by Hilary Mahan, MBEF Board Member
Peer tutoring is available to MCHS students in the library Monday thru Thursday between 3 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Qualified tutors are available in most academic subjects, with consistent coverage in math and science. In order to become a peer tutor, the student must be an ‘A’ student in advanced courses. The student is then qualified to tutor for students in the course level below. Tutors track their hours and are provided community service credit for their work. In some cases, a tutor may be working on their own homework while waiting for a student with a tutor request. Throughout the course of the year, the students are asked to provide feedback on their tutors, in an effort to ensure the quality of the program. Any student interested in becoming a peer tutor should see the supervisors, Mr. Alan Zeoli or Mr. Michael McAvin, for an introduction and brief training session.
Mr. Zeoli has seen steady growth in the Peer Tutoring Program over the past decade, but knows that “a lot of students and parents are still unaware of this great resource that is so effective and right under their noses.” There is a lot of potential to grow the program to serve even more students. On very active days, there may be as many as five tutors and up to ten tutoring sessions taking place during the scheduled hours. Aside from being a valuable and free service for Mira Costa students, one of the biggest benefits is that a student can get as little or as much tutoring as he or she needs. According to Mr. Zeoli, it is not uncommon for a student to be working on a homework assignment, run into trouble, work with a tutor for 15 or so minutes to get the strategies needed to do the work, return to working on homework, and repeat as necessary.
Whether a student is looking for individualized instruction in a comfortable setting or an opportunity to demonstrate skills in teaching a subject, the Peer Tutoring Program is an excellent option. Be sure to share this excellent opportunity with your kids.
