By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
While most college students spend their evenings watching lectures and catching up on homework, only a few spend their time in the trenches of elementary math.
Through Transformation Waco AfterSchool Academies, a group of Baylor students serve as power math coaches, tutoring elementary school children in Waco and helping them prepare for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness math test.
Ashley Thornton, head of the power math tutor program, said the idea of forming a charter system within Waco Independent School District was in response to its elementary and middle schools consistently performing poorly on STAAR tests.
“We knew that in order for our school system to avoid having the state come in and take over the schools — since performance scores on the tests were ranked lower in comparison to other districts in the state — that we had to establish an in-district charter school, which is now Transformation Waco,” Thornton said.
Chicago senior Jordan Camacho serves as a power math coach and said the program not only boosts students’ academic confidence for the standardized test but also helps them develop holistically.
“They all change as people throughout the year you are assigned as their coach,” Camacho said. “During my first year of tutoring, one of my scholars was quiet and shy in the beginning and very resistant to math, but eventually, by the end of the year, she could do math in her head — no pen or paper necessary. I believe that the math is a doorway to their character development.”
Camacho also said there is never a dull moment being a power math coach, given the close relationship they build with their students.
“One of my scholars would always run up to me and yell my name when I would be standing in a group of the power math tutors before the sessions began,” Camacho said. “He thought of me like a celebrity and had so much affection toward me because of the time we had spent together that year and the trust we had built.”
The power math program focuses on third, fourth, and fifth graders’ fluency with multiplying and dividing, Thornton said.
“Once they have a good handle on those basic skills, we then move on to other skills that they will run into on the STAAR exam at the end of the year,” Thornton said. “This is why we hire Baylor Federal Work Study students to work one-on-one with the elementary students — since there are so many students and so much material to cover.”
As for Baylor students interested in serving as a power math coach, Thornton said they can expect to follow a structured program, which includes an online spreadsheet showing what a student is working on and what materials are needed for the lesson that day.
“We offer two shifts a day Monday through Friday, so if a tutor works two shifts a day, then they will be working from 3:15 to 6:15 p.m., where they will meet with a total of four students,” Thornton said. “It is also pretty flexible, and we welcome volunteers to work with our young scholars as well.”
Thornton said the program also offers services to assist students in need outside of the classroom setting.
“While our focus is to give extra attention and help for our schools to get academically stronger, we also have … wrap-around services, like offering social workers on campus to aid with things outside of the classroom that might be hindering a student’s ability to pay attention in school,” Thornton said. “Another previous project was ensuring that students could get their eyes checked, and for those who needed glasses, they received them.”
For Baylor students looking to get involved with the program who aren’t interested in being a math coach, Thornton said Transformation Waco offers other avenues for service.
“We always have openings here and there,” Thornton said. “If someone is reading this story and thinks to themselves, ‘I am not a math person,’ we also have general afterschool helpers, including those who lead enrichment programs on any subject you can think of. A few years ago, we had a student who would always bring his car to the school and teach the kids about changing a tire or what the engine does. Any help is appreciated.”
