Last week, I wrote an article that was published in the paper discussing course additions being added to the Franklin High School course guide. The article went on to say that many of the Franklin City Public Schools School Board members questioned the course titled “Tutoring Practicum.”

I do not agree with the fact that these courses were added to the course guide before being presented to the board. However, I do believe this course can benefit many students.

I took a class very similar to this when I was in high school. In fact, I took it during my 10th, 11th and 12th grade years. The course allowed me to be a mentor to younger students and tutor them in classes that they were struggling in and that I had already passed.

The course description that was presented to the board regarding the “Tutoring Practicum” stated that “this course is also designed to improve student communication and active listening skills while enhancing the opportunity for students to develop proficiency in organization, diagnosis, problem-solving and articulating experience.”

I would have to say that the course I took like this did exactly that. I also feel that it helped me prepare for college.

I can at least speak for Longwood University and my experience there, that whenever I went to tutoring, the tutor was an upper-level student. The class I had taken in school helped me already be used to this type of tutoring and this type of atmosphere.

Also, the class gave you more responsibility than a regular class would. I was responsible for coming up with ways to explain the lessons, while the student I was tutoring was responsible for listening and coming up with questions. We were both responsible for staying organized because although there was a teacher who over saw the class, that teacher didn’t keep tabs on whether or not we were keeping up with materials.

This also gave the tutee more time to review lessons, than they would if they were being tutored by the teacher once a week.

I believe that this course is great for those students who may be struggling in a class, or those who did well in particular classes and are planning on furthering their education after high school. It helps bridge the very, very large gap that is between high-school-leveled courses and college-leveled courses.

REBECCA CHAPPELL is a staff writer at The Tidewater News. She can be contacted at 562-3187 or rebecca.chappell@tidewaternews.com