Sam: Meriden tutor

Certified Tutor

As an educator, an individual is required to fill various different roles in order to provide students with the most effective education possible. After reflecting upon my own formative educational experiences and the teachers that left a profound impact on my thought processes and belief in myself, I realized that educating extends beyond creating an engaging lesson plan, but also includes helping students learn more about themselves in order to shape them into leaders, life-long scholars and students, as well as servicemen and women who are passionate about giving back to their respective communities. Each student has his or her own unique learning style that is determined by his or her own personal experience and backgrounds. Because of this, it is important for an educator to not only provide rudimentary knowledge enclosed in textbooks, but to also fuel them with the inspiration they need to go out and learn more about the issues facing their communities in order to use their experiential learnings to help lift others out of their experiences. For much of my early life, I grew up feeling that I had many learning disabilities and that I could not learn and think like the other kids and was dumber because of it. However, from experience, I have realized that just because you think differently, that it doesn't mean that you think "worse" than everyone else. Learning this invaluable lesson through my own experiences makes me jump at the prospect to work with other students who have gone through similar challenges to help them unleash the power they have in discovering the strength nestled within knowledge.

While I am an aspiring physician, I believe that there are many parallels between the two fields of medicine and education that would enable me to provide a unique and meaningful perspective to the classroom. Medicine demands effective education through teaching patients and their families about specific treatments, the manifestation of certain diseases, and the mechanisms of infection within specific physiological pathways. I truly began to appreciate this after interacting with my own pediatrician, who had built her own clinic from the ground-up using her knowledge, the power of education, and the strength of connection. Concerned parents entered the visiting room with coughing and crying parents and emerged with their worries assuaged and feeling more empowered knowing how to take care of their child. This considered, it is vital for every physician to become properly trained to handle these responsibilities: to be effective communicators and leaders, to dissect complex concepts into manageable chunks, and to serve as beacons of support to those seeking his or her support. This is why I want to become an educator before I embark on my medical school journey because I know that, without valuing this integral yet often disregarded facet of medicine, I will not be able to provide the best care possible to my patients. Diagnosis demands more than medicine - it requires care, attention and compassion. These skills, although may be taught in tandem with classroom lectures, can be more fully appreciated through connection and service. This is why I hope to become a Varsity Tutor in the near future: to help build connections with students through service and education as well as foster a passion for learning and academic leadership both in and out of the classroom.