Tutor or not tutee? That is the question …
The fear of math is something many of us have experienced more than once in our lifetimes, but for Moraine Park Technical College student Nichole Cochenet of West Bend, that fear was eased thanks to her Moraine Park tutor.
“I gained a better understanding of math and confidence in the classroom, and some of my fear of math disappeared,” said Cochenet. “I also gained a friend.”
The one-on-one peer tutoring services offered at Moraine Park have benefited numerous students throughout the years but is still a valuable College resource often overlooked by students, according to Michelle Duran, tutoring services specialist at the College.
Some students are simply afraid to ask for help or don’t know where to go, but many others assume a tutor is not available for the course in which they need assistance, and that is typically not the case. “This year we had tutors for more than 100 courses,” said Duran. “We matched 142 students with 53 tutors, some of who work with more than one student.”
But, did you know that tutors benefit just as much as their tutees, if not more?
Since the fall semester of 2013, Grace Bleiler of Beaver Dam has been tutoring for classes such as English composition, intro to business, college mathematics, accounting and more.
“I have benefited by a higher GPA as I’ve had to spend more time studying to be able to help my fellow students,” said Bleiler. “I have also met some incredible people and been able to get involved at a deeper level because of my connections with tutoring.”
When asked why she chose to become a tutor, Bleiler said, “Because it was a great opportunity for me to network, help students, learn more about my school subjects and earn money at the same time.”
While students who tutor are paid for their services, tutoring is “completely free of charge for students that receive the tutoring,” said Duran.
Angie Krewald of West Bend is also a tutor at Moraine Park. She decided to begin tutoring in classes such as pharmacology, health promotions and complex health alterations this semester because, “I appreciate the mentorship and help that I have received from students ahead of me in the program, and it is important to me to extend that help to the nursing students right behind me in the program.”
When asked why she enjoys tutoring, Krewald said, “My absolute favorite part of tutoring is when the person I am tutoring emails me to share she passed the exam that we studied for together!”
For Nancy Schaefer of Fond du Lac, the opportunity for tutoring presented itself during class one day.
“I saw someone in need and offered to help,” said Schaefer, who then signed up to be a tutor and is now tutoring her classmate.
“If students need help, they definitely should ‘just ask’ so I can start searching for someone who can help them right away,” said Duran. “It is very easy to request a tutor by filling out the request form online or by just giving me a call so I can walk the student through the process.”
To sign up to be a tutor, or to request a tutor, call Michelle Duran at 920-924-6488 or visit morainepark.edu/tutor.
Pictured in top photo is Elizabeth Mitchell (left) and Lellia Bavers, who have each served as tutors at Moraine Park.
