Ep 70 | Homework? Tutor Me to the Rescue

SPEAKER_02 0:00

the tutors can go at whatever pace, whatever prompting that the student needs for the length of time per problem, per multiple problems. So in that way, from whatever description, it that's that feel.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

That was like one of the feedback that a student gave was the tutor stayed on with them and it was like they weren't doing it alone. So like when they did come up with another question, it was like they were right there.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. There comes a time in every parent's life where they outgrow homework. Either other younger siblings need attention, the kiddo can't explain the instructions, or let's face it, the math ain't mathing. Thankfully, there's a solution. In May of 2023, a free seven-day a week virtual tutoring service became available to all students in Escambia County. It's called Tutor Me, and my next guests are two Escambia County pros who are going to get you up to speed on how you can free yourself for good from homework tears. Passionate for Pensacola, repeat guests, Tutor Me To Some, Jin Montoya and Rashina White. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Thank you so much for having us. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

So you ladies are back for more and listeners will know you from working with the Canvas program. What's your involvement with Tutor Me? It seems like y'all are doing a lot behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Well when we came on, this is one of the programs that they said would be kind of underneath our our purview. So we we manage Canvas and then also the Tutor Me program just to make sure it's up and running and getting the word out to students and to families. So it's just part of what we were assigned to do gladly though. As we dug in at first it was like what is that? It's another thing. But we're very passionate about it because our own students are using it, our children and just knowing the tears we have I have tears in my own house and I write a lot of the assessments and things that would happen and and just the they need to hear from somebody else sometimes. And they don't need to hear from mom. They want to hear from somebody's perspective and for whatever reason we could be saying the exact same thing. It clicks when somebody else that is so interesting.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

At least it's what we've experienced right exactly well that's so fascinating because I think most parents feel that they're inadequate because they were in that grade a long time ago or maybe you know I like to pick on math sorry that because maybe math is not their thing but to know that you come from an academic background and you still have homework tiers.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Yes that was me my um son fourth grade I could do the multiplication but when asked for the partial product I was like what is that I don't I don't know how you have to break it up into a graph I was like go get on to me.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Right. Yeah it doesn't it make you wish you had something like this when you were in school yes definitely so Rashina we know it's free we know it's seven days a week how do kids access it well one is through Canvas.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Oh it is in the resource tab of Canvas and then also from the core up dashboard it's a tutor me button that they can click on.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

So yeah easy accessible so it is a it's a web based tool not an app it's both because there is an app on the phone and then they can access it from the computer.

unknown 4:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Once they access it it because it goes through that single sign on for that protection of the students. So it for them it just feels like it it's a button that they click on and then it o launches into the tutor me site so that they can then go through the process of getting on and connecting with a tutor. But it feels for them that they're going again either to the canvas or to that core dashboard that they're very familiar with, which is that landing page of all the different applications that they may use in their everyday life for school.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

So do students need a special device in order to access this or is this accessible on any device?

SPEAKER_02 4:38

It's accessible on any device. So it doesn't have to be a school issued Chromebook. It can be a laptop it can be a phone. I think obviously the when they're trying to do especially if you talk about math, there's a workspace that the kids it's virtually the tutor is working with them and it's kind of a digital space that they can do the work and show that. So having a screen maybe a little bit bigger than a phone might be helpful but they can still do it on a screen also when the kids can choose how they want to interact with the tutor because they can they don't just have to do where they see each other. If the student is comfortable with just chatting and just they want to talk through something the tutor matches them however the format the student wants to engage with them. So it's not locked in like you have to have the camera on, you have to see the tutor, you have to use that workspace if if the kid wants something a different version, they can have that too.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

That's so refreshing I'm sure there's some families that are maybe a little scarred from whatever impact the virtual learning had on them, you know, being forced into you know just the circumstances did not allow for the flexibility. So to have a product that has flexibility and allows the student even to have the agency to control is pretty cool. So when you Jen you're talking about a space you're talking about on Zoom we would call that like a whiteboard.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

That's what it kind of basically looks like. And the depending on the content, they have different versions of what the student would be looking at. So the whiteboard where they can draw and design and and put their work on there, but they have other versions based on kind of what would be expected of the need of the content that they're getting help with. So that that's helpful because it doesn't lock them into one way, especially if the kid is very visual and needing that visual support or it doesn't require to see the mathematical knowledge behind what they're doing. So again it just matches to whatever it is that the the student is indicating that they need help with.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

So it has a graph so they can have graph paper that they can graph if they need to they can also share their Google files so it can upload their Google files and they can edit directly in there if it's something that they have in there already.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Wow I could see so many really cool applications for this. So tell me if my imagination is running away from you. If not but I'm thinking about students who are battling autoimmune diseases where they have to miss a lot of class, but they're bright and they just need some of that assistance to get those assignments in so they can get through let's say a chemo treatment or something like that. Or maybe students that are maybe they have some sensory issues and so it's not becoming virtual school, but it's becoming an asset to help them get through the system of school that's not specialized for them. It's not designed for their specifications. Am I imagining things or is you aren't no that's really what they can do.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

As long as they have an assignment to work on they can match the tutor to get that that support. So if they're not in class or they were absent for any reason if they have the work they can get on and the tutor can work them with them as long as needed. There's not a time limit or or like okay 30 minutes we're done sorry we're in the middle of that problem. I mean they we have when we look at the usage data we have students that have been on 50 60 minutes with the tutor it's just until once the student says I'm done then they get off.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

And what kind of subjects are covered? So you have math, science for K through five it's just the basic subjects but they go a little bit higher so there's geometry um algebra they have biology US history so kind of in layers based on that level so the core subjects but then we know like the math in high school it's that higher level math.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

And and so when they get on they start and then it asks them to start drilling down like okay you need math help. Well what kind of math help? Basic math algebra and so again because they want to match that tutor that has that right background so that they're able to know and so they zero in on where they on they need so how are students matched to tutors?

SPEAKER_00 8:59

That I do not know that's the magic is it the algorithm is AI it's what they ask them a series of questions.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

And then in the background their inner working tutors and it looks at what they're good at what they have signed up to be a tutor with and and he we actually talked to him today he's like it's around Robin. So the next person gets matched up to as long as they have same criteria.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

That is really cool.

SPEAKER_02 9:28

So these tutors are all over the US correct they are it is a national company we have a set that are actually specifically reserved for a scambia but tutors that are available kind of what Rashina just said in that round robin if they're available and they have that background they can chime in and they can match but but we do purposely through the contract have specific reserved tutors just for a scambia so that our students aren't running into not having tutors and they've been really responsive because everyone's dealing with staffing issues. So we reached out to them because some of the parents were saying we've tried to get on basic math and they're they're saying a tutor's not available. We let them know that in the last couple weeks they are in the process of hiring 40 new tutors to make sure our needs are being met. So they're very responsive. They have to go through obviously all of our security checks and the background checks so it takes a little bit of time but when we spoke to the um gentleman our contact he said within a week they'll be ready or two weeks they'll be ready to go. So they're very wanting to make sure that kids don't run into that that they need the help but not someone's not there.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

I'm glad you said background checks because that was my other question is how do we know that these tutors are safe to be around kids want to take that one?

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Okay. So they are vetted through Tutor Me and Tutor Me actually is Umbrella GoGuardi, which is another program that we use to monitor what the kids are doing on the computer. So it's a security thing anyway but they not only look at their education so the education of the person but they are fingerprinted and they do go through the background to make sure that they can be around kids and interact with them. And also all of the sessions are recorded and they're monitored so that nothing can you know go wrong.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

So are the sessions recorded and monitored in the way that like every time I call USAA, it's recorded but they probably don't listen to every call or is this like every single call?

SPEAKER_00 11:40

No, every single call is because at from the admin side the teachers can actually go back and say okay let me see what my kids are calling in about like what are the topics that they need help with and they can actually look at those sessions to see which questions the tutor has been working with their students on.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

That's really comprehensive.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

And when we look at the dashboard we can tell because they work through the order of which they've happened when they've been reviewed and they their goal is very soon after the session that it's being reviewed by the actual company. So and then it designates we've reviewed this and that way if there is anything at any time they're they're able to jump on it right away. So that's very helpful to know that it's not just some random version on the on the call with your student. And we a lot of the feedback that we've seen that they record because they also rate each other. So the student rates the tutor and then the tutor can rate the student session. I like that. So then we can see that the feedback from whoever in that rating they can choose to give a numerical rating and also actually write in kind of how the session went with them. And so that's something else that's also monitored is what does that rating look like? And so from our perspective we get a big overall like what's the the standard rating that we're seeing and it's out of five. So we're hovering I think in for the district at like a 4.8, 4.9 of that usage that say this is really helping us.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

I could see where it would be really helping is I love that the a certain secured number of tutors are also guaranteed for the county because you you don't want to feel you don't want to you know have have your student put themselves out there. And then there's you know it's almost like you know when you find a counselor for the first time and then it's not a fit you're like wow all that emotional labor and believe you know whether we like to admit it or not, sometimes homework is emotional labor for the whole family. Yes. So does Tutor Me have any features that are outside of just homework?

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Yes. So there's a writing lab component to it where the kids can submit their writing to get feedback from the tutor. They ask about a 24 hour to get it back to them, but they give them it usually is like the first draft that the students have been done. So the student puts in the prompt, the student um uploads the writing to the writing component of Tutorme. And then the tutors will go in based on what the prompt is and the ask about the feedback. So they they do a variety of is it on topic, is it the format it right, grammatical that way then if the student does that the first round the teachers see that feedback too. It's not like that just was magical and the students put it turn it in this beautiful product on the first go round to the teacher, but it does help in thinking about for the student to kind of get some feedback before they turn it in. And then for the teacher to say this has already gone through a review process. And then the teacher can give even more feedback. So it's something that we're building it is at the the beginning stages. I think the tutor me part has really picked up we're working through some technical things as far as the way Tutorme has to receive that file and making sure that with the Chromebook usage if they're utilizing that can the students have access to be able to give them in that format. They've created a wonderful promo video for us that we're going to send out to families of in a short little four minute shot, this is what you do. So it's not like a thousand clicks or I don't know how to do that. That will be also put out for students.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

Well I like that it's in the Canvas app like already. So because I know from our last discussion that that's something that you're really trying to get parents and students on board with. So this would definitely be a wonderful incentive and the fact that it's free is great. Now if a student is using Tutorme on their tablet at home, let's say, but then they go to grandma's house where there's a PC, can they be uh logged in in both places or once you have interaction on one device, does it cause a glitch to open it up on another one?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

No, that shouldn't cause a glitch.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

It's just by session. So when they log in with one session and they log out and if even they went to grandma's house an hour later and log back in and ask for another they they could on a different device. Okay so it's easier than Netflix. Great yes they get to share their own password from device to device. But it is locked down for their single sign on. So it does prompt them that they that log in dude that they have to log in that way.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Okay I have a weird question. Okay. So in the ADHD community there's something called body doubling have you ever heard of this it's not being a stunt man as as the name implies it's simply when two people who usually both have ADHD work on a task in front of each other but they don't talk to each other. And so a lot of people will jump on Zoom and be like okay let's body double and it's like that person is working on like a writing assignment and then the other person's working on a writing assignment and everyone's on mute. No one's talking to each other but just the visual of doing that.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Somebody being in front of you to kind of keep you focused and keep you working because it's like a little bit of motivation.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Exactly is is that a thing with tutor me I don't think it's it's not a group I mean it is one-on-one.

SPEAKER_02 17:25

So the but the the having that tutor I kind of like so my daughter has ADD or ADHD and there is something about the proximity and someone with her that can walk her through the steps sometimes it's me sometimes it's definitely not me but that can really slow down the pace and re kind of redirect her and allow her through her thought process and just kind of prompt her so that if she gets lost kind of the redirection we're kind of midway through this problem. That the tutors can go at whatever pace, whatever prompting that the student needs for the length of time per problem, per multiple problems. So in that way, from what your description it that's that feel.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

That was like one of the feedback that a student gave was the tutor stayed on with them and it was like they weren't doing it alone. So like when they did come up with another question it was like they were right there. So and that was a comment from a student.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

I can really see where this would make the world a better place. I mean it sounds so dramatic but when you think about a student who struggles with schoolwork, with the homework piece especially outside of the support that's offered in a classroom and you think about how that shapes their view of themselves, right? The struggle, you know, being an ADHD person, I can tell you things that took me needed to take only 20 minutes took many hours. And it was really discouraging because it makes you feel like you're not a smart person. It's stressful on your parents um and like I said in the intro, maybe there's younger siblings that need to be cared for. So there's just not always that opportunity for a parent even if they are capable even if the kid and the parent speak the same language which we all know they pretty much all it's so encouraging that there's something like this. So um it's seven days a week and it's free, but what are the hours? 3 p.m to 10 p.m okay seven days a week and that's 3 to 10 p.m central time yes okay knowing that it's a national program I just wanted to be sure before we close is there anything else that either of you would like to share about the program or something you would want parents to know about Tutor Me?

SPEAKER_02 19:46

I think for that parents that they don't have to go through the struggle before they choose tutor me. That it is a very positive thing students can, once they find a tutor, if they have a good experience, they can request that tutor so that relationship can be built, but we don't want families to struggle. We don't want kids to to say I don't know how to do that or I and just that sense of worth that you were referring to that this program really is there to help save that struggle so that the positive culture in the home can stay positive and we can hit bedtimes on time. We can be a family and not worry about especially if parents haven't gone through that level of education or don't remember, haven't done that. And it's like they themselves that get gets to their worst I can't help my student. Well you can help your student because you can guide them to get on this and that is their you're being their advocate.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

I love that Rashina any closing thoughts no use it I send my kids to tutor me often I love it.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Well thank you ladies once again for being um fabulous pros on the show I appreciate you so much. Thank you thanks for listening be sure to subscribe and share voices united in education is a production of Scambia County Public Schools