How to Take a Test

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the most eye opening aspects of my volunteer work has been how much personal attention many students need in order to complete their work. From a very young age I was known to handle things for myself (my mom always tells me how I taught myself to write by looking at a poster of the alphabet and asking her what letters I needed for a word) so it was very shocking for me to be around students who had trouble reading short news articles, taking little quizzes, or writing basic sentences.

Along with the required STEM projects for the after school program, students are also required to take two online reading quizzes a week. While most of the kids fly through the assignments without a hitch, some can barely make it through the first paragraph without asking for help.

Math…The Struggle is Real

While I haven’t posted every single day right after I volunteer, I still like to share my favorite stories when I get a chance and this post is no exception. I recently learned that I have the ability to teach math–even geometry.

Geometry is my absolute least favorite mathematical concept (I could never understand the way my teachers taught it in middle/high school). And, of course, many of the students in the after-school program were beginning basic geometry and needed help on homework. Considering the other volunteers at the program are civics and life skills teachers and I am a chemistry major, I handle a lot of the scientific and mathematical questions the students have.