Gary Moskowitz
Geometry and chemistry classes aren't going so well for Manushak
Kbjian this semester.
Fall semester finals at Clark Magnet High School begin next week,
so the 16-year-old junior is spending a lot of time this week at peer
tutoring sessions to help her prepare.
Manushak and nearly 50 other students sit down at round tables in
the school's auditeria every day for about 30 minutes of one-on-one
help from their peers. The peer-tutoring program has been active on
campus for about three years.
Students like Manushak who need help come in with worksheets and
homework, and tutors help them get through problems they are
struggling with.
"For me, chemistry kind of goes in one ear and out the other,"
Manushak said. "But I'm trying. I come here because it's more relaxed
and I'm comfortable with friends. The peer tutors have patience and
people listen to peers more."
Peer tutors are pulled from a group of above-average, A and B
students at Clark Magnet who belong to an honorary society called the
California Scholarship Federation.
About 150 Clark students belong to the society, according to
tutoring advisor JoAnne Koch.
Students who put in their time as peer tutors can also receive
community-service hours, which are required for high school
graduation.
With the exception of a few older students who come to the
peer-tutoring session just to get out of their seventh-period class
and hang out, the program has been extremely effective for students
who are struggling with classes, Koch said.
The school's auditeria has been nearly packed in the past week or
two because finals begin Monday, Koch said.
"It's a feeling of personalization that they seem to respond to,"
Koch said. "I think it's a camaraderie type of thing for them. They
tend to be less inhibited or embarrassed here than they might be in
class."
Sixteen-year-old Lermont Akopyan spent Tuesday's tutoring session
helping a few students with worksheets from health class. For him,
tutoring has helped him in his own studies.
"It's cool to see how other people learn," Lermont said. "It's
helped me learn and who knows, I might need help someday, too. I
think it's easier [to learn] with your peers because we think the
same way."
