The Race Swami Tutoring Program officially kicked off in the Spring of 2017 to serve all its children in need of academic assistance. The Enrichment Program Director, Mary Chris Finnigan, met with Swami’s amazing team of volunteer tutors to pair them up with Swami students whose parents requested the need for some special hands-on relief.
The Swami students receive free tutoring throughout the school year, meeting at the Marmalade Library and other area libraries near Rose Park. Parents accompany their swimmers while the tutor works one-on-one with each child. This program has really taken off due to its success. Best of all: the program works!
As one Swami parent put it, “what is amazing is that my daughter was hovering around D and F for a couple of quarters last school year and no hope in sight! In addition, she did not find tutors provided at her school, but then Marcus came along. By the end of the semester she received an A! Marcus (her tutor) is great!!”
Marcus, a graduate student at the University of Utah, is one of several volunteer tutors helping build Race Swami’s Enrichment Program into a force, as Mary Chris had envisioned it.
“It took us some time to get this program off the ground,” Mary Chris noted, “but we needed to get this right. We didn’t just want to offer a tutoring program, but a tutoring program that actually supports our kids and gives them essential tools to be successful. So having a definitive plan, and the right blend of enthusiastic tutors was integral. I think we’ve got those components working really well now. Our kids’ grades have gone up. So we’re very pleased with that —and it tells us it’s working.”
Marcus has certainly enjoyed his time serving as a tutor, specializing in helping the Swamis’ improve their math skills. “Tutoring for Race Swami has been a great way for me to give back to kids in Salt Lake,” he said. “Not only have I seen students improve their math skills, but we’ve also seen them become more comfortable in school and confident in their abilities. Showing these kids that math can be enjoyable, and watching them take off from there, has been a very fun and rewarding experience.”
Besides offering math assistance, the other most sought after subject for tutoring has been Spanish. If you’re interested in tutoring, please contact us.