Finding students who excel at learning is a rather easy task in Cupertino. However, for some students — especially those in elementary school — language barriers provide obstacles that hinder them from reaching their full potential in an academic environment. Eldest, a new organization on campus, aims to assist these students by allowing high school students to share their academic talents by tutoring younger kids with language difficulties.
According to Eldest president and founder, junior Diane Chong, this tutoring program will focus on helping elementary school students who have difficulties learning in English because they either were raised in a non-fluenthousehold or recently moved here from a foreign country. These students— classified by the district as English Language Development students, or ELD students — will benefit from being tutored by high school students who can speak both their first language and English. Chong hopes that these tutoring sessions will eventually occur every day of the week for an hour after school. Each tutor will be obliged to attend only twice a week.
Chong hopes Eldest will help ELD students who speak English as a secondary or tertiary language overcome language barriers and enable them to learn effectively. Because of the surplus of languages spoken at MVHS, Chong feels that many elementary students have much to gain from studying with an Eldest tutor.
“I started it because I wanted to assist students in our local community that really needed help with something that they were lacking,” Chong said. “A lot of students in the Cupertino area are very strong in math and science related disciplines, so I wanted a target audience that could benefit students that are strong with language arts and English.”
Although the goal is to have a group of students already assembled before contacting elementary schools in order to set up tutoring programs, Chong is already considering schools such as DeBolgas, John Muir, Lakewood, and San Miguel. That being said, she is open to other suggestions as well. She hopes to first start the program in two elementary schools, and expand to others as Eldest amasses more members.
Chong plans for ELDEST to begin tutoring next semester, once enough tutors have joined.
To apply to be an Eldest tutor, fill out the application available here and email it to [email protected].
On Thursday, Dec. 13 at 4:00 P.M., a correction was made. ELDEST program has not yet applied through club commission to become and official club, and for now remains an after-school program.
