Once a week, after her school day is over, Yoyo Zou ’27 calls an outside-of-school math and chemistry tutor. They help her keep up with her heavy workload and intense coursework, she said.
“In class, because there are multiple people, it’s hard to get all your personal questions answered. Having a set time with someone outside of school, who is just focusing on me, is really helpful,” she said.
Yoyo said it is difficult to find time to review material with her Upper School teachers.
“The classes I’m taking are already challenging, and when I don’t understand something, I need to go back and learn it myself,” Yoyo said. “I don’t always have time to meet with my teachers, and they don’t always have time either, so every week I end up relearning the material I don’t fully understand.”
She isn’t alone — in an informal Vanguard survey, 55% of students reported using some form of tutoring outside of school. Among them is Valor McGrath ’28, who said she reviews difficult class material with her tutor to get a deeper understanding of the topic.
“The reason my tutor helps me isn’t a factor of whether I’m smart or not. She synthesizes the information to make it easier for me, with more time than I have in class,” she said.
Valor said her tutor explains material from a different perspective.
“Math is not my strongest subject, so getting the extra explanation and different reasoning from her is mainly why an outside tutor is very helpful to me,” she said. “Overall, it’s made me feel a lot more secure and confident in my knowledge. It’s not replacing the math I learn at school but adding on to it.”
Though her tutoring builds her confidence, Valor said it can also present challenges.
“The hardest thing about working with my tutor is that she doesn’t go to this school and doesn’t know the curriculum,” Valor said. “She has the math knowledge to help me, but she doesn’t know the teachers or how the school works.”
The school has its own Academic Center offering study spaces, study groups and peer tutoring, as well as direct instruction from faculty learning specialists.
“Students engage in tutoring for a wide range of reasons. In the Academic Center, we can help students determine the right type of support to fit their needs,” The Academic Center said in a statement to The Vanguard.
They emphasize their coordination with faculty when supporting students.
“We work closely with teachers to understand what each student would benefit from before we recommend any outside tutoring services or supports.”
Georgia West ’29 uses the peer tutor program offered by the Academic Center.
“My peer tutor knows how strict a grader my teacher is, and she has an understanding of the kinds of questions that will be asked and the kinds of answers you need to give.”
