With COVID-19 cases declining, many programs and events are resuming at Malden High School, including peer tutoring by the Science National Honor Society (SNHS). This initiative will benefit fifth to eighth-grade students across Malden Public Schools.
Saura Rathore, a three-year member and current president of SNHS, mentioned “We weren't able to continue it last year, but we think that coming back in person this year, with things being different now than they were last year, we thought that we should continue the program.”
Remembering how everyone had to be a peer tutor back in her sophomore year, Rathore remarked on the significant uptick in members this year as the SNHS has not decided on the logistics of where to send its members this year as not all 50 students may be required to be a peer tutor.
Back when Gregory Simone ran the club during virtual learning, the peer tutors and students would meet via Google Classroom and go into breakout rooms to work with two peer tutors per two to three middle school students based on subject and grade. With the program being in-person this year, the format will be different as SNHS members are communicating with Science and Math teachers across Malden to plan the timing and location of the tutoring sessions. Some students may still participate virtually if they are unable to attend after-school sessions as the program is expected to have hybrid opportunities.
Rathore sees peer tutoring as a way for students to prepare for high school and life. “I feel like students don't understand that there's always going to be a support system in middle and high school, and there's always going to be people that you can go ask for help. By putting them into that mindset, when they go on to high school and even beyond, they can understand that there are people that can help them.”
As the topic has already been taught to the peer tutors, no training is necessary and tutors can choose which topics they will feel most comfortable teaching. If a tutor is confused, they can always reach out to their peers for help and to re-educate themselves in certain areas and topics.
Katherine Haskell, the new advisor to SNHS mentioned how the students have fully driven this tutoring program with their own ideas. “They decided they wanted to reach out to the lower schools and start to talk to some of those kids and stuff like that.” Haskell continued mentioning how most students have peer tutored before, but anyone new that would like to re-familiarize themselves could pair up with someone who has done it before.
“They're incredible, and they do so much on their own and I'm really just here to support them, but their officers are really good and work really hard.” Haskell continued, saying, “I'm just really excited. I think the kids are so motivated and it's such a good thing that they really want to do.”
With the return of peer tutoring following the Christmas toy drive and a bike path clean-up, SNHS plans to do more projects like beach clean-ups and even a scavenger hunt to finish this year at Malden High and prepare for what's to come.
