Spread the Cheer as a Volunteer!

The eager freshman I was, I wanted to sign up for everything. 

I was at a meeting for Urbana High School tutors, and we were given time to sign up for the middle or high school classes we wanted to tutor. English, math, biology, French…I wanted to do it all! And I never even took French.

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Background

That was the beginning of my experience as an Urbana High School tutor. I volunteered at Urbana High School with three different teachers. Firstly, I facilitated the African American Club certain Mondays after school. Secondly, I tutored students in a Special Education Geometry class every Friday morning. Lastly, I helped students in a Study Support class on Friday afternoons. Thus, I volunteered for two to three hours each week.

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Part One

When I first was interested in volunteering for the African American Club, I asked the teacher in charge of it if I had to be African American to do that. She replied, “Of course not! We absolutely welcome diversity so that we can learn from each other’s cultures!” 

Even when she introduced me to the members of the club, she mentioned that I added diversity; she and all the students in the club are African American, and I’m the only one that’s not. Not only did her comment make me feel very special, but it also accentuated the value of diversity. 

The first few times I went to the club meetings, I felt like I wasn’t helping much. All I did was help make snacks, such as root beer floats, for the students. 
             But one day, one of the students approached me and told me about her Algebra class. She was stressed because she had a D in Algebra.

         I offered to tutor her, and thus I had a way to help at club meetings. The club meetings after that, she and I went to another room so that I could go over her Algebra assignments with her. Out of this experience, a friendship also formed between us. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to help her.

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Part Two

Additionally, volunteering with Special Education Geometry has been very eye-opening. Since I work with Special Education students, I’ve had to learn to be patient.

Before, I always took education for granted and thought it was normal to learn information easily. However, most of these students are slow learners. Sometimes, I have to explain a seemingly easy concept multiple times before the students even slightly understand it. I have realized that it is a blessing, not a norm, to be able to grasp information quickly. 

Volunteering also made me realize the lack of attention students with special needs get. The classroom had multiple helpful teachers, but obviously the teacher to student ratio was not 1:1. The students need someone to sit down with them and take them through everything step-by-step, and if this can't be done, then their needs are neglected. Sometimes they get frustrated that they can't get the right answer, and that frustration turns to hopelessness. 

However, I know that all the students have potential. They just can't see that potential because they've always been told that they are behind. They're the ones that teachers get irritated with when they can't answer a question correctly. They're the ones that their classmates snicker at. They're the ones that become hopeless cases. It would be a waste of time to try to get them to understand anything, right? Not at all. 

They are just the same as any other person, yet unique in their own ways. They feel the same excitement when they get an answer correct. One of the girls smiled after understanding a hard concept, and that smile lit up her whole face. It was that smile that made me passionate about going back to volunteer every week after that.

I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to volunteer for a class where the teacher cares about her students very much. On my last day of volunteering, the teacher even asked each student in the class to tell me thank you, and it was so heartwarming. It is amazing how she is a great role model for her students. Volunteering for this class has definitely showed me what an underappreciated, hard, and valuable job being a teacher is.

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Part Three

Lastly, I volunteered for a Study Support class, which is where students work on their homework. During that time, I read to students one-on-one, organized or stapled papers, or graded papers (I love grading!). This made me feel like I’ve been able to step into the shoes of a teacher. One time when there was a substitute, the students came up to me to have me sign their hallway passes. I felt so mature!
            Also, on Fridays, those students that have above C’s in all their classes get to play cards or listen to music. The students were very inclusive and let me join them in playing Mau, a card game.
        There was another time where I recognized how accepting the students are. I happened to be walking around the classroom, and the walls were decorated with artwork. The artwork consisted of different areas where the students drew parts of their personalities, such as their family, identity, sex, and race. It was the part about race that stuck out to me. One student had written in big letters: "IT DOESN'T MATTER." Another student had written: "THE HUMAN RACE."

I had gone to Urbana High School thinking that I would be teaching the students something. Surprisingly, they taught me far more than I could ever teach them. 

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Conclusion

      Overall, I have really learned so much while volunteering at Urbana High School. However, I don’t plan on continuing next semester simply because of how my schedule will change. I’m happy that I at least got to connect with the students and learn from them. 

"Work for a cause, not for applause.

Live life to express, not to impress."

I like to tell myself that volunteering is a purely selfless activity. However, it's undeniable that a volunteer benefits from what they do. I know that I have gained plenty in my experiences, from feeling the happiness of helping to figuring out my role in society. After all, "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others!"