While many students scramble in the front door just a few minutes before the final morning bell rings, a dedicated group arrives much earlier. Often showing up before 7:30 a.m., they hustle to the library to begin their mission.

These are La Salle’s peer tutors.

They are students who spend their free time assisting others with schoolwork, whether that be studying for a test, working on homework assignments, or helping them understand the material.

“It’s a very positive thing that you get to do — to help people and have fun yourself,” said junior Jack London, who tutors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The peer tutoring program is open to any student who needs help on any level, according to Director of Academic Resources & Learning Initiatives and head of the peer tutoring program Mr. Chris Long.

“Its mission is to embrace any student who’s willing to show up and try to empower them to become the best learner they can be,” he said. “The peer tutoring program is designed to kind of try to see everybody and empower every learner and every student if they’re willing to walk in and accept help.”

Mr. Long recently took over the peer tutoring program after former Learning Specialist Ms. Shannon Woodworth’s departure. He said he is aiming to continue her work of making the program more student led.

Part of this involves him and the other adults stepping back and letting the students have more responsibilities, such as stepping into leadership roles.

One such role is that of the coordinator, a student who sits at the entrance to the tutoring area and helps pair walk-in students with tutors based on the subjects they need help in.

However, seeing the coordinator is not the only way to be assigned to a tutor. Students or parents can fill out a Google Form, which Mr. Long or Academic Resource Assistant Mr. Peter Gefroh then use for pairings.

This is part of the team’s broader goal of trying to be more intentional about pairings, Mr. Gefroh said.

They hope this will initiate more consistent attendance from tutees and help them over an extended period of time. With this new method, they also hope to combat the intimidation factor some tutees associate with peer tutoring, Mr. Gefroh added.

“It can be really nerve-wracking for a student … to meet somebody new, to come in, to admit you need support, to admit that you don’t understand something,” Mr. Long said.

Senior and tutor Ashley Kamhoot echoed this perspective, saying that, “there could be a fear or shame around not knowing something, especially when this is a college prep school, and everyone’s trying to do their best academically all the time.”

But, Mr. Long said, it’s important to recognize that not knowing is a part of the learning process.

“We’ve definitely all been in the same position,” junior and tutor Lila Kim said. “Even if it seems scary, it’s scarier to go into a test and not know anything versus going to peer tutoring and asking for help.”

This pairing system is only one of several new changes to the program, some of which are still being worked on.

Mr. Long explained how they are trying to more closely integrate the Educational Assistant (EA) program into peer tutoring. EAs are student-facing classroom assistants who help students through the learning process.

“We’re just trying to figure out how to make things a little more seamless and how we can support students in multiple facets,” he said.

According to science teacher Mr. Matthew Owen, who helps to coordinate the EA program, EAs will often be available in the library during iStudy periods, sometimes being paired with specific students as well.

Students will have another opportunity to receive help from each other at a series of study groups, which will be beginning soon in the library.

Tutors and non-tutors alike will have an opportunity to work together and study for exams. Mr. Long said that they also plan on coordinating these meetings with teachers so that the schedules line up with tests.

But tutors have the opportunity to train more than just their academic skills.

Kamhoot also serves as the social coordinator for the program, a role that involves providing more exposure for the program through posters, outreach, and advertising to parents.

Another thing she mentioned was the introduction of tutors looking over essays. 

“Instead of having to go to your teacher and maybe they read a paragraph, but they aren’t reading a lot of it and can’t give you so much in depth insight versus now, we’re working on having it so that tutors can read your essay and help you with grammar, which can be hard for a lot of underclassmen,” she said.

This feature, Kamhoot said, will hopefully supplement in-class peer review and act as an additional resource alongside teachers.

“Maybe your friend reads your essay and they say ‘yeah, that meets the word count,’ but if you want to be really writing and learning how to write really solid essays, sometimes people need a bit more attention,” she said. “The teacher can only give each student and each essay so much attention before they’re actually grading it.”

This side of peer tutoring — an extra asset for students — is something that Mr. Gefroh emphasized.

“Peer tutoring is a way for students to receive academic support from peers as kind of a supplement to the support they receive from teachers,” he said. “I think it’s especially helpful if a teacher isn’t available [because then] there’s another place to go and another resource for students … it’s just kind of an extra part of their support system.”

This helps to build a better community among students, especially between underclassmen and upperclassmen who might not typically interact, according to London.

“If you’re an upperclassman, I think it’s a really good way to connect with underclassmen and show them that we’re not all scary,” he said.

He also mentioned how he’s met several new people through the program, some of which he now greets in the hallways.

London started tutoring this year after some seniors he knew last year told him about it, and he continues to do it in part because of the community

“These opportunities are really special,” he said. “I think it’s really impactful for peers to be able not to only get help from the teacher, but also your friends or people who don’t know as much, … It really shows how, as a community, we have each other’s backs.”

This community extends beyond the tutees though, as London explained that during morning sessions, he and his fellow tutors study for tests when there’s nobody requesting help.

London also has prior experience tutoring, as his middle school, St. John the Baptist Catholic School, had a similar program. He said it helped prepare him for tutoring at La Salle by igniting a fondness for assisting students.

“It made me love helping,” he said. “I do love helping kids, but I really love seeing them learn and make those connections and just having a good time with it too — making it fun for them.”

Seeing others learn is something Kim mentioned enjoying as well.

“I really like when I am able to explain something and they seem like they can actually understand,” she said. “Those light bulb moments are very satisfying.”

Kim started tutoring her sophomore year. She said her brother was a tutor and she “was able to see how it was beneficial when I was a freshman.”

As for how she thinks the program aligns with La Salle’s core values, she believes that being able to share and involve many people in learning is a core part of the school’s philosophy.

“Quality education is a big part of La Salle, and I think to be able to take the education that you’re getting and be able to help other students … shows the core values pretty well,” Kim said.

This community aspect was also emphasized by Mr. Long and Mr. Gefroh.

“This is really just a community of learners that are there to support you in any way that you feel like you need support academically,” Mr. Long said.

Mr. Long, Mr. Gefroh, and London all expressed how a common roadblock to accessing this community is any fear associated with coming in.

“It’s okay to be vulnerable about struggling in a subject,” London said. “I struggle. Everyone struggles.”

They also mentioned how sometimes people might not think tutors want to help them, or that they are just there for the service hours, which, according to Kamhoot, is not the case.

“It’s actually so exciting for me when someone wants to be tutored and I get to help them with something,” Kamhoot said. “When someone comes up to me looking to be tutored, I get to do my job.”