Are you struggling in math? Science? Are your English essays not up to par? Seems like a job for… MGCI Tutors!
Specializing in English, math, and science at all grade levels, MGCI Tutors is an organization aiming to help students academically. Tutors at MGCI have always existed, arranged by various teachers throughout the years. In 2016, MGCI Tutors was officially created as a formal organization, shifting from a teacher-led initiative to one run by students.
Each tutoring session takes place during spare periods or after school for $5 an hour. The fee is merely to ensure both tutees and tutors attend the session, as without the monetary incentive there were cases where either person did not show up. In March, free drop-in sessions were held for a week during lunch, which brought around twenty tutees each day.
Students interested in becoming a tutee or tutor can visit the MGCI Tutors website to fill out forms indicating their subject of interest and availability. Those seeking to become tutors will need to provide a teacher reference to verify their academic performance. Tutees and tutors can be anyone from Grade 9 to Grade 12. Last year, MGCI Tutors had around sixty tutors and twenty tutees, however this year they have an equal amount of tutors and tutees at around forty each. The change is credited by the executives to improved marketing and advertising compared to previous years.
This semester, MGCI Tutors has introduced free group study sessions, called Study Spot, held at lunch in room 112 to provide an opportunity for students to brush up on academic concepts, collaborate with other students, and allow tutors to earn volunteer hours. It was organized to give students a quiet area to work as the library is closed for the first half of lunch and the cafeteria can get quite loud. In the future, MGCI Tutors is working towards possibly expanding their services to Valley Park students.
The MGCI Tutors executive members. Image: Janet Chen.
MGCI Tutors is currently run by Grade 12 co-Presidents Helen Chen and Jenny Bai. Their staff advisor is Mr. Phambri, who they credit for providing support as well as school resources for marketing purposes. Jenny said, “Having led MGCI Tutors for three years, I’m really happy to see how far it’s come. We’ve more than doubled our clients, expanded our team, and this goes to show that students are really starting to take advantage of our service. I hope that even after I graduate, our service will continue to flourish and help the students of Marc Garneau.”
