where teachers have just given up, where they go through the motions, handing out worksheets and sitting at their desks. I've seen classes where teachers spent half their time trying to maintain discipline in a class of thirty to forty students. Even when teachers and administrators try their very hardest to provide their students with a quality education, lack of computers, modern textbooks and basic school supplies can undermine their best efforts. This isn't fair to the students who come to school each day trying to learn. This isn't fair, and it shouldn't be these students' only chance at a good education.
           That's why after school programs are so important. It is at these programs where kids can get the extra help they need and deserve, but can't always find at home, or in the classroom. In the classroom of 30 children, the needs and voice of the individual child can get lost. At after school programs, children have the chance to work one on one with a tutor in the subject they find most challenging. Each child has different strengths, different weaknesses, and different learning needs. Strategies that work for one student may be unhelpful for another. That is the beauty of the individualized tutor. They can respond to each student not as part of a group, but as an individual.                       
            Khadarlis--an admirably diverse nonprofit organization notable for its efforts to improve quality of life in Sierra Leone and Guatemala, as well as Rhode Island--is now preparing to launch such an initiative. Khadarlis will provide students one-on-one after-school tutoring, provided by volunteer university students. These students will have access to computers that they may not have at home. They will have access to nutritional snacks that are an important part of learning and offer a marked contrast to the fries and chicken nuggets often served by school cafeterias. For the students lucky enough to take part in this program, it may make all the difference in the world.

Stefan B.
Volunteer Blogger | Khadarlis for Sierra Leone 
Stefan@khadarlis.org