As an institution, Flint Hill always does its best to provide every student with all the resources they need to succeed in their academics. Two of the best, but sadly least utilized, resources the school offers are the Writing and Math Centers. These unique opportunities are student-run, allowing for peer to peer help which benefits both those asking for help and the tutors providing it. Both of the centers are fully staffed every day of operation and can be found in the Learning Commons each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during afternoon Office Hours.
The help offered by these student-led centers is unique and unable to be replicated by any other learning environment. Their peer-to-peer nature helps relax students and remove a lot of the stress from having someone look over their work. “Having a teacher review your writing can be scary,” says Junior Callie Snow, a tutor at the Writing Center, “It’s more comfortable to have another student look over it. They can also give you advice for specific classes and assignments that they’ve done before.” This previous experience is a critical part of what makes the centers so useful. Many tutors have previously completed the assignments they are helping others with, meaning they can give a perspective different from an out-of-school tutor or a teacher who has taught the assignment, but never completed it as a student.
Both Centers can be used in a myriad of different ways, some of which are more obvious than others. The Writing Center can be used as a resource for drafting and editing written assignments, but it can also help with revising in-class essays once they have been returned. Tutors there are skilled in academic writing and can help point out areas of improvement or interpret a rubric’s requirements. Revision is a less-often utilized aspect of the Center, but it can be just as beneficial for a student’s writing education, even if it doesn’t have an immediate effect on a grade. When a teacher returns an essay with comments and criticism, it can sometimes be difficult for a student to understand exactly what they can change in their next assignment. A Writing Center tutor can help identify a course of action and practice revisions with the student, leading to a more successful essay the next time around.
The Math Center also has many possible uses, from homework help to explanations of difficult concepts in a more personal environment than a classroom. Tutors there can help students look over out of class assignments and provide tips and advice for their completion, as long as teachers allow collaboration and assistance on the assignment. They can also help re-explain a rule, equation, proof, or any other concept that the student may have had difficulty with in class. Because they have experience recently learning the topics being taught to current students, tutors can better understand where someone may be struggling and help them succeed in various topics. Also, students can visit the Math Center to look over a problem they got wrong on a quiz, test, or assignment and re-solve it correctly, leading to a greater understanding of the concept they were previously struggling with.
The Math Center also offers the unique opportunity to have a one-on-one tutor that students can meet with weekly. Students seeking help are matched up with an available tutor and given a time and place throughout the week to meet. Such personalized help can make a real difference in a student’s math education, especially if it is done by one of their peers.
Tutors at both centers are incredible students who are highly qualified for their positions as helpers. The Math Center requires recommendations from two teachers, as well as necessitating that a student must be at least two math levels above anyone they are tutoring. The Writing Center also requires teacher recommendations, unless the applicants are students in AP Language and Composition or AP Literature. Because English is a more skill-based subject than math, students in those classes have already learned everything they need to know to help most other students with writing inquiries. This year, applications for both centers are unfortunately already closed, but students interested in being a tutor next year should look out for flyers and announcements in the Daily Report later in the year for news and information.
In addition to being invaluable to students, the Centers are also very beneficial to the tutors who staff them. Most obviously, tutors earn service hours for all of the time they spend “clocked in,” whether or not they are helping students; but there are also other, less literal, benefits. Math Center sponsor and Upper School math teacher Mrs. Lola McCray says that the program is, “a great way for tutors to share their love and passion for math, helping others get better at math and helping themselves in the process.” In a similar vein, Ms. Peterson notes that, “teaching writing makes you a better writer.” Tutors of both subjects are able to hone their own skills while helping their peers and being an active part of the Flint Hill community.
Despite the many uses and benefits of the Math and Writing Centers, they have gone woefully underutilized in the past years. Ms. Peterson recalls that last year, despite having a full staff of tutors, the Writing Center barely received any visitors. Both of these programs are there for students to take advantage of, and they can be an invaluable resource and asset for anyone who chooses to partake in them. Next time you feel stuck on an essay draft or a particularly hard math problem, consider stopping by the learning commons and seeing what your peers have to say.
