With the semester ending, middle schoolers are scrambling to finish their assignments. High school tutors step in to fill knowledge gaps.
Study Buddy tutoring is a nearly four year-old group that provides homework help to middle school students. Founded in 2022 by Brookline students Vikrant Sabharwal and Evan Yee, the organization’s mission has been to provide free tutoring for all students. Staff members earn community service hours for their participation in the program.
Tutoring sessions allow for students to get their work done while also giving tutors a sense of accomplishment in providing them aid, according to Operations Manager and junior Jeremy Wang. He also said he was glad to be able to have such a positive impact on students who come to him for help.
“It’s amazing seeing your student get better and learn. It’s a great cause, you’re helping families for free. It makes you feel good,” Wang said.
Initially, the Study Buddy Tutoring offered strictly in-person meeting sessions. Since the pandemic, they have offered both in person and online options for meeting. They strive to help students who cannot afford regular tutors. President Mia Sellam said she enjoys the aspect of helping students as community service.
“It’s a really good concept because it’s helping kids who need it, instead of just kids who can afford it,” Sellam said. “It’s just a great organization.”
Though tutors are providing aid to students, tutors said they also find themselves benefiting in their school performance by strengthening their work ethic. Sellam said she believes tutoring has made her more responsible, and her role has allowed her the opportunity to put others before herself and help expand the organization.
“It makes me more accountable for my work,” Sellam said. “It’s taught me leadership and initiative. I decided I wanted to keep it growing and the last couple years it’s grown a ton.”
Wang said many students in the program have found success and often even request the same tutor.
“[Tutors] are building a nice bond with them. The students will also get gifts for the tutors. Most of our students are coming back every year until they graduate [middle school],” Wang said.
Tutoring has also been helpful for the student tutors with work on subjects they are not currently taking, as they are relearning the math they were taught in middle school and early high school. This is helpful for standardized tests according to junior tutor Theo Salvin.
“It makes you approach material in a different way,” Salvin said. “Now taking the PSAT and SAT, I think it certainly was beneficial for me to solidify my knowledge of those basics last year.”
Salvin said Study Buddy tutoring provides opportunities for everyone involved through enforcing social skills, providing aid to students who cannot afford extra help and reinforcing academic skills previously taught to students a long time ago.
“Tutoring people and trying to work through problems with them in creative ways,” Salvin said. “It gives you a new perspective on cooperation.”
