Learn To Be Foundation

Learn To Be would like to recognize Michael Taggart for his outstanding commitment to the Foundation and its mission. Michael has shown great dedication and devoted many hours to tutoring students in Language Arts. He brings a unique perspective to our diverse tutor corps and we thank him for his service to the community. Please take a moment to get to know our Tutor of the Month, Michael Taggart!

 

Where are you from?

Collegeville, Pennsylvania

 

How old are you?

23

 

What was your favorite childhood book?

Gulliver's Travels or The Death and Return of Superman. My father got me into comics and my mother got me into literature.

 

What was your favorite subject in school?

English was definitely my favorite subject, which is probably why I'm a high school English teacher.

 

What is your favorite hobby?

I train in martial arts, including Chinese Kung Fu and Israeli Krav Maga. Those are probably my favorite hobbies.

 

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Definitely visiting the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH and actually touching the X-15A2. It is the fastest aircraft ever flown--over 6.6 times the speed of sound!

 

What do you enjoy most about tutoring for Learn The Be?

I think the best part about tutoring for Learn To Be is the opportunity to open kids' eyes to the world of knowledge. Even if it's just a vocab lesson, I'll try to work in some history or science that I find fascinating.

 

 

Congratulations, Michael!

Entering the second half of the academic year, the Learn To Be Foundation has continued its commitment to underserved schools. Director of Education & Outreach, Bruce Dos Santos, has made it a priority to create new, lasting partnerships with multiple schools in the greater Los Angeles area. Most recently, the Foundation has established a partnership with the UCLA Community School located in Los Angeles.

In addition, due to the overwhelming response of new tutor applications, the Foundation's Certified Tutoring team has grown to a large pool of diverse, talented and willing tutors. Our expansion has not been able to keep up with the interest that has been pouring in from tutors across the country and in order to ensure that we are able to train and provide new tutors with the opportunity to work with deserving students, we need your continued support.

January 2010 also marked the departure of Executive Director, Lynn Penkingcarn, who has moved on to pursue other opportunities. Learn To Be is very thankful for all that she has done and wishes her the very best in her future endeavors. In light of her departure, Bruce Dos Santos will take on much of the day-to-day operations. The organization as a whole is proud of the work completed thus far but realizes there is much more to do. Learn To Be looks forward to tackling these upcoming challenges and making a difference in students' lives. Please stay tuned as Learn To Be works to implement its free online tutoring service in after-school programs over the next several months.

If you are interested in having the Learn To Be Foundation work with your school or organization, please contact Bruce Dos Santos ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). We look forward to working with you!

Spearheaded by Director of Education and Outreach, Bruce Dos Santos, the Learn To Be Foundation has established a partnership with the UCLA Community School (UCS). With weekly sessions focusing on topics from science to writing, Learn To Be has dedicated each Thursday to engaging UCS students in an after-school setting.

The UCLA Community School is an innovative K-12 learning environment linking the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Belmont Education Collaborative, a powerful coalition of community-based organizations. As a university-assisted school, the UCLA Learn To Be student organization has taken advantage of an avenue for engagement of UCLA faculty, staff and students.

In an effort to continue working in underserved communities and closing the achievement gap in public school education, the Learn To Be Foundation is proud to work with innovative teachers, administrators and hard-working students from the UCLA Community School.

As a new segment of the Learn To Be blog, we will be featuring a Tutor of the Month to recognize outstanding contributions by our tutors. This month we proudly recognize Joey for her exceptional dedication and commitment to tutoring students in our communities. She has exhibited great patience and creativity in her tutoring sessions, and we are grateful for the hours she has spent volunteering for our organization. Get to know our first Tutor of the Month, Joey!

Where are you from?
I was born in South Florida and have lived here my entire life.

How old are you?
18

What grade are you in?
I am a senior in high school.

What was your favorite subject in school?
I have always really enjoyed History; English is a close second.

What is your favorite book?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

What is your favorite hobby?
Does tutoring count? I love reading and writing too.

What do you enjoy most about tutoring for Learn To Be?
I like helping others, it is very rewarding to work with those who genuinely appreciate it.

Congratulations again, Joey, and keep up the great work!