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.
|
Straight From the Corps |
 |
Tim Morton
Harvard University '06
Dual Degree in Physics and Astronomy
MATCH Corps 2006-07 |
What is your background?
I'm originally from Columbus, OH and I graduated from Harvard in 2006 with a dual degree in Physics and Astronomy.
How did you first hear about the MATCH Corps?
I first heard about the MATCH Corps a few weeks after I graduated from college, searching online for a teaching-related job in Boston.
What made you decide to join the MATCH Corps?
The opportunity to be a positive mentor/role model for a small number of kids through close academic relationships with them appealed very strongly to me. In addition to helping students with their classes, I looked forward to sharing other interests of mine that may be extracurricular for them, such as my interests in science and music. I also liked the idea of living and working closely with the kind of recent college grads who would make the choice to join the MATCH Corps. And finally, having attended school in the Boston area, I wanted to stay here for another year.
Can you describe your typical day?
My schedule is not typical of most tutors' schedules, because I am one of the tutors who works closely with the seniors, which means I don't tutor any sophomores or juniors, but have extended TA responsibilities with the senior AP Calculus class.
I'll wake up by about 7:30 (except on Wednesday mornings, where I'll wake at 5:45 to play basketball at the BU gym with other staff and tutors). I'll shower, dress, and eat breakfast in time to go downstairs for first period at 8:30. Most freshmen have math tutorial first period, from 8:30-9:30, but my two freshmen are both in a sophomore math class that meets first period, so often I spend that time preparing material for calculus class. Second period (9:30-10:30), I tutor my freshmen in English, which usually involves some combination of studying vocabulary words, working on essay-writing, and talking about political, historical, or scientific topics related to the books they're currently reading.
During third period, lunch, and fourth period (10:30-1:00), I generally continue planning for calculus class, which involves talking with the teacher about how to approach the day's topics, writing daily quizzes, and figuring out what to assign for homework. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am in calculus class from 1:00-3:00 (fifth and sixth periods), where I do a combination of observing and helping the students get started with their homework. Mondays and Wednesdays during that time I help with a freshman reading class during fifth period and tutor my freshmen in math during sixth period.
Seventh period (3:00-4:00) is time to grab a breather and maybe a quick game of foosball upstairs, and to grade some homework or quizzes for calculus. I also sometimes use this time to work on my Americorps community service project, which is helping plan and organize a Science and Baseball summer camp for Boston kids at MIT. Eighth period (4:00-5:00) I go back downstairs and continue working with seniors, either in structured tutorial with just the calculus class (TTH) or in a more open-ended study-hall period (MW).
Then from 5:15-8:00 I continue to work with seniors who stay after school to work on homework, with a short break for dinner from 6:30-6:50. After work, I return to the third floor, play some more foosball or pingpong, relax a little bit, get some more grading done, maybe watch some college basketball, play some more foosball, do some pleasure reading, listen to some music, and get to bed. I'm usually asleep before midnight, unless I stay up late writing a calculus test, which happens once every few weeks.
What do you find most rewarding about MATCH Corps?
Working with my two freshmen, and seeing them excited about learning, especially learning things beyond their curricula that I sometimes get the chance to teach them during our tutorial periods. It's very exciting to see their tremendous potential for growth at this school, with so much personalized attention available.
Can you describe the atmosphere of the school?
The philosophy and values upon which the school is built-that what we do is important and that there is no time to waste-make their way into the everyday atmosphere of the school. Between classes is a hurried rush from classrooms to lockers and back in order for students to be on time for the next class, the beginnings of classes are silent as students work on their "Do-Now" assignments, and during classes students generally focus on the task at hand. Of course there are occasional exceptions to this, but any disruptions in the classroom are dealt with swiftly, and the disciplinary system is structured in such a way that each member of the staff has the authority and complete backing of the administration behind him. Among the staff there is a very collegial atmosphere, especially among the MATCH Corps, and a pervading attitude of cooperation in achieving our collective goal of providing our students with the best education possible.
What has been the biggest struggle you've faced this year?
The biggest struggle I've faced this year has been, as the AP Calculus tutor, trying to figure out how to work with Chris Dupuis, our Calculus teacher and Science chair, to adequately prepare the seniors in the calculus class for success on the AP exam. A large part of that difficulty stems from trying to make the class challenging enough to push toward 4's or 5's on the test, while not making it so challenging that the students get frustrated and give up. Connected with this is the struggle to learn how tutoring is done in a way that helps build intuition for the subject, rather than simply teach a bunch of rules to follow, and to get the students to buy into this approach, when often they don't see any motivation to be learning calculus besides to pass the class for the year. Another struggle this year has been the slow process of learning how to be an effective authority figure: trying to act so that students respect you and listen to you-but not necessarily like you all the time.
How would you characterize the student body?
The first description that comes to mind for many of the students is previously undereducated. Most of the freshmen that start out at MATCH several grade levels behind in math and English skills are behind not because of a lack of intelligence, but because of an inadequate primary education. Of course there are exceptions to this, as some students do arrive with adequate preparation, but many of the students find that the MATCH school provides their first serious academic challenge. Despite these disadvantages, most of the students embrace the opportunity to have close relationships with their tutor and teachers, care about their academic performance and MCAS scores, and buy into the idea that college is in their future. Even so, most of the students don't truly realize what being prepared for college success actually entails, which is an additional challenge facing teachers and tutors working with juniors and seniors.
What are your plans for next year?
I will be entering a Ph.D. program in Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology.
How has/does MATCH Corps prepare you for your future plans?
Before joining the MATCH Corps, I had considered eventually becoming a teacher after completing grad school. Now, I'm not sure if I'm any closer to knowing whether that will be the case, but I know I will be making a much more informed decision, having had this year of tutoring experience. And whatever I decide to do, I think the experience of struggling to learn how to be an effective authority figure will be applicable, as will the constant problem-solving and communication challenge that tutoring calculus presents.
How does the MATCH School experience compare to your own high school experience?
I went to a suburban K-12 private school for my entire primary and secondary education. My graduating class was 75 students, which makes my high school roughly twice the size of the MATCH school. It was predominantly white and affluent, which is an obvious contrast to MATCH, but there were plenty of other differences as well. Extracurricular activities such as playing sports and participating in musical ensembles, certainly less prevalent in the MATCH experience, were an integral part of my high school experience. The availability of rigorous Advanced Placement classes in grades 9-12 was much greater at my school, though MATCH does do a good job of making several such classes available to seniors, and requiring one of the juniors. All this having been said, I would say the biggest difference between the two schools is not demographic or strictly academic, but historical: my school was building on close to 90 years of tradition by the time I graduated, which contributed most significantly to there being a large percentage of long-tenured faculty: the average high school faculty member at my school had been teaching there for over 13 years by the time I graduated, with more than a few with 20+ years' experience, and several with over 30. In contrast, MATCH has existed for only seven years, and most teachers stay about 3-4 years, which means that institutional memory is much less of a factor at MATCH. This can be positive because staff can always bring fresh ideas to the table, but it also means there is not the same year-to-year stability that a more well-established school can maintain.
What surprised you most about the MATCH School?
I think what surprised me most about the MATCH School was how much it could still improve. I came into this job with a very rosy picture of the numerous successes of the school and the impression that it had solved the problem of urban education for its complement of 200+ students. However, working here I realize that despite our tremendous gains over the last few years, there is a still a long way we need to go before we can really pat ourselves on the back and say that we are giving our students the very best preparation for college that they can have. To me, that is exciting and stimulating, because it makes room for a tutor's creativity and initiative to have a place and a meaningful voice in the operation of the school, even if he is only here for one year.
Help erase the achievement gap, one student at a time. Apply Now!
|
|
Past Interviews |
Tim Morton Interview
|
|
