One volunteer at a time
MyFreeTutor.org program helps bridging gap for underserved low-income students
Maybe you were one of those lucky few who knew at a young age what you would be when you grew up. But what if nothing sparked your interest and made you want to pursue it as your career? Some of us can remember a particular teacher or moment that intrigued us or captured our interest and created a starting point.
How can we create that spark of interest in today’s students?
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) occupations are growing at 17 percent, while other occupations are growing at 9.8 percent. Perhaps a wise choice for students entering college today. But for many, STEM careers still evoke an image of a nerd.
Careers today in STEM fields, which include the arts, are as varied as you can imagine. Think about science — it’s all around us, it’s the natural world. Technology rules and enhances our lives, engineering plans and builds the world around us and mathematical patterns are present in every aspect of our lives and math keeps us on track financially.
Occupations might include architecture, medical illustration, ethical hacking, robotics, storm tracking, animation, virtual reality or gaming, preservation, skate park engineering, NASA, 3-D printing — to name just a few. They are the careers and skills that transform nations and civilizations and solve the complex problems of today’s world.
However, employers are having difficulty recruiting qualified professionals in these fields. Getting students engaged and excited about STEM is crucial if we are to meet the demands to grow our economy and remain a player in global advancement.
The nation is not seeing uniform improvement in achievements in math and science, and the performance disparities of students from disadvantaged populations lag far behind their more advantaged peers, per the National Science Foundation.
RSVP volunteers are using their skills to excite students about pursuing STEM careers by simply sharing their story. Professionals visit middle school and high school classrooms in the Greater Philadelphia area to talk about their careers, the obstacles they had to surmount and why they love their career. Interactive presentations engage students and make possibilities come alive. RSVP has partnered with several after- and summer-school enrichment programs to reach more underserved students who may not be exposed to career diversity at home.
Sean Sullivan, a local medical student, wants to have a positive impact on people and improve their lives. He presented his story about his journey and his obstacles to study medicine to students at Kensington Health Sciences Academy High School.
“It’s so important to expose students to careers because the more they are exposed, the more likely they are to find something they like and are good at,” he said.
“With career day upon us,” STEM program coordinator Anabella Tracy said, “we are looking for people who love their careers to be presenters and inspire today’s students to reach their potential.”
RSVP is also looking for Spanish-speaking or members of any minority or affinity group who can spare an hour to talk about the road they took to get to their career to help the next generation of students.
“This is such a great opportunity for professionals working in Philadelphia or the surrounding area to give the gift of possibility with just an hour or two of their time,” Tracy said.
To support math proficiency, RSVP also provides math tutors to struggling low-income students through its My Free Tutor program. Now in its third year, this free cutting-edge program allows student and tutor to interface via an online whiteboard function. The pairs meet weekly in their virtual classroom to help students with difficult concepts, taking the time to ensure the student has an understanding before moving on — often not an option in overcrowded classrooms.
Steve Glusman, a former local resident, recently retired and now living in Florida, reported he “wanted to give back to the community and do something productive to help others. I’ve always loved math, especially algebra and geometry. I was an engineer, so math was critical to my professional success. When my student and I were discussing the Pythagorean equation for calculating the sides of a right triangle, I shared a photo of a home project that showed a ladder leaning against the wall at the precise angle we were discussing.”
The visual provided by Glusman helped his student understand that the shape formed by the ladder leaning against the wall was the concept she was struggling with, and she got it.
Another tutor, Ian DeLorey, is a graduate student who is interested in teaching math and he said he believes that everyone has the capacity to be good at math.
“Mathematics gives people the power to make good decisions such as what car can I afford? What material should we build this bridge out of? Is this medicine safe?” he said. “Without a foundation in mathematics, we would be at the mercy of guesswork.”
DeLorey is a full-time student with a full-time job and he’s a parent, but he wanted to give back in honor of the teachers and mentors who helped him along the way. Volunteering through the My Free Tutor program made that possible for him.
The MyFreeTutor.org program supports low-income veterans as well as disadvantaged high school students with basic math and algebra. RSVP currently partners with TRIO Veterans Upward Bound Program through the University of Pennsylvania and Prince George Community College in Maryland to assist veterans who are interested in attending college but need support and guidance with math.
Volunteers are always needed to tutor through the My Free Tutor program — a perfect opportunity for corporate employees or anyone with an interest in math to help guide students and veterans through simple math concepts that may be eluding them.
For information on how you can participate, contact 610834-1040 ext. 123 or volunteer123@rsvpmc.org or visit rsvpmc.org.
“It’s so important to expose students to careers because the more they are exposed, the more likely they are to find something they like and are good at.” — Sean Sullivan