Students looking for help with math will have more options than ever before with the new Math Tutor SRT system in place for this school year.  Under this system, each level of math—algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.—will have its own Math Tutor SRT filled with student tutors who have demonstrated strong skills in the subject. Because  the number of student tutors will exceed the number of math department teachers, the new system should make additional help in math more available and accessible during SRT.

(CHS Math Department resources)

“We . . . put in place some SRTs where there is a teacher and some student tutors that are focused solely on assisting with a particular subject,” Math Department Chair Jacinda Sohalski said. “So for instance we might have an Algebra II SRT, so any of the Algebra II teachers could write their students a pass, and then Algebra II students could go to this particular room and get assistance.”

Senior Rochelle Camden, who has both tutored and been tutored by peers, said she believes the new SRT system will be effective.

“I think that’s a lot easier than going to a teacher sometimes,” Camden said. “You can always get a different perspective from a student, and they might have a different way of teaching, but the teacher tends to stick to one strict way of teaching.”

According to Sohalski, one of the main reasons for the new system is to ease crowding during SRT.

“We have a lot of students that come to us during SRT for help, which is great, but when you’ve got 30 other students in the classroom too of your own SRT, and then you’ve got additional students, so we’re trying to make it more efficient so we can better help those students who need the assistance.”

Camden said she agrees that math SRTs could get crowded in the past, and she said she hopes the Math Tutor SRTs will ease the lines in the future.

“Ive gone into see teachers before for help, and they can only focus on so many kids at once,” Camden said, “and you get issues with not being able to get help when you need it.”

Sohalski said while she hopes the Math Tutor SRTs will ease crowding and help students look for assistance in math, the system is still new and may face minor bumps as the year progresses.

“We’re going to spend the year tweaking it, you know, looking for ways to improve how we manage it, how we do it,“ Sohalski said, “and then hopefully it will be something we can get in place.”