Learning Edge

Calling all Learning Edge high school students! Don't miss this Financial Literacy workshop with Byline Bank's Judette Kurasz, taking place this Thursday at First United Church of Oak Park.

Alma, like many of our tutors, heard about us from a friend. Both she and her daughter joined our tutoring ranks to help students like Jenae get off the waitlist and into the program.

Jenae, a fourth grader at that time, said, “when I first got here I didn’t think I needed tutoring.” Three and a half years in, Jenae has reversed her thinking and instead listed ways Alma, her tutor and mentor, has helped her succeed.

Specifically, Jenae was able to point to various ways her confidence has grown alongside her academic skills. The pair reads together often, and every time they come across a word in a book that Jenae doesn’t know, they create flashcards with a definition and a hand-drawn picture. At school, Jenae’s class does a lot of “popcorn reading,” a turn-taking practice in which one student reads aloud for a bit before it popcorns to the next student. “I practice reading so much with Alma that now I feel ready when it’s my turn,” said Jenae.

In addition to “a diligent student, a strong reader,” Alma describes Jenae as “mature, well-mannered, and put together.” Jenae said she aims to look great wherever she goes– she even “stresses” over her outfits for tutoring nights. She went on to explain that her self-assurance goes beyond her clothing: with Alma’s encouragement, she has been using a stronger voice and speaking up more, as she can tend to be soft spoken.

The pair also talked about how they’ve grown closer throughout their time together. Alma spoke of a shared sense of humor and a shared love of puzzles (“we like puzzles a little TOO much,” Jenae confirmed as they both giggled).

Alma said that one thing they’ve been able to address as a team is the constant rising expectations that come with middle school. “I’m comfortable telling her things that I am having a problem with in life, or struggling with,” explained Jenae.

At Learning Edge, Jenae has found both confidence and a confidant. And *we're* confident that as academic expectations continue to rise, this pair will continue to meet them– and Jenae will look great doing it.

Check out this opportunity for additional educational supports in Austin:

What About Us Inc. provides after-school programming to youth 7th through 12th grade with sessions providing personalized literacy, basic life skills and activities, homework help, enrichment activities, and more.