Hello Neighbor provides a program called Study Buddy to help students transition from their home country school to a United States school. This program mainly provides tutoring services to children in first to 12th grade. Each student is paired with a tutor where they meet once a week virtually, through Zoom.
When asked what she feels her tutor helps her with, this Study Buddy student 14-year old Rinad (last name withheld), said her tutor helps her astronomically.
“She helps me understand the assignments more and what the questions are asking,” Rinad said, who has been a part of this program for almost three years. “She also helps me with forming the answer. There is other stuff that she helps me with too like time management and learning about other careers and college.”
Rinad vaguely remembers her school back in her home country of Syria, but she has also been schooled in other countries besides America.
“I did go to Jordan too, and it was okay. I was definitely learning from my teachers,” Rinad said. “It wasn’t like America; we have more resources here, and they provide us with more opportunities and stuff. I feel like I focus more here and understand the subjects more. I am also not afraid to talk to my teachers.”
Part of what Rinard likes about the Study Buddy program is that it teaches students a variety of different skills outside of schoolwork.
“My tutor has taught me a lot of skills that will help me in college, especially social skills that will help me talk to my professors and maybe even make friends,” Rinad said.
As much as the students in the program feel that their tutors help them, the tutors feel the same way. 24-year-old Study Buddy teacher, Faryaal Alam has been changed by the program just from speaking to her students.
“I enjoy working with youth, and they inspire me to be a better person; it makes me feel energized,” Alam said. “Every session after I log off, I have a good feeling knowing that I helped a student in any way possible.”
While the tutors enjoy every second with their students, the job definitely comes with some challenges. Alam notes that it can be a lot of pressure to connect with students.
“I think as a tutor, being able to understand the student’s perspective in school is important,” she said. “I know with the student that I am tutoring right now; it’s a new transition to high school. The classes are harder, adjusting to the workload, while still managing family time and doing activities in school as well.”
This program gives children the opportunity to grow and ability to achieve what they want here that they could not obtain in their home country. But for Alam the program is all about relating to students in a special way.
“I’ve made an impact by sharing my own personal experiences throughout my schooling in middle school and high school and being able to relate to the student and share experiences as well,” Alam said.
