By Michael Rubinson
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Two professors at Camden County College will hold a peer tutoring workshop April 4 to get students to seek help outside the classroom.
Students prepare for an upcoming exam. A workshop April 4 will encourage students to help one another with their studies. By Michael Rubinson, CCC Journalism Program
Many young students attending CCC will tell you they are capable of handling their workload with little help, but that isn’t the case. Maura Pomante, a sophomore, explains what many of her friends truly feel, “I mean, I know I could probably use extra help in my class, and I know my friends think the same, but it’s CCC, I don’t really put my full effort into these classes sometimes, ha ha.”
So is this how most students view their workload here? Just a quick step into the real world of college that doesn’t require the full amount of effort? When asked this question, one of the professors who will hold the workshop, Ellen Hernandez, responded quickly, “I don’t want to think students view this college that way, but it seems like it, that’s why Elise (Favilla) and I felt the need to hold this workshop, to give students the encouragement to go that extra mile.” Hernandez and Favilla came together to conduct this workshop after discussing the lack of interest their students have in any type of extra classwork.
There is another aspect to Favilla and Hernandez’s attempt to aid students, simply getting the room. Favilla stated, “We were quite lucky to get the space for this workshop, with all of the cutbacks recently, the school doesn’t always grant these extra activities.”
So what are ways that students can get into the good habit of helping one another outside of class? Hernandez gives a few suggestions, “Just gain a few friends in a certain class and suggest you meet 15 minutes before class to go over notes, even that little bit of reinforcement can help quite a bit.” Since many students get to class early anyway, they can take advantage of that suggestion.
The extra effort can pay off. Getting good grades at CCC can help when students apply to four-year institutions and can lead to scholarships and financial aid.
The peer tutoring workshop will take place from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. April 4 in Room 354 in the Connector Building on the Blackwood campus.
