Crossing the Finish Line - A Note from the Editor

The distance between my high school diploma and I is shortening at an alarming speed – the end of my senior year is almost here. As I prepare to dive headfirst into the real world, I find myself in a suitably reflective mood. One realization I’ve had is that most of high school successes I’ve enjoyed have occurred, in part, because of the support team that has continuously lifted me up. I hope that all of our Tutor Talk readers know support teams like mine or are in the process of building them, because these relationships will protect your sanity, enhance your potential, and increase your perseverance. My team is comprised of family, youth group members, pastors, teachers, as well as an assembly of determined individuals who always inspire me. With this post I plan on giving you access to this last cluster – our unique Peer Tutoring Center (PTC) community – through celebrating all they’ve done and convincing you just how spectacular they are.

For you, the reader, understanding the talent and accessibility of those assisting you is crucial. Not only will you appreciate the time our tutors dedicate to you, you’ll see why they’re qualified to help.

I’ll start with the wide array of accomplishments our PTC family shared during the May synchronous meeting:

Peer Tutors of the Month for the 2011-2012 School year have been: Verda, Stephanie, Ivana, Geoffrey, Catherine, Ian, and Sandeep. Why did these students receive this honor? They strive for excellence, working as dedicated ambassadors for the PTC and giving that little bit extra.

Gregor placed second in a Spanish poetry competition – enhorabuena.

Salena has been invited to tour around the world with fellow band students and is also considering a summer leadership camp. Her summer is definitely looking like fun!

Jiavanna has officially enrolled at Elon University!

Alex was able to streamline our brand and create a unified look for the PTC. (This cool blog background we have? Thank Alex for that!)

Our fearless leaders, Mr. Langner and Mrs. Pullen, have experienced their share of success too – Mrs. Pullen’s made great progress with the NCVPS promotional blog and Mr. Langner just celebrated his 35^th wedding anniversary. 

Grace, Gregor, and Geoffrey were accepted into the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) – Grace into NCSSM Residential, Gregor and Geoffrey into NCSSM Online.

And here are the lessons our treasured team members have learned through their tutoring efforts:

We often reach obstacles in our lives that can permanently damage our motivation to prevail. When Jiavanna was faced with such a time, she courageously put the pieces back together and rose above hardship. She writes that, “I [she] developed even more compassion for everyone and those who struggle because you never know what someone’s going through that may inhibit them from doing well in school.”

Eric was fascinated by how shy those who need help can be, “Don’t be shy,” he says, “you can ask me about anything.” In fact, Eric has truly enjoyed the experience of helping others and putting them at ease.

Hailey had fun learning more about the NCVPS program and loved the satisfaction of new students asking when she’d next be free to help them again. The gratification that comes when a student specifically wants your help is really rewarding!

Salena liked developing her tutoring strengths and her personal teaching style.

Edward talked about responding to notifications of students requiring help and is proud of the hours he’s put in.

Geoffrey, too, learned a great deal, “…about volunteering…and the importance of it”. He described this experience as “a lot of fun”.

Ivana encountered a young lady in Blackboard IM who was planning on dropping out of high school. In sharing the challenges her sister faced after dropping out, Ivana persuaded this student to push through to the very end and stay in high school. Ivana even provided the girl with her cell phone number and they now talk almost every day. Way to go Ivana!

Mrs. Pullen sums up the PTC experience wonderfully, it’s, “...not just what you can do for somebody else, but how those people pour into you, too.” The peer tutors, advisors, leads – all are willing to invest in you. So celebrate with us as we end this 2011-2012 school year and consider making the PTC a part of your support group!

If you’re interested, contact Mrs. Pullen (crystal.pullen@ncpublicschools.org) or Mr. Langner (gary.langner@ncpublicschools.gov). If you’re a tutor with your own celebration feel free to tell us in the comment section below.

Excel's the Magic Word

By: Ivana F.

The secret to being a successful online student is a combination of time management and scheduling. I personally find it helpful to draw up a spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel, in putting all of the assignments I have due in a given week and adjusting my school days to fit the demands of my extracurricular word.

I typically plan my time around events happening at church or school, taking into account any extra activities that may be occurring. I take the number of assignments due in a given week and divide it by five - because there are five days in every school week. But say that one week I have a band concert on Tuesday until nine p.m. It wouldn't be wise for me to schedule the same amount of assignments to do that day as I would on a day with no after school activities. Bearing that concert in mind, I can budget my time so that I have five assignments Monday, two assignments Tuesday, and four on every other day. I can easily see this plan and know that, as my personal schedule changes, I have complete flexibility in altering my school one, too.

Ivana's Personal Finance schedule for the week of March 19th is pictured here.

However, sticking to your schedule can be challenging. I suggest devoting an hour or so daily to sitting down away from your cell phone, logged out of Facebook or Twitter, and focusing completely on your class work. There is nothing worse than waiting until the last minute and scrambling to finish it all. Time management and discipline will always be essential to a successful online learning experience, but how you manipulate your learning style to incorporate them is up to you.