The MATCH Corps is our innovative, one-of-a-kind residential tutoring program that provides more than 300 hours of tutoring yearly to each student in our school. For more information, click here, or read an interview with a current MATCH Corps Tutor below.
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Straight From the Corps |
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Yu Chen
University of Pennsylvania '10
History
High School MATCH Corps 2010-11 |
What is your background?
I was born in China, but I grew up in Boston and have lived here most of my life. I attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in May 2010 with a degree in World History.
How did you first hear about the MATCH Corps?
By October of my senior year, I realized through my experiences working at a summer high school ESL program at Tufts University during college that I really enjoyed working with kids. I had already decided to apply for other education/teaching positions with Teach For America and Citizen Schools when I saw a job posting on Penn’s employment website for the MATCH Corps. I checked out MATCH’s website and realized almost immediately that MATCH was a place I could definitely see myself committing a year of service to.
What made you decide to join the MATCH Corps?
My on-site interview turned me from a doubter to a believer. I realized very quickly that MATCH was indeed a place where the staff and faculty loved, cared deeply, and were dedicated to the students; the first thing I saw that morning as I sat waiting in the lobby was our principal Mr. Miranda shaking the hand of each of the students as they walked into the building. Not only did all the tutors, teachers, and administrators know the names of every student, I could tell that they all had genuine, authentic relationships and bonds with the kids. What ultimately sealed the deal was a very inspirational and moving YouTube video of MATCH high school juniors receiving their MCAS test scores that I watched a week later. It was difficult to adequately describe the sheer joy and elation that I saw on many of the kids’ faces; it was very easy, however, to realize that MATCH is truly a place where things get done and lives are changed.
Can you describe your typical day?
My roommates and I are notorious for sleeping in, so we usually get up pretty late relative to the rest of the Corps. If I do not have breakfast duty, I wake up around 8:00am. I check my email, grab some breakfast, and head downstairs to my first period tutorial room to put down chairs and have do-nows ready to go for my tutees. First period begins at 8:30am, and I tutor three freshmen boys in their Speech and Composition and Algebra I classes.
As part of my AmeriCorps service program, I tutor 4th graders at the Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in Roxbury, MA on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:30am to 3:00pm. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I have a prep period beginning at 10:30am and ending at noon where I will prepare for my sophomore and junior tutorials, make parent phone calls, check my students’ grades and demerit logs on PowerSchool, take a short nap (if I have time), work on my secondary duties as Operations Assistant, and eat lunch (if I do not have lunch duty).
In the afternoon, I tutor three sophomore boys in Algebra II, English 10, History 10, and Geometry for two hours. From 2 to 3pm, I tutor a group of juniors in AP US History and AP Language and Composition. The last hour of the school day is spent with my juniors either studying for the Thursday assessments or working on reading and writing skills in preparation for the SATs.
From 4:12pm to 6:15pm, I work with two other tutors to help run an underclassmen Student Intervention Program (SIP) for students who are failing one or more classes or are required to stay afterschool to complete their homework or get extra tutoring. At 6:15pm, I go back upstairs to the third floor to eat a quick dinner, log demerits for the day, call parents, and do my Operations Assistant duties. In addition to being assigned students to work with, each tutor has a secondary duty as either a TA or an administrative assistant. Working as the Operations Assistant can mean anything from writing monthly newsletters for parents, creating Excel spreadsheets for lunch check-off forms, setting up and rearranging classrooms, sorting and processing applications for the admissions lottery, and fixing and/or reporting maintenance issues.
After I am finished, I take a nap for about half an hour and head down to the gym around 8:30pm. After having to sit down in tutorial rooms for about eight hours a day, being able to work out and run is always a great way to relieve stress and recharge for me. I spend the rest of my night cooking, watching TV, leaving notes and muffins in my students’ lockers, making photocopies, grading homework, gathering my tutorial materials for the next day, and chatting with my roommates and other Corps members. By midnight I am usually in bed answering emails, doing my daily Zoomerang survey, and falling asleep.
What is the hardest part of your day?
The hardest part of the day is usually the second hour 5:15-6:15pm of my Student Intervention Program. It is dark outside, both the students and tutors are tired from a long school day, and I am about to pass out from hunger or lose my voice after tutoring for the entire day. That is probably the most difficult time of day for both my students and I to focus and get down to work.
What do you find most rewarding about MATCH Corps?
The most rewarding part of my experience thus far has been the relationships that I am able to develop with my kids and coworkers. I can honestly say that the MATCH Corps is filled with the most talented and hard-working group of individuals I have ever had the privilege of being around. These are people who are genuinely passionate about changing lives and making a difference, and just being around them inspires me every single day to do better than my best.
Working at MATCH is probably the most demanding and mentally exhausting experience I have undertaken. However, there are always so many little moments during the day- when I see my freshmen boys finally understand an algebra concept they has been struggling with, for instance- that give me the positive energy and inspiration to get through the day. It feels so fulfilling to be able to watch all of my boys learn, overcome all the challenges that confront them, and grow into mature, hard-working young men.
Can you describe the atmosphere of the school?
The atmosphere of the school is definitely one of urgency, strict discipline, and love. We truly do not have a second to waste- the task of overcoming the achievement gap and getting our kids into a position to succeed in college and beyond is far too important. On the other hand, what sets this school apart are the relationships between tutors, teachers, and students. I can safely say that every student who steps through the doors of our school has a community of caring administrators, teachers, and tutors that would do anything to help him or her to succeed.
What has been the biggest struggle you've faced this year?
The hardest part of this year has been learning to deal with failure. Most of us here at MATCH are extremely hard-working, high-achieving people who are used to succeeding in whatever pursuit that is undertaken. I, for one, was extremely frustrated at first when I realized how far behind academically some of the students were, how stacked the odds seemed against them, and how little progress was being made at times. The truth is that there is no quick fix, no silver bullet that will suddenly make everything better. The achievement gap is an unpleasant reality that is going to take a lot of self-reflection, willingness to take constructive feedback, patience, and faith to overcome. I have been learning not to beat myself up if one of my tutorials is not productive, because there is always tomorrow and always another opportunity to improve as an educator.
How would you characterize the student body?
The student background here at MATCH is almost entirely African-American or Hispanic. A significant majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Students come from a variety of places in and around Boston; many of my kids have long commutes to school every day via the train or T. They are a diverse, sassy, energetic bunch of college-bound scholars.
What are your plans for next year?
I am currently in the MATCH Teacher Residency program and plan on teaching at a No-Excuses charter school next year.
How has/does MATCH Corps prepare you for your future plans?
I plan on becoming a teacher next year, but even if I choose not to enter the education field, this year has been more than worth it. MATCH Corps has been a rare opportunity for me to become a more mature, well-rounded individual. I have learned to respond to failure not by shutting down and blaming others, but by reflecting, taking feedback constructively, and correcting my mistakes for the next day. I have learned to approach my work with a profound sense of responsibility and urgency. Getting a group of energetic teenage boys to focus definitely tests your leadership, communication skills, and ability to project an authoritative presence. Calling parents and developing relationships with them has expanded my interpersonal skills. These are all skills that are universal and can be applied in nearly any career you decide to pursue.
How does the MATCH School experience compare to your own high school experience?
I attended a very high-achieving public school in a suburb of Boston with a completely different socioeconomic background that the students at MATCH. Like MATCH, I had terrific teachers who held extremely high standards for me and pushed me every day as a student and person. Indeed, working at MATCH has allowed me to realize how lucky I was to have such demanding teachers. It may have taken me a while to realize, but my own high school teachers are my inspiration for wanting to become an educator myself.
What surprised you most about the MATCH School?
What surprised me the most how passionate my coworkers are to the success of the kids. I have never been part of a community that is so genuinely devoted to an ideal until I came to MATCH. A lot of times, when we throw around words like “passion”, “perseverance”, “courage”, or “discipline”, they become nothing more than clichés. Here at MATCH, my coworkers embody and truly live these virtues day in and day out.
You are a part of the MATCH Teacher Residency Program. Why did you choose to apply to Teacher Residency?
MTR is founded upon the same type of principles that MATCH is built upon- strict discipline, genuine, authentic relationships with kids and parents, and uncompromisingly high standards. The opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my favorite teachers in high school and become a strict, demanding, and deeply caring educator was definitely a primary reason. I ultimately chose MATCH over Teach For America because I truly believe that with the skills MTR is arming me with, I can make a significantly greater difference for my kids next year. I did not simply want to be the average, mediocre first-year teacher; I wanted to make a difference as soon as I stepped into the classroom, and I felt that MTR gave me the best opportunity to do so.
What do you like most about the Teacher Residency Program?
It is no-nonsense, demanding, but so worthwhile. I love the fact that there is so much honest, genuine feedback every session. It might be a little disappointing at first to receive poor ratings from your coach after delivering a sloppy sample lesson, but it comes with the territory of learning how to teach effectively. Our coaches do not hesitate to point out what we need to work on to become awesome first-year teachers. I always know what I can work on and improve upon in order at all times in order to become the best educator I can be.
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Past Interviews |
Yu Chen Interview
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