The Tutor.com Blog

For Mother’s Day we wanted to celebrate our favorite mothers from some of our favorite books. Upon investigating we found it a bit trickier than expected. Many of the books we’ve read either had a non-existent or negative mother figure featured. So we decided to bring in the experts. We got on the phone with high school English Teacher, Ms. Elliot, who also happens to be the mother of our Library Marketing Manager, Lily Scholz. After brainstorming for a few minutes, the ideas started flowing. Check out or top five mothers from literature below!

Margaret “Marmee” March from Little Women
Life would be stressful for the mother of any four girls, add on top of that a husband who is often away and a temper, and it would take a strong women to remain generous and kind. But that is just what Marmee did as she guided her girls through adolescence and into adulthood. She shaped their morals and provided a charitable example for them to follow.

Katie Rommely Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Despite the poverty her family lived in, Katie was not only able to become the family breadwinner but also tried hard to provide a positive childhood for her kids. While she wasn’t without her own flaws, she was determined to put her children first and worked as hard as she could to provide a better life for her family.

Angela McCourt from Angela’s Ashes
Life was tough for Angela in many ways, yet she often refused to give up hope on her family. An alcoholic husband, the death of children, and extreme poverty, all threatened to kill her spirit but she tried relentlessly to carry on and provide any hope she could for her eldest son, Frank.

Lily Potter from the Harry Potter Series
It was hard to choose between Lily Potter and Mrs. Weasley, but it’s hard to top a mother who shielded her son with her life from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Protecting her son remained Lily’s priority until her final moments. And while she died when her son, Harry, was just a baby, her loved lived on for much longer.

Ma Joad from Grapes of Wrath
One of the greatest things a mother could do is lead by example. And the example Ma Joad set was one of strength and determination. As a family they faced many obstacles but she would not let that deter them. Seen as the backbone of the family, she was consistently able to remain warm in a cold world.

Happy Mother’s Day and a special Mother’s Day shout out to Ms. Elliot!

One of the great things about the holiday season is the spirit of giving it brings out in so many people. It’s a time where we can all be thankful for what we have and are glad to lend a helping hand or some holiday cheer.  We’re lucky enough to work with people who carry that spirit with them throughout the whole year. Learn more about the work they do below!

TEAM X-T.R.E.M.E.
We’ve written about the amazing work that this organization has done before, but one of the wonderful things about TEAM X-T.R.E.M.E. is how dedicated they are to their mission of honoring and empowering wounded veterans. From participating in the Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico, to honoring a wounded warrior and his family in Hawaii, the team goes full force in everything they do. We are proud that one of our own team members, Military Families Client Services Manager Meg Sauvé, is an active and integral part of this certified awesome group. And this year, to show their support,  fellow Tutor.com members Pamela Brehm and Ty Woolfolk joined Meg and Team X-T.R.E.M.E. to distribute Christmas packs to Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed.

Movember
Charity can come in many forms. You can make a monetary donation, you can organize an event, but sometimes the best option might be to grow a mustache. Movember started in Australia in 2004 to foster discussions and raise funds towards prostate and testicular cancer research initiatives. When our Creative Services Director, Duane Romanell, took the initiative to create the Tutor.comb group we were excited. And when three more Tutor.com team members joined, we were thrilled. Together they were able to raise over $800 and grow four fantastic ‘staches.

Gifts for the Homeless
Sometimes the people who need the most help are the ones within your own community. Our SVP & General Manager, Bart Epstein, lends his expertise and giving spirit to the Washington D.C. based organization Gifts for the Homeless. A wholly volunteer-run organization, GFTH brings together over 300 volunteers every year to help out during their annual clothing drive. Each year they are able to donate clothing to over 70 shelters, soup kitchens and transitional homes. The great work they are doing is making waves as they’ve recently been featured on NBC 4’s 12 Days of Giving segment. Check it out below!

What’s your favorite way to give back?

We here at Tutor.com are thankful for every talented tutor and every hopeful student who logs on to our service every single day of the week to create hundreds of thousands of moments of learning! It is quite extraordinary!

Read on to see what else members of the Tutor.com Team is thankful for this year!

And a big thanks to Evelyn Sullivan, Tutor.com Onboarding Manager, for her work in putting the above post and graphics together!

We may not remember every chemistry lecture from high school, but we could never erase the memory of our 10th grade chemistry teachers dancing around the classroom in a frenetic “Mole Day Dance.”

What’s Mole Day? Every October 23rd, we celebrate the “mole.” Not the furry creature, but the term an Italian scientist named Amedeo Avogadro coined in 1811. The mole, sometimes called Avogadro’s Number, is a unit of measurement used in chemistry.

To celebrate, we put together a selection of mole jokes. It’s brightened our day, and kept (most of us) from breaking out in embarrassing dances.

Q: What did Avogadro teach his students in math class?
A: Moletiplication

Q: What kind of fruit did Avogadro eat in the summer?
A: Watermolens

Q: Why was there only one Avogadro?
A: When they made him, they broke the Moled

Q: What kept Avogadro in bed for two months?
A: Moleonucleosis

Q: What line from Shakespeare do high school moles have to memorize?
A: “To mole or not to mole, this is the question.”

Q: What did Avogadro invent for his wife to use as a night cream?
A: Oil of Molay

Q: How much does Avogadro exaggerate?
A: He makes mountains out of mole hills

Q: What element do moles love to study in chemistry?
A: Molybdenum

Have a mole day joke you’d like to share? Post it in the comments section below!

We are constantly impressed with the kids we encounter on a day to day basis. Whether they are taking the initiative to figure out tonight’s homework in a Tutor.com session, being awesomely creative by producing mock-movie trailers, or winning awards by bringing us a step closer to curing cancer. They are all inspiring in their own way and we know they are headed for great things. That’s why we’re so excited to highlight International Youth Day which takes place this Sunday, August 12^th.

We’ve gathered a few resources below that encourage teens to get involved, get passionate, and make changes in their communities. Check them out and let us know how it works out!

DoSomething.org – This organization is passionate about teens. They believe they have the power to lead and do great things independently. DoSomething does many campaigns every year that range from encouraging recycling in your community to ending bullying at your school. If you’re passionate about a cause Do Something will have the resources to help you get started. They are giving away $600,000 in grants for teen projects in 2012!

NationalPublicLandsDay.org – National Public Lands Day is our nation’s largest volunteer event held over a single day. If you are passionate about the environment and want to put in some work at the parks around you then this is the site to check out. From clean-up to planting new flowers, there are events happening at sites across the country. Search your home zip code to find the closest event to you.

Social.un.org – Want to get involved but not quite sure how to start? The UN is hosting International Youth Day 2012 Google+Hangouts. You can learn about different issues that range from citizenship, to education, to employment issues. Stop by the hangout see what is being said and maybe you’ll be inspired!

What are you doing to build a better tomorrow?

Today is Flag Day! Not totally sure what it is we are celebrating? Check out the graphic below for some interesting flag facts and find out the reason it’s celebrated on June 14th.

Did we miss any fun flag facts? Let us know in the comments section below!

Memorial Day Weekend here in New York City promises to be full of sunshine and blue skies. While many of us will be enjoying the rites of the unofficial summer kick-off, we will more importantly take time to remember and honor the many men, women and children who have served our country.

It has been our pleasure and our privilege to provide military families access to academic tutoring for the past five years. We’ve been guests on bases from North Carolina to Hawaii and we’ve met hundreds of service members, spouses and children. Their stories stay with us and teach us what it means to be part of a military family in this new century. The joy expressed when a family learns that their dad/husband will unexpectedly be home for the holidays after a year of deployment; the pride in a sixteen year-old’s voice when he describes his father and how he’ll soon follow in his footsteps; the resourcefulness of spouses who support one another throughout deployments and returns; the unsung National Guard and Reservists who live in our communities before being called to serve.

We’ve interviewed quite a few students in military families over the last year and each one was more impressive than the last. Finally, we asked Joe Barron what it was about military families that create such focused students. “All military kids are proud of their parents. We are so proud of our family and we never want to let them down. We want to make them proud,” explained Joe.

This Memorial Day tell a military family member how proud you are of them. Go to our Military Families Facebook page and share the above red, white and blue Thank You note.

Whether they are out saving the world or at home managing the household, mothers always seem to know best. And what’s best can be anything from getting a batch of cookies sent to your office, a much needed hug, or getting homework help from the right place. So this year we are celebrating Mother’s Day by sharing some of the Tutor.com student comments that showcase that relationship. They may not always be experts in math and science, but moms are always willing to try and lend a helping hand. All quotes are unedited.

“thank you so much. My mother and I really appreciate for what you’ve done!!!!! Keep up the good work ,Tutor.com!!!!!”

“The tutor helped me to figure out a math problem that my mom and I were both stuck on. This service is great, and I’m so happy that Stephanie could help me with the problem.”

“My mom and I love this website.  She has been telling everyone about it.  We have used is quite a few times.  She says she hopes it will still be offered as my sister gets older!!!   Thank you very much for the help you give!!”

“this was great i’ll tell all my friends about this. My mom will be proud on report card confereces”

“this is the best site i have ever used, my mom thinks its unbelievable…we owe  you chocolate ”

“this service is great now my mom was right”

And sometimes, we are lucky enough to hear from mom herself.

“This service helped my daughter enjoy her Math assignment.  She will deffinately be back again for more tutring.  Thanks, O’s Mom.”

“Thank you for offering this program!! I’m a mother and so out of tune with this school work. I use it to help my son and at the same time I can help myself.”

“I am a mom who uses this service to talk out issues I don’t understand so I can help my kids.  Thank you so much!”

“My sons are both GATE students and we have used tutor help with a couple of math problems that have stumped us.  It’s a great service and one that I hope the library can continue to offer.  It’s a wonderful service that empowers students to think about their resources when trying to solve problems.  Plus, as a parent, the Tutor Help reduces the friction between mom/dad and child when we’re trying to help our kids.  Thank you! Thank you!”

“This site is amazing.  I am a 40 yr old mom and I have no clue on alot of this stuff.  It has helped me to help my daughter immensely.  Thank you. My tutor was awesome and patient!”

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?

The National Education Association summed it up nicely in their #thankateacher sample tweets: “if you can write your name, if you can read, and if you followed your dream, then there is a teacher you can thank.” From the simplest tasks to the most complicated concepts, teachers are there to help us learn.  And often that can go unnoticed. So today, along with thousands of others, we are celebrating all the things teachers have done for us!

I’d like to thank my dad, Ed Sobanski. I never had him as a teacher in a classroom, but he taught Math for over 30 years and would sometimes help me with my homework. Thanks to him I always had an appreciation of Math and saw learning as a fun game rather than a challenge. Thanks, Dad! – Evelyn Sullivan, Onboarding Manager

I’ll always remember Bill McCandless, Honors English Literature Teacher, 11^th grade, South Lake High School.  Mr. McCandless helped all of us see past the sometimes difficult vernacular of Shakespeare’s plays, showing the true drama and humor inherent in Shakespeare classics such as Macbeth and Hamlet.  I can still recall his explanation of just exactly how “Birnam Wood did come to Dunsinane Hill.” He also helped me realize that I needed to broaden my tastes and start reading outside of the genres that I usually chose back then.  From across a veritable gulf of years, a shout out to Mr. McCandless!! – Tom Squillace, Sales Director

Mrs. JoAnn Puleo (11th and 12th grade: Commercial Art & Photography). It’s because of her that I do what I do, and I love what I do. – Duane Romanell, Creative Services Director

My sister, Betsy Schrage (5^th Grade – Oxford, MI). Thank you for putting your heart and soul into teaching students about the values of teamwork and maintaining an open-mind.  Your kids are going to be world travelers and thought leaders thanks to the year they spent with you. – Steve Schrage, Marketing Coordinator – Military & Federal

My favorite teacher was Kathleen Depres. Not only was I lucky enough to have her as my fourth grade teacher, but she was my sixth grade teacher as well when she decided to leave the elementary school soon after I did.    What I remember most about her was her sense of adventure and curiosity. She loved to travel the world and explore new cultures. After every school vacation, she would bring us back tales of her adventures that she would craftily weave into the day’s grade school lessons. Because of that, I want to say thank you Ms. Depres for passing on to me your passion for learning as well as an amazing sense of adventure that still burns within. – Linda Gordon, K12 Trainer

Which teacher would you like to thank?

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.” – Dr. Seuss

It’s no secret that we love a good book. Our monthly book club posts prove that. So since today marks NEA’s annual reading program, Read Across America, as well as Dr. Seuss’s birthday we wanted to join in on the fun! This week we surveyed the Tutor.com team to find out what everyone’s favorite book was as a child. From a treasure island to enchanted forests, each and every one of these inspired our imagination to travel just about anywhere from the comfort of home.

My favorite book was I am a Bunny by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1963). I made my parents read it to me so many times that I memorized the words and would then “read” it to them. – Matthew O’Connor, Technical Support Engineer

My all-time favorite reads as a kid was Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever. It was nearly 300 pages, and filled with short stories, rhymes, poems, fables, and classic tales “acted out” by animals. I loved lying in bed, examining the illustrations and smiling at the mischief the characters would get in to as they navigated the airport or went fishing or made their way around town. The story “I Am A Bunny” is so Zen-like in its nature it will most likely turn your child into a Buddhist! I loved this book so much that I kept it into my adult years, and now my own kids appreciate it. – Duane Romanell, Creative Services Director

I liked the Hardy Boys Mystery Books as a kid. These books began for me a lifelong love of the mystery book genre.  – Sandi White, VP & General Manager: Institutional Solutions

Treasure Island. I remember how –at the time- I was mesmerized by the vivid description of the characters and was actually able to picture someone with a wooden leg being completely functional –and mean- and to top it all off, have a talking parrot on his shoulders. – Cesar Flores, Accounting

It was hard to narrow down the list to just one favorite! One book I remember in particular was a gift from my father when I was about 8 years old: The Indian in the Cupboard. I was lucky that my parents instilled a love of reading in me early on, but I remember this book because my dad brought it home one random Saturday after we’d just moved into a new house. I didn’t yet have any friends in the neighborhood and I was not enjoying the process of unpacking. After he gave me the book I remember spending the rest of the weekend reading in my new bedroom. It was such a great adventure story for a little girl who had moved to a new country—again—and needed an escape from reality, if only for a couple of days.  - Pamela Brehm, Senior Outreach Manager

My favorite book as a child was the Enchanted Woods series (the others were called The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree).  I loved these books because my mum used to red them to me and I used to imagine myself in the book…. I loved bed time because of it! – Cardine Caffery, Graphic Designer

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was my favorite book! – Kelly Adams, Mentor Manager

My favorite book was Tuttle’s Shell by Sal Murdocca. It’s about a turtle, named Tuttle, who loses his shell when he takes it off to have a swim. He later finds Louis the Rat wearing it around town and Tuttle has to prove that the shell is really his. I loved this book because Tuttle had to use his wits to get out of a tricky spot! I also remember the illustrations were fantastic and really enhanced the sense of character. I just saw that they have the edition I grew up with available on Amazon. I just might buy it for my nephew! – Evelyn Sullivan, Onboarding Manager

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  I remember being captivated by the pictures and story and made my parents read it to me over and over. – Brad Williams, Director of Higher Education Sales

Where the Wild Things Are, because we are all wild things at heart. – Lily Scholz, Marketing Manager

What was your favorite book as a kid? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! One of our favorite things about February 14^th is that it seems to put a smile on your face and fill you with warmth. Here’s something else that puts a smile on our face, comments left from the students using Tutor.com that tell us how much they “love” the service.  Check them out below and share the love!

• I love the one on one attetion and the patience to teach until I understand.
• I LOVE THIS SITE!!! I HAVE IMPROVED SOO MUCH!!! I AM SOO GLAD IT IS FREE!!! MUAH!!! BEST SITE EVER!!!
• I really love this site because it helps me fully understand what i have to do for my math problems. I will definitly tell my other friends about this site!!!!!
• i just love it !! <3
• <3333333333 x 3billion! I just got off a horrible case of strep throat and missed 4 days of my math class. When I got back we were going over 3 new sections and had a quiz tomorrow! I tried to review with my teacher but I didn’t have enough time.. I was scared to death of losing my A in the class. Now I am not scared this was a great experience! I feel prepared and I am ready to ace my quiz!
• I now LOVE this site its such a BIG help and I will surely have my little sister logging on here .
• I <3 Tutor.com
• I loved the way my tutor helped me with my questions. She had patience, and knew the right way to explain it to me, and I got it right away. I love tutor.com <3
• LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! <33

This season we asked students for help so that we could help others. For our Annual Holiday Giving Program, we ask students to vote for one of three worthy charities that help students or are run by students. This year more than 650 students participated and voted for their favorite organization. They also shared why they were choosing the specific not-for-profit.  We loved reading their comments and hope you will too!

We are glad to be celebrating the holidays by donating to all three organizations– My Stuff Bags, Communities in Schools and Net Literacy.

Happy holidays from the  Tutor.com team!

My Stuff Bags – When children are rescued from abuse and neglect or if they need to flee with a parent to a shelter, they often leave with little more than the clothes on their backs. My Stuff Bags Foundation provides these children individual duffels filled with toys, books, clothes and other personal items for them to do and hold close during a difficult time.

“When peole like that leave they think about how they can feed themselves or their children and with this charity they can help encourage more people to leave that situation knowing they will be helped out.”

“I choose this charity because it’s sad to think many children don’t have enough to wear or take to school to complete their classes with success. This charity is wonderful and it makes me realize how fortunate I am. I hope these kids will live a better life due to this phenomnal charity.”

“Ive never heard of them b4 put they sound like a good foundation. When I grow up I will donate to this foundation(: thanks for introducing this amazing foundation to me(:”

“I think that if people are given something to hold onto in a harsh time of need such as that their whole life will be impacted positively because they will have more hope and compassion for the world instead of a cynical view.”

“I know these children go through difficult, life changing experiences. Putting a smile on a child’s face this holiday season is beyond amazing.”

Communities in Schools – Currently working with more than 1 million young people in the US, Communities In Schools provides students with a network of support in order to empower them to stay in school, to graduate and to go on to bright futures.

“I chose this because we need kids to stay in school and graduate so they will have a good career when they get older.  we should anything and everything possible to keep kids in school”

“I feel like this organization has a wider purpose. It will help these kids for their entire life and will set them up for success in the future as well as helping them now.”

“I chose this charity, Communities in School, because I am in college and it’s a struggle and having help from a service such as tutor.com has helped me complete homework and understand how to do problems. CIS helping others that are struggling just like me is great because not knowing at all is really discouraging.”

“A good education is the best thing a person can have in their life, my dad always says. From there, they can go anywhere.”

Net Literacy – Founded by middle school students in 2003, Net Literacy’s board is still made up of 50% students, who have contributed to the organization’s development of a series of digital literacy programs. Over the past years, 20,000 computers have been donated to community centers, public libraries, schools as well as various other organizations.

“I think learning about the world around us will every child to prepare for their future in their life. It is important for every child to know their education that will help get them ahead.”

“The other ones were great as well! I thought this was one of the good causes because it’s made up of 50% of students? Wow! This is a good example of students caring about their community and making a difference! Also, 11,000 resources given are amazing! Thanks tutor.com for caring about the community! ”

“Education of of computers and the internet is essential in our society today. Everything, even books are going electronic. A general knowledge of the internet is important with the increasing technology today.”

“I feel that it’s very important for places such as schools and public libraries to have computers. Students that don’t own computers can use it to research information for school which is very important for their education and grades.”

This post has been updated to reflect that Net Literacy has reached the 20,000 computers donated target.