NSCC tutors: Doing what works to help students excel

LYNN – Robert Barr got a rude awakening when he enrolled in the University of Massachusetts: His high school mathematics grades were high enough to get him into college, but his math skills were not strong enough to handle demanding college coursework.The Lynn resident graduated with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering and made a promise to himself to help people enrolling in college hone their math skills.He has tutored students at North Shore Community College for four years and found helping students so rewarding that he now spends 29 hours a week tutoring and supplementing his income by doing electrical work.?I smile all day. I?ll run into at least three people a day at Stop and Shop or somewhere and they will say, ?Hey, I did great on my exam? or ?You really helped me,?” he said.Barr is one of 25 tutors offering a total of 6,000 tutoring sessions a year to students at North Shore?s Lynn, Beverly and Danvers campuses. Most sessions last a half hour, sometimes longer.?We have people who are very dedicated and have an expertise,” said college learning resources coordinator Tom Mahoney.Mahoney and Lynn campus tutoring coordinator Donna Mealey said tutors are available for all courses offered by the college. Most of the tutors, including Barr and Ann Firicano, drew on careers and interests to find ways to help others learn.Firicano, a Peabody resident, worked for 11 years in the state court system and traveled extensively with her husband. When he died in 2000, she “hit a brick wall” and didn?t know what to do next with her life.?My girlfriends said, ?Do something with yourself.? My doctor said, ?It?s either the rubber room or you find something to do.?”Firicano visited North Shore?s Lynn campus in April 2001, struck up a conversation with a college employee about her Spanish and Italian language skills and volunteered to tutor three days a week. She?s a self-admitted soft touch who unsuccessfully tries to hide her affection for her students with occasional tough talk.?I?ll say to them, ?That paper?s due tomorrow and you?re coming to me now?? I get a little cookoo with them but they are my babies,” she said.Firicano drew on her court experience to expand her tutoring skills to paralegal and criminal justice instruction.Mealey said college department heads work to identify areas of their courses that typically require tutoring. Every student starting at North Shore is urged to include tutoring time in their course schedule and to schedule a tutoring session in the hour or two after their toughest class.?It?s a chance to ask questions and use the resources we have on campus. Tutoring is not for people who are failing, it is for people who want to improve,” Mealey said.While some tutors are volunteers, others earn a collectively bargained wage ranging between nine dollars and $22.65 an hour depending on their academic skills and credentials. Some tutors like Firicano drew on work experience to offer tutoring while others, like Jose Rivera, are North Shore students using the skills they learned at the college to help other students.Rivera, a Lynn resident, offers students help with writing and graphic design homework. He spent part of Wednesday morning helping Rupert Crossley rewrite an eight-page paper on the American Revolution.?He?s very seasoned,” said Mealey as Crossley and Rivera quietly discussed Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.Firicano enjoys the challenge of helping students overcome different learning obstacles and develop academic strengths. Tutoring helped her fulfill a child dream of becoming a teacher.?I?m no brain – I just use whatever method works.”