Bearcat Buddies
Bearcat Buddies is one of the main programs run by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE). It is a wonderful opportunity for University of Cincinnati students to travel to local schools and tutor younger students. As I had served as a tutor in high school, Bearcat Buddies was a program that I gravitated towards and am very excited to take advantage of throughout my years at Cincinnati.
Fall 2014: Roll Hill
For my first semester with Bearcat Buddies I served at Roll Hill. I tutored in the nine to ten thirty time slot on Friday and primarily worked with a fifth grader. Over the course of the semester, I enjoyed watching his academic progress develop (specifically in the areas of math and reading) and always was excited to ask him what his plans were for the upcoming weekend. When the time came for the Bearcat Buddies to return to the university, he always thanked me for the time I spent working with him that day which I found quite endearing and commendable. I wish my student the best of luck in his future endeavors and my impression of Roll Hill was so positive that I have signed up to tutor there again in the Spring semester.
Spring 2015: Roll Hill
I returned to Roll Hill for my second semester with Bearcat Buddies. I tutored in the eight thirty to ten time slot on Tuesday and was assigned to tutor a sixth grade student. However, due to a plethora of snow days, a few co-op interviews, and state testing for the sixth grade, I unfortunately only got to spend a few weeks with my assigned student. The theme of this semester was flexibility as almost each week I worked with a different student primarily from the kindergarten classes. This was a completely different experience from my first semester and was an excellent learning experience as a tutor.