Conclusion

My time at Classic City High has come to an end, and I've learned a lot of invaluable lessons in my time spent tutoring there. I have come a long way from tutoring Michael to Karen, and I've made a quick list of things that I picked up on and will help influence the decisions I make when I have a classroom of my own one day. The list includes:

• Computer programs aren't always what they are cracked up to be. If there's one thing about CCHS that really sticks out to me, it's that the E202 program is a student's biggest enemy in the classroom. I don't think that any student should have to learn from a boring online lecture, then be forced to take corresponding quizzes in order to pass a class or a grade- especially not at risk students. Tutoring at Classic City has made me rethink how much I will use technology in my classroom, because a lot of times I think it hinders students more than helps them. Computer activities will strictly be a supplement to my teaching (as long as the administration allows it). 
• Teacher/student relationships are the core of the classroom. It was interesting to compare how the Language Arts teacher at the PLC and the Social Studies teacher were different in how they taught and connected with the students. I admired the way the Social Studies teacher treated the students in his class- as if they were his own peers, worthy of his respect and praise. Not to say that the Language Arts teacher didn't recognize the students' potential, but she had a different way of showing it. It just didn't seem to me that she was nearly as invested. The Social Studies teacher joked around with his students, recommended books for them to read, and always asked for their opinions on his lessons. His teaching style really inspired me- he placed a lot of responsibility on his students because he had high expectations for them. I hope to model these same principles in my own class one day. 
• Every student needs to be pushed to reach their full potential- some have little motivation to go above and beyond. I saw this problem in both Michael and Karen- they were so used to doing the minimum amount of work to get by (and sometimes avoiding it all together), that they never seemed to realize how much they were capable of. When I tutored both students, I did my best to reinforce them when they did really well on a quiz or answered a question correctly. Although both of them had different levels of motivation for school work, I did not make it easy for them as a tutor. I sat back and helped and guided when necessary, but I never flat out gave them answers. This strategy was sometimes difficult for Michael because he got discouraged with his work so quickly, but I kept pushing him and pushing him. I did the same thing with Karen. If I could have been at the PLC longer and spent more time with both of them, I hope I would have strengthened my relationships with these students even more so they would feel like they could trust me and believe what I was telling them. 

Tutoring at the PLC definitely wasn't an easy experience, but it turned out to be a really valuable one for me. As an aspiring teacher, I have come to terms with the fact that I can't be best friends with all of my students- some of them aren't going to love the way I do things. But this experience has made me a little more confident and little more headstrong about my teaching methods. If I'm going to teach in a low SES area, I need to develop a thick skin so I don't take anything my students throw at me too personally. I have a lot to learn and a lot to work on, but overall being at tutor at Classic City High School has broadened my view of teaching.