Gathered together on a Tuesday afternoon, fellow Buccaneers filled the
air with continuous chatter and many giggles. On this day, as they did in years
before, Berkeley’s Writing Center tutors met with the school’s younger
generation, the Class of 2023, or more commonly known as the first graders of
Ms. Keller’s, McDonough’s, and McElroy’s classes.
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| A tutor and a first grader take a break for lunch. |
Each tutor was assigned to a young first grader weeks in advance. By
exchanging letters, the two of them quickly built up a relationship before ever
meeting in person. Discussing about themselves and the future story the buddies
were going to write together, both parties were looking forward to their upcoming
lunch meeting.
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| A tutor and a tutee write a story together. |
That day finally came on the 28th of February. Pizza and cookies were distributed by a few
bustling Writing Center tutors. Sophomore Emily H., a pizza and cookie deliverer,
noted that it was, “super-fun helping out the kids, and they were really cute!”
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| A tutoring session takes place in the library. |
The other upperclassmen were quickly grouped with their first graders. Immediately
following the exchange of smiles, strong connections were established between
the tutors and tutees. From the loud and
bubbly ones to shy and quiet ones, all the first graders had ideas on their descriptive
short stories that were as unique as their personalities. All laptops were
opened to a new Word document in the libraries that day. What was written in
this document could have been anything from a time of
scoring the winning goal in a soccer game to a recent visit from the Tooth
Fairy.
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| A Writing Center tutor types up a first grader's story. |
After finishing up their stories of adventure, the tutors and tutees
together got to decorate their page with colorful borders and clip art before
sending it to the first grade teachers. Hannah J., a Writing Center tutor,
thought, “This is such a great way to bridge a gap between our school’s upper
and lower division. I love it.”
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| A tutor and a first grader work on a story. |
At 1:15, it was time for the two groups to say their goodbyes and hugs
were exchanged. The young ones kept asking their teacher when they were going
to meet their partners again.
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| A tutor and a first grader finish up a tutoring session. |
Spending a lunch in a library was one that was well worth the time. We all
got to make a positive difference within our own Berkeley family. We all got to
learn about each other, and about ourselves. As tutors, we recalled a time that
didn’t seem so long ago. Nine, ten, eleven years ago, we were in their shoes.
Nine, ten, eleven years from now, they will be in ours, and we will be off in
the big wide world.
Let us not forget what our greatest treasure is.
- Karaghen