Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, November 09, 2009

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At Lafayette High, the International Tutoring Club provides academic and social support.

For Lafayette High School students whose first language is not English, the International Tutoring Club is opening doors to academic success and new friendships.

“A lot of it is social. They end up as close buddies,” said Kathryn Chastain Leon, the Youth Services Center director at Lafayette. She coordinates the club along with Tim Mitsumori, an English/ESL teacher. “We’re trying to create a positive group for them to identify with.”

The club is like a big family for ESL students, said Chi Huang-Schilling, who moved to Lexington from China.

The 5-year-old organization is mainly for those who speak English as a second language or whose families predominantly use their native language at home. In addition to academic support, it provides healthy after-school options for the diverse students at Lafayette.

“Tim and I are great partners because he’s a dreamer and I’m the logistical person,” said Chastain Leon. The pair secured a grant of more than $24,000 from the Kentucky Department of Education for this year’s tutoring and extracurricular activities.

Initially, the program offered academic help two afternoons a week. This year it also includes “club day” two Fridays a month, featuring guest speakers, team-building exercises, drug/alcohol education and such. Field trips are also in the works, to places like the art museum in Cincinnati and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. Outreach activities are also planned for families, including a lesson on accessing Infinite Campus, a tour of the school, a chance to meet teachers and a session on Facebook and texting issues.

Many newcomers to the club simply welcome the opportunity to practice their English in a nonthreatening environment, Chi said, noting, “They can feel comfortable because we’re on the same level.”

As of late October, about 65 students had attended a club meeting at least once this fall – among them Gio Maldonado and Eduardo Vazquez. Last year, there were 1,093 tutoring contacts for the 88 students who participated in the club at one time or another.

“I’ve made new friends there,” said Eduardo, a freshman who left Mexico about six years ago.

The International Tutoring Club has also helped him establish good work habits. “Before, I didn’t do my homework and got bad grades,” he admitted.

His experience is reinforced by feedback from other students:

• 77 percent of participants responded on surveys that tutoring helped them finish their homework.
• 67 percent indicated their grades went up because of the tutoring.
• 60 percent said the tutoring made a difference in their grades.

Gio, a sophomore, had one explanation. “When I get home, I procrastinate. If I stay after school, I feel like I can do some work,” he said.

While Gio was born in the United States, his family is from Honduras and still speaks mostly Spanish at home. In the International Tutoring Club, he decided to branch out and study Japanese.

“These kids come from a lot of cultures, and I can learn about them,” he said, describing another benefit of the club.

Some members like Chi have also started giving back as tutors themselves.

“I barely spoke good English, so I needed help with my homework. Mr. Mitsumori helped me a lot before, so I want to help him now,” said Chi, a junior who joined the club three years ago. “There are students from all over the world, so it’s hard to communicate. The tutors need a positive attitude and have to be patient and talk slowly until they understand what you say.”

In addition to assisting the international students with class work, Mitsumori tries to steer them toward wise choices.

“They start looking for companionship. They’re lonely. They get together with other kids who are like them, and that can be channeled to something good if they have good mentors around them,” he said.