Learn To Be Foundation

Farrah Haddad is an exemplary tutor who has dedicated countless hours to carrying out Learn To Be's mission. We are proud to recognize Farrah as November's Tutor of the Month because she truly understands the meaning of helping through her endless patience and kindness with the students. This month's Tutor of the Month article is unique because Farrah has kindly given us a post to her blog in which she describes her experiences as a Learn To Be Tutor. Please get to know Farrah a little better by reading her post below!

Reflections of a New Learn To Be Tutor

Despite having spent eight and a half hours in front of a flickering computer screen reviewing doctors' orders and answering calls from irate nurses in the pharmacy at the basement of the hospital, I could hardly contain myself that warm September evening on the bus ride home. I was headed home to log on to my Learn To Be account for my very first tutoring session.

I was eager to get started but I had no idea what it would be like or what type of encounter I would have. As my mind wandered through the possibilities, a requested session faded in on my screen. I clicked on the Launch Session link after only a brief moment of hesitation and entered the virtual space reserved for tutor and student. I was welcomed with a greeting, and a feeling of happy realization spread inside me as my student – who was likely over three thousand miles away from my small city of Richmond, Virginia – promptly proceeded to describe to me the help she needed with her math homework.

As it happened, my very first student was a joy to teach. Her enthusiasm was contagious and her willingness to learn was a blessing. I had never thought that the complexities of conceptualizing and calculating volume would be so captivating. We both had a good lesson and I have since replayed in my mind that experience as well as others like it during the most trying hours of my day job.

Contrary to what one might think, tutoring these young minds after a long day is invigorating. Watching the spinning wheel loading data on the Active Sessions page has become a tension-filled few seconds, which instantly changes to a feeling of delight if a session is requested. I wish more of my daily tasks could feel this rewarding and energizing. I also wish I had more encounters as genuine as the ones I have had with the Learn To Be students.

More often than not, these students have shown remarkable focus, dedication, and perseverance during the sessions. They have also shown patience with my poor technological skills, and utter gratitude at the end of an “Aha!” moment. I believe this determined mind-set and abiding attitude may be due to the fact that they are the initiators – they seek the tutor out at a time convenient to them and when they feel, by their own evaluation, the need for some assistance.

I feel honored to be included in the Learn To Be community and to have been given the opportunity to touch the lives of these youngsters. You would feel the same, entering your virtual classroom for the first time and realizing that a few clicks of your mouse have brought the world to your fingertips.

This is a shout out to all the wonderful students whom I have had the privilege of tutoring and I hope this website will be around for them for many years to come.

We proudly recognize Seraina Murphy as Learn To Be's tutor of the month! Seraina shows great dedication and patience in each and every tutoring session. She is always thinking of new and creative ways to make learning fun for the students. We are grateful for all her hard work and commitment to our organization. Please take the time to get to know Seraina Murphy!

Where are you from?
I lived the first half of my life in Pennsylvania and the second half in Ohio.

How old are you?
I am 22 years old.

What was your favorite subject in school?
I love physics.

What was your favorite childhood book?
As a kid, I was very fond of a series of books from Switzerland that were all about a character named Globi, and each book depicted one of his many wild adventures. All of the books were in German, but they had a ton of great pictures. If I had to pick one that I liked the best, it was "Globi's toller Tag" which is German for "Globi's Grand Day Out".

What is your favorite hobby?
In my spare time, I like doing a variety of papercrafts: making greeting cards, origami, monkiri, twilling, 3D models, and just about anything that requires paper and a tiny pair of scissors.

What is your occupation?
I am a graduate student, but I am taking a semester off from school to work as an intern for GE Healthcare.

What do you enjoy the most about tutoring for Learn To Be?
The best part of tutoring is when I get to teach clever tricks that make math problems easier to solve.

Jingshen Zhao deserves special recognition as Learn To Be's exemplary September tutor. He has shown a great passion for Learn To Be's mission and recently founded a Learn To Be University Chapter at The University of Texas - Austin. We are very grateful for all his hard work and proud to have him as a part of our organization.

Where are you from?
China.

How old are you?
18.  

What was your favorite subject in school?
It used to be math and computers, but when I was introduced to business and economics in high school, there was no turning back.

What was your favorite childhood book?
Outside of school, I was heavily indulged in the Mashimaro ("the naughty rabbit") cartoon series. Nowadays when I flip through my collection I find that some things are actually much more satirical than I thought they were.

What was your favorite subject in school?
Programming robot cars. I was the first one in my class to figure out that you first have to make the robot stop fully in order for it to turn at the desired angle. Lame, right? But later our team went on to winning robot soccer games.

What is your favorite hobby?
It's a split between scuba diving, soaking myself in TED videos, and playing different chess/checkers/board games even including Mahjong (not-for-profit, of course).

What do you enjoy the most about tutoring for Learn To Be?
I am not the first Learn To Be tutor at my university, not the first one in my city - Austin, and certainly not the first in Texas. The incredible ideals of Learn To Be propelled my zeal for web-based learning toward the notion that I must do something because there are many disadvantaged kids thirsty for knowledge. These are students who are just as bright as my own peers but are lagging behind because of the lack of resources and guidance. I alone could make a difference, but not nearly as much as if I were to get my friends involved. And with this thought came the first Learn To Be University Chapter in Texas, which became a hub for 30 tutors in just one month. So please, do consider multiplying your impact by introducing Learn To Be to other like-minded individuals.

It's that time again! Learn To Be would like to take a moment and honor an extraordinary tutor for her creativity, patience and dedication in each and every tutoring session. Ramni Khattar, thank you for your commitment to Learn To Be!  

Where are you from?
California.

How old are you?
23.

What was your favorite subject in school?
Biology.

What was your favorite childhood book?
Jane Eyre.

What is your favorite hobby?
Painting.

What do you enjoy the most about tutoring for Learn To Be?
When the kids are so eager to learn.