Tutoring by Jayalakshmi

Tutoring by Jayalakshmi - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

“So what is the measure of angle x if A and B are similar triangles?”, I asked. Talia, my tutee looked up at me, lost and confused.
I had volunteered to be a tutor my junior year, and it was currently my first session working with her.
“What do similar triangles mean?”, I tried again. She shrugged and continued to stare at the textbook in front of her as if it had the answer.
The whole hour and a half consisted of me trying to verbally explain and summarize different theorems and postulates. "Consecutive interior angles are supplementary, meaning they add up to 180 degrees. A right triangle has an angle that equals 90 degrees and you can only use the Pythagorean Theorem for right triangles." Although she nodded along to what I was saying, I was unsure if she was able to understand everything I was explaining.
At the end of the first session, I found myself frustrated. I did not feel like I helped her at all. Although I knew the subject well, I was unable to effectively communicate it in my teaching. I was not satisfied, and for the next session, I tried something different. I brought my iPad to school and downloaded a sketchpad app. This would allow me to draw diagrams and help Talia visually see what I was talking about. This new method of teaching worked significantly better, and I was able to engage Talia in the discussion. I would ask her to circle all the consecutive interior angles in the diagram, or identify perpendicular angles, or draw two similar triangles. She slowly started to understand.
As the weeks progressed, not only did Talia improve her understanding in Geometry, but she also became more confident in her academic abilities and performed better on her homework and tests. We interacted better with one another and established a stronger bond.
This tutoring experience helped teach me how to use my creativity and problem solving by applying it in n academic, real life situation. My listening and communication skills have improved substantially. I am now capable of better expressing my ideas in a clear and concise manner. Whenever I pass by Talia in the hallways of our school, she always acknowledges me with a friendly smile or wave. I feel happy knowing that I have helped her and gained a new friend at the same time.