不良研究所

鈥淭ell me about Pluto; tell me how a bird makes a nest; tell me about why I can鈥檛 eat more French fries; and, oh yes, what鈥檚 that trick you showed me in long division?鈥�

Goundo Diarra grins and answers Wajeeha Umar鈥檚 non-stop questions 鈥� just as she has every Saturday for the past year. The recent U不良研究所 grad (BA鈥�21), now taking her master鈥檚 in migration and diaspora studies in Ottawa, decided to volunteer at Connect Tutoring after seeing the toll the pandemic was having on families who were juggling working from home with their children鈥檚 educational needs. Focusing on English language arts (ELA) and math, Diarra now loads her hour-long session with worksheets, readings and quizzes that directly apply to the Grade 4 curriculum that Wajeeha is studying.

Connect Tutoring is a that sprang into action 鈥渁fter seeing the negative impact that COVID was having on young students, especially those who were facing barriers to accessing additional supports and resources,鈥� says volunteer co-ordinator Sara Cho, BSc鈥�20, now a U不良研究所 master鈥檚 student in Community Health Services. With a stable of 25 volunteers matched with 25 students from K-12, Connect Tutoring鈥檚 growth was immediate and meteoric, with no plans to end.

For Wajeeha鈥檚 mother, Farzana Umar, this comes as a huge relief. When three of her four children were first sent home from school (Glamorgan, TLC) due to pandemic restrictions, she didn鈥檛 know how they鈥檇 cope. One child was on a phone, the other a MacBook and the third a Chromebook.

鈥淭hey all had to be tuning in to D2L or Google Classroom first thing every morning and we had so many tech issues that, before long, I thought they were all falling behind,鈥� says Farzana, adding she still can鈥檛 believe that all three of her girls were matched with 鈥渟uch smart, patient and organized tutors.鈥�

For some, the connections go beyond textbooks and readings. 鈥淲hen Goundo went back to Mali to see her parents, she kept on tutoring Wajeeha, no matter the time-zone difference,鈥� says Farzana, still in awe. Which is precisely why she dropped off food and presents to Diarra during Ramadan as both families are Muslim.

鈥淚 wanted to say thanks, a very big thanks to her. All our tutors have been such a huge help . . . I honestly hope the program never ends.鈥�

Patricia Renderos agrees with that sentiment. The mother of three boys says she was most concerned last year about her youngest, Keven, who was rapidly sliding behind in ELA in Grade 5 as he ricocheted between school and online learning numerous times.

鈥淢y husband and I were working from home and just couldn鈥檛 supervise Keven all the time, who was spending too much time on video games and getting distracted,鈥� she says.

Keven鈥檚 last mark in ELA was 81 per cent. 鈥淚 went from a 55 to an 81,鈥� says an ecstatic Keven, still incredulous. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 because she [Batool Almousawi] explains things so many different ways that, in the end, I get it. And she reviews things a lot until I really understand them.鈥�

Of course, this doesn鈥檛 mean that Keven loves reading. Yet.

鈥淏ut it is getting easier,鈥� grins the 12-year-old, who鈥檚 now back at St. Albert the Great School [in SE 不良研究所] but hopes Batool will stick with him.

As for what a tutor like Diarra gains from volunteering, she replies in an email: 鈥淲hen a child has an 'aha!' moment . . . when you know they truly understand a concept you鈥檝e been working through and can apply it in a real-life context 鈥� that鈥檚 a huge thrill.

鈥淎nd I love seeing Wajeeha鈥檚 confidence increase in areas she was having difficulty with. It makes me enormously happy.鈥�

Connect Tutoring is just one of 20 affinity communities (volunteer-led alumni groups) that U不良研究所 Alumni supports. Some, such as the Dinos Women鈥檚 Hockey Alumni Group and the U不良研究所 Gauntleteers Through the Years, are formed around shared interests and experiences. Others act as university-based faculty advisory councils, and then there are those based outside of 不良研究所 such as Hong Kong鈥檚 10-member U不良研究所 Alumni Association, as well as the chapter in San Francisco and the U不良研究所 Law Alumni Society in Toronto.

Affinity communities are officially recognized by the U不良研究所 Alumni Association and have access to a variety of benefits, including funding to support group initiatives, alumni swag, exclusive invitations and more.

Back on Zoom, Patricia, who works full-time as a computer drafter, admits she felt pressured and worried over how to make up for her son鈥檚 lost educational time.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to go through life and not give children the best we can,鈥� she says, softly, picking her words carefully. 鈥淚 am not talking about toys, but something that is good for their future 鈥� like education. It鈥檚 hard to find something that will help them be the best they can . . . finding this program and the fact that it鈥檚 free and then Batool, who is amazing; it鈥檚 been such a gift.鈥�