Community Voices
Schoolhouse Stories
Schoolhouse.world is a non-profit whose mission is to connect the world through learning. Hear from our community about what Schoolhouse means to them!
Inspired by our internet neighbor, Khan AcademyThe Learner behind the Tutor
Jul 1, 2024Like many tutors on schoolhouse, I initially joined earlier this year to host SAT bootcamps. I don't think I realized at the time how much I would grow to love it. I remember being extremely nervous before my first session, as I was worried I wouldn't be able to make myself understandable to my learners. While I'd always been fairly comfortable communicating in writing, speaking aloud was something I had more difficulties with. But the schoolhouse community was so overwhelmingly welcoming, its members friendly and understanding. I quickly realized that the culture of schoolhouse, amongst tutors and learners alike, was one of collaboration and unity. Everyone worked together to solve problems, to give constructive feedback, and to help the newer members of the community adjust to the environment. I met some of the most amazing people, in all senses of the word. These people were abundant in their kindness, excited to share their knowledge and overall crucial members of the schoolhouse family. As I became increasingly confident in my abilities to take the lead, I decided I wanted to explore other parts of the schoolhouse platform. I was particularly drawn to chemistry, a subject I'd taken at AP level that same school year, and been a little obsessed with ever since. With my mind lingering on the topic after the AP exam, I took the time to get certified- maybe a little too much time, as I wanted to revisit most of the units to make sure I had a good recollection of the material, as well as I genuinely enjoyed doing the practice. I was thrilled to begin hosting chemistry sessions. What I loved most was getting to teach AND learn at the same time. I tutored learners who had hardly taken a single chemistry class, were unfamiliar with much of the terminology, and some who hardly spoke english. But it was these same learners that talked to me about experiments they'd conducted in their own homes, shared surprising real world applications of the material, and who connected chemistry to other subjects and used it to explain everyday happenings. It was the learners who made me stop to think critically, often times posing unexpected research questions or abstract hypotheticals. Discussions like these drove me to search more, to look more deeply into topics I'd thought I'd mastered before, but was now questioning my understanding of. If someone asked what schoolhouse did for me, this is what I would say: it taught me that even as a tutor, I would always be a learner, and that I would always have a place to be welcomed as both.
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Sofia R
From Being Hesitant to Being Confident
Jun 3, 2024I've been a tutor at SHW for about 3 years now. I haven't been hosting sessions recently because I had to attend tons of classes in my final years of high school. But now that school's over and I'm heading off to medical school, I've decided to come right back to this amazing community, because why not? I remember being enthralled when my dad sent me a LinkedIn post about SHW a few years ago. Free sessions? I'm in!! To be honest, I never really thought I would enjoy it as much as I did. A few days in and I was impressed by the friendly, helpful tutors and the quality of their teaching. I used to join SAT sessions at weird timings because it wasn't always possible for tutors to match timings in my country. Was I kind of sleepy? Yes. Did I love it anyway? Also, yes!! I was an introvert back then and I hated speaking in front of strangers. When my mom noticed I was being hesitant to get a certification, she tried her best to encourage me. In addition to this, I got a lot of support watching new tutors share the struggles they faced. I decided to give it a go and bam! Got certified in a day and hosted my first session. The first 'Super Helpful' and positive feedback got me elated. I met people from different places and it was so much fun! I then decided to join the Audit team. I wasn't really confident but I remember how Mariah sent me an encouraging message right after my first attempt at auditing. SHW really made me a more confident person. When my interviewers for medical colleges asked me about my volunteering experience, I didn't just tell them how I helped out learners, but also how learners helped me grow as a person and how I made tons of friends! Not only is SHW a perfect opportunity to volunteer, it provides a thrilling and wholesome experience.
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Hafizah N
The Wonders of Teaching
Jun 15, 2024Teaching something is the true way of mastering it. I had taken a few SATs before June 1, with my highest score being a 1490. I then decided to host an SAT Reading and Writing Bootcamp to help others improve their scores, and to master some of the concepts myself. This must have worked, because the next time I took the SAT, I scored a 1540. I attribute this completely to the lessons I learnt tutoring here on Schoolhouse. It is a truly magical experience!
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Aditya A
Learn With Confidence
May 16, 2024Are you afraid of making mistakes while learning? It's okay on Schoolhouse! As some people say and I quote, "You can't learn without mistakes." This is my version of the quote. Once you make a mistake, your brain tries to remember how that happened and then it does its best to avoid doing it again. And doing that on Schoolhouse is awesome! I am a tutor and a learner here on Schoolhouse, and I have fun every time I'm learning or tutoring because we always make mistakes and we learn from them. "The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.", Stephen M
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Kevin R
The start of my chance
Jun 5, 2024This June 1st was not only my first SAT ever but also the outcome of all the experiences I've passed through at Scholhouse since Feb/24. I started from almost zero to prepare for the sat, first with Khan Academy and then schoolhouse as main resources. On the path, I meet such a great tutor as Abdelrahman (serie : CRACK THE DSAT), along with a rich community of students and passionate contributors who, through their creative series, posts, and even questions, have engaged this environment of constant learning. For me, this SAT was the chance to get to know different people with different backgrounds and likes, find cool "series/courses" about the topics I'm interested in, and have the opportunity to do something meaningful with what I already know.
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Siom P
An Opportunity to Make Change
May 13, 2024I had a learner I reached out to who said she was struggling with turning in assignments for the specific subject, but she wouldn't let me help her. The next day, she told me she was going to delete her account because she didn't like the platform. I told her how to delete her account because she asked, but once again offered to enter a session with her. She agreed and were in a session for 30 minutes working on subject related work. The day after that, she told me she was still going to delete because she was "shy and not smart." Through heavy convincing, I was able to get her to agree to a 90 minute session and taught her core fundamentals in the subject that she had missed. Over the session, I saw so much growth and development in her as a learner. But still, after this, she said she was going to delete, so I told her goodbye. But just an hour later, she returned and said exactly this: "I just wanted to tell u that I am sorry abt how I acted and I want to keep this and get my grades up i love u tutoring me and I hope that u could do It more oftain!!!! thank u so much ur the best tutor!!!" The learner is going on a vacation for two weeks, but after then, we hope to resume working on subject matters. I wanted to say thank you so much Schoolhouse for giving me the opportunity to make a change and impact in someone else's life, and for giving me the chance to make a difference, which really made my day!
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Amanda O
What Learners Have To Say About Sessions
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