Reach one, teach one.....

          It’s my first semester in college and I have scored low on the math placement test. As a result, I’m required to enroll in RCAM 105. You’ve probably never heard of it and wondering exactly what it is.  Well, it is the Sumter campus remedial math course that helps prepare students for college math. As I am sitting in class, feeling somewhat ashamed, I begin to wonder how did I regressed so much in math?  In high school, I was the student who always excelled but now I am taking a remedial math class!  Oh well. Let’s make the best of it, knock the rust off, and earn the credits.  How bad can it be?

          RCAM 105 begins with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and I effortlessly coast through the first chapter. Next, we begin chapters where simple math isn’t the solution and certain rules must be obeyed in order to get the correct answer.  Here is where I found out that if you fail to follow the rules exactly, you could get an answer, just not the right one.  After countless hours of practicing math, I have a full grasp of the rules and proper steps in order to get the right answer in any given problem.  Needless to say, I passed the course and felt ready to take on the world of college math.

          In the Fall of 2014, I went to the financial aid office and inquired about available work study.  I was informed that there was one position that no student seemed to want.  It was the Sumter County Adult Education Center.  I previously mentioned how I was assigned to the South Sumter Resource Center and my schedule was as follows:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 to 1 pm, Tuesday and Thursday 1-5 pm.  During these times, I was able to contribute to the YouthBuild program and interact with the students. 

          First day on the job, I walked into a classroom with roughly 15 YouthBuild students and 10 regular adult education students.  Each student is at different education level and some students needs more attention than others.  A teacher and teacher’s aide aren’t enough to provide a service to the students so I am immediately welcomed and was told to take a group over to the next classroom[OA5] . It was explained to me that this group needs one on one tutoring.  They were falling behind and prohibiting the teacher from moving forward with her lesson plans. Talk about a rough first day!  They never asked if I knew the information and fortunately I was seasoned in the areas they were struggling.  I utilized the online program we used in the classroom to provide examples of problems as we went through each step together. After an hour of practice, the students were released break and the adult education teacher came in to check on me with me.  I showed her what we were doing and how I was utilizing the program to get examples of problems for us to do as a group.  She smiled and made the remark that “USC Sumter is still equipping our future leaders with all the tools to be successful.  Continue tutoring and when I felt they were ready, send them come back to class”.  I won’t tell you that everyone passed that portion that day but it was just the beginning as I became known as the go to guy for math related problems. 

          After the students were dismissed from class I was able to embrace the moment.  I was thrown into the ‘pit’ on day 1 and based off the information learned in RCAM 105, I was able to tutor students how to work out problems.  I continued being a tutor for adult education until the end of my work study commitment and extended myself to several students who I saw the passion to succeed.  Those skills learned in RCAM assisted me in higher level math classes and also assist my daughter with her math.  She wasn’t comprehending the way the teacher was instructing them. She made a 100 on her next test based off the way I showed her so that was more than enough gratification for RCAM to me.