Empowering Lawrence: Homework Tutor Enables Child to Complete His Work
By Eric Steckel | February 8, 2024
A Heartwarming Journey from Struggle to Success in Homework and Math
“I like to play, so I can imagine that a second-grade kid like Lawrence only wants to play, right?” Homework tutor Howard makes learning fun for Lawrence.
Homework tutor Howard Fischer is young at heart. That’s good because Lawrence, one of the children Howard works with, would much rather be out playing with the other kids.
“I like to play, so I can imagine that a second-grade kid like Lawrence only wants to play, right? And you can hear it when he comes in, ‘I really want to be outside.’ Like, yeah, I understand that,” Howard says with a laugh. “Lawrence likes a little bit of entertainment, so you really have to work hard to keep him engaged and usually are rewarded for it.”
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
Homework tutoring is a recent addition to FamilyBridge. It was created to support families who struggle to find time to help their children with homework assignments. “Homework tutoring is much less structured than reading or math tutoring because it’s based on their assigned work. Each session is different, and resourcefulness is probably a strong trait for the tutor to possess,” he explained.
“Lawrence likes a little bit of entertainment, so you really have to work hard to keep them engaged and usually are rewarded for it.” — Howard Fischer, Lawrence’s tutor.
Homework support is all the more critical when considering that children like Lawrence are significantly behind the level of the homework that is assigned to them.
“I love that Howard is working with Lawrence,” Teresa Cole, Lawrence’s mother, shared. “We get the homework in advance so we can work together to complete it.”
Your support provides Lawrence a caring homework tutor and math tutor. Partnering with Lawrence’s family and teachers, he is nurtured in a circle of care.
Like so many children in Oakland, Lawrence has personally experienced and felt the impact of violence in his neighborhood. He also missed kindergarten due to health issues. This partnership, which also includes Lawrence’s Path2Math tutor, helps nurture Lawrence in a circle of care. “To show up for people is such a gift. I’ve worked with youth before. When people know they can count on you, it’s incredibly valuable,” Howard said.
Teresa agrees the one-on-one approach is critical. “It is comforting to know that Lawrence is in good hands. He receives multiple forms of care from different directions. That’s so important. I am reminded of the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’” Teresa said.
“It is comforting to know that Lawrence is in good hands. He receives multiple forms of care from different directions. That’s so important.”—Teresa Cole, Lawrence’s mother.
So far, Lawrence has made remarkable progress. His math scores have increased by nearly 1 ½ grade levels in just five months, and Teresa has seen an improvement in his work. ”I love the program. I hear him using words he’s learned at tutoring.”
Lawrence will continue to work with his tutors until he has caught up to grade level. He may walk into a session grumpy, but he always walks out with a smile.
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