In our in-person and online sessions, we have the pleasure of tutoring students from across South Jersey and the United States. Even though there is a push for American public schools to have the same educational opportunities and core standards for all children, there is still a discrepancy in how and what students learn based on where they live. When a third grade student in a wealthy suburb of South Jersey with a small class size struggles to grasp long division, her teacher may be able to fully address her needs within the class time or provide after school help. However, another third grader, equally hardworking and just a few towns over, may be in a school with larger class sizes and fewer resources. Perhaps, this student’s teacher is trying to juggle a classroom of dozens of children and isn’t able to address everyone’s questions before she has to move on to the next concept. Both students have dedicated teachers who are probably in a district that is striving toward state standards; however, many complicated factors impact a student’s success.
Our educational system in the United States is a product of years of redlining, discrimination, and funding issues. There’s an unfortunate fact that based on where children live, they may be in better performing public schools that challenge them more. An “A” student in one school district may find himself struggling to make the honor roll if he were to transfer to a high school less than 20 minutes away. How do we, as educators, help bridge the gap for students who are being adversely affected by generations of inequality? At TTLLC, we strive to teach students the fundamental skills that will help them succeed in the classroom and globally.
Two key benefits of one-on-one tutoring are that we are not pressured to teach toward a test and that students are not graded. We get to help students hone valuable skills until they feel confident enough to move to the next level. For example, if a high schooler needs help with her literature essay but is struggling with distinguishing sentences from fragments, we have the opportunity to teach her the foundational skills she will use for her current class and for the rest of her academic career. For every student, we focus on the foundations they’ll need not just to do well in one course, but to be prepared down the line as well.
There are many educators and school district administrators working tirelessly to close academic achievement gaps every day, and we all share the common belief that every student deserves the same educational opportunities. As an organization, our priority is to provide students from all communities with additional and affordable support they need to thrive.
By Tailored Tutoring’s Writing Staff