The Tutor.com Blog

Last week Tutor.com tutor and military spouse, Laurel B., had the opportunity to attend a White House celebration honoring the work of Joining Forces and the Military Spouse Employment Paternership (MSEP). Joining Forces, founded by First Lady, Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden, asks companies to pledge their commitment to hiring military spouses and veterans. Tutor.com is part of this program and works with MSEP to spread the word about the flexible tutoring positions and their commitment to hiring spouses. Here’s Laurel’s account of the event!

Many months ago, I was nominated by Tutor.com to attend a White House event celebrating the Joining Forces program, which helps military spouses, like me, and military veterans, find employment. Since I didn’t hear back some time, I almost forgot about it until I got a call from the Department of Defense–inviting me to the White House on the following Tuesday! Once I remembered the nomination I was incredibly excited, and responded immediately that I would attend.  A formal invitation followed, inviting both me and my husband, Petty Officer First Class Joshua Byrnes, an active duty Yeoman in the Navy.

On our way into the White House that Tuesday, there were several security check-points to go through. My husband and I speculated whether the President might be there–but we doubted that since we heard on the radio that the President was giving a press conference.

We entered through the East Wing of the White House, into a large main room with a military band playing jazz music. We were soon ushered into a beautiful press conference room after mingling with other attendees. Once we were all seated, more military spouses, veterans and Joining Forces affiliated employees came out and filled most of the seats on the stage.  Yet a few of the seats remained empty and we all sat in anticipation of who would show up next…

Finally, in came Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill.  The Vice President introduced his wife, and explained how passionate she was about the program, and how proud he was of her for helping to found it.  Jill then took the podium and talked about her dedication to the program and to helping people like us find work since military members and their families sacrifice so much for our country. After this, we were all surprised to see President Obama and his wife, Michelle, come in through the door.

The President spoke about how dedicated his wife was to the mission, how proud he was of her, and how hard she has worked on Joining Forces with Jill in their spare time. He introduced Michelle, who then took the podium. She spoke about how vital the program was, and shared stories about specific veterans and spouses who have benefited from it. She also talked about how everyone can help military members and their families—whether by hiring them or simply shoveling the sidewalk for them after a snowstorm.

Once the speeches wrapped up and people began to walk out, my husband and I took our time leaving. Taking a few more pictures and feeling lucky to have been able to be part of such a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Each month our team of mentors nominates a “Tutor.com Tutor of the Month”. We are pleased to introduce this month’s Tutor of the Month, Deborah M!

Current empty nester, Deborah M., has a vastly different schedule these days. The former Air Force pilot maintained her position in the Air Force Reserves for over decade while raising her two sets of twins. Once all four kids were grown, Deborah ended up finding her second calling teaching math and science. Now she spends the school year teaching and tutoring and escapes the Georgia heat in the summer months with trips in her RV. Check out our Q&A with her below!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have been tutoring with Tutor.com for about a year.  The subjects I tutor in are Mid-level Math, Algebra I and II, Trigonometry, Geometry, and Calculus.

My academic background is Mechanical Engineering. My undergraduate degree is from the Air Force Academy in CO, and then I received a Guggenheim Fellowship for my master’s degree at Columbia University in NYC.  After school, I spent nine years as an Air Force pilot, first in the T-38 and then in the C-141.  I left the cockpit when my first set of twins was born in 1989. My second set of twins was born three years later in 1992. While raising my four children I was able to complete another 10 years as an Air Force reservist and retired in 2001.

When did you realize you wanted to become a teacher?

As the children became more independent, I started taking long term math and science substitute teacher jobs for our district.  I realized that teaching was a great career for me because it kept me on the same schedule as the kids.

How did you hear about Tutor.com?

A friend recommended that I check out Tutor.com as a great part time job. I love that I can set my own schedule depending on what my family is doing.

What is your favorite part of tutoring with Tutor.com?

It’s fun to meet the students online and I especially like when one of our military students is able to get help!  Working one-to-one with a student is so rewarding, even though we don’t see them; you still get that little thrill when the light comes on as they master a concept.

My funniest moments are with the new middle school kids, it’s really cute when they play with the board and the buttons in the classroom.  You can tell that they just love the technology!

What advice do you have for students?

I have always told my students that just like any sport math requires practice and more practice. The best thing about Tutor.com for the students is they can get individualized help on demand. This teaches them the important skill of advocating for their own learning.

Check out more of our Tutor of the Month blog posts here!

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.

As “Enduring Corporate Partners” of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), we were invited to attend yesterday’s ceremony in the Pentagon inner courtyard to honor the new group of companies and organizations joining the organization.

Companies like Tutor.com, Amazon.com, General Dynamics, The Home Depot, and a few dozen more were previously inducted into the Military Spouse Employment Partnership because of our dedication and commitment to hiring military spouses and sticking with them as they relocate to new homes across the nation and around the world.

For Tutor.com, hiring military spouses was an easy commitment to make. We were hiring military spouses before we even knew of this program, and many of our great online tutors are military spouses. We find them as a group to be smart, hard-working, creative and adaptable–characteristics that are really important when working as an online tutor. Also, many military spouses tell us that being an online tutor for us is an ideal part-time job because we offer flexibility; their work for us is not imperiled when they move from duty station to duty station.

Today, we welcome companies such as ADP, ClearChannel, Safeway, and TriWest, along with organizations such as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Association of the US Army (AUSA) to the Partnership, and we look forward to working with them to collectively hire tens of thousands more military spouses.

Above: Bart Epstein, Senior VP & GM of Military and Federal Programs at Tutor.com, is pictured with Patty Barron, Director of Family Programs for AUSA. Learn more about Patty’s experience with Tutor.com here.

Marine Corps Reservist, Lieutenant Colonel Brad Lanto has been part of the military for 20 years. While he works in the Pentagon as the Marine Corps Liaison for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) in Reserve Affairs, his wife and two children are back in North Carolina. We caught up with the Lt. Col. and his wife, MaryBeth, who is a middle school counselor, to see how Tutor.com has been making a difference for their seventh grade son, Zac. We also learned how the challenges Reservists face may be different than other military members. While Reservists don’t move nearly as much, they too face long deployments, which put many miles between them and their families back at home.

Tutor.com:  Lt. Col. Lanto, how long have you been away from your family?

Lt. Col. Lanto: I left for the Pentagon last October and I expect to be here for one year. While I’m gone, my wife is the primary caregiver and has to help with school work for our two children on her own.

MaryBeth:  Our son is a great student, but this year he’s in an advanced, honors math class and the pace is very fast. I’m never sure how to help him or if I’m offering the right techniques.  We’re glad to have access to Tutor.com.  Our son connects to tutors and also uses the resources Tutor.com offers, including the videos, worksheets and recommended websites.

Tutor.com:  That’s great. Sometimes we forget to talk about all the resources in the SkillsCenter Resource Library. When does he use those?

MaryBeth:  He likes to use the mobile app and check out the resources from his iPhone when we’re driving and then at home he uses his laptop to connect to one of the tutors for help.

Tutor.com:  We love to hear that kids are doing school work even in the car! With the app he could connect to a tutor from his phone too. Are there other features your son likes about getting help online?

MaryBeth:  Yes, he likes to review the videos of his own sessions that he has had with a tutor when he’s studying.  And it helps him with the math skills he needs. He’s a very busy student with a full course load of challenging courses and he plays in two soccer leagues.  So having help available 24/7 is really beneficial.

Tutor.com:  Lt. Col Lanto, how do you think Reservists will use Tutor.com?

Lt. Col. Lanto:  Many Reservists are going to school on the GI Bill and need help with their own work, such as having a paper proofread. Reservists who aren’t deployed may be working, going to school, and doing their drills for the military. Having tutors available around their schedule helps them get everything done.   Many Reservists also have families and multiple children who benefit from online tutoring.

MaryBeth:   Tutor.com offers so much and really is a relief for parents.  There are so many different  ways for children to learn – videos, worksheets and live tutoring.  It’s a great resource.

To learn more about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families and how it supports families of Reservists and National Guard service members, please go to www.tutor.com/military.

Working with the U.S. Military has led our team to some exotic locations (Hawaii!), but most importantly as we travel to events across the country we always meet amazing people. One of these inspiring individuals is Patty Barron, the Director of Family Programs for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Patty’s energy and enthusiasm for supporting military families is legendary. It’s no surprise that she has a great family, including a son who regularly uses Tutor.com. Patty and her son Joe squeezed us into their packed schedule to share some thoughts about online tutoring, Eagle Scouts and what it means to be a military family.

Tutor.com:  Besides your role at AUSA, what is your connection to military families?

Patty:  My husband (Col. (R) Michael Barron) recently retired after spending 30 years in the Army. In some ways I grew up in a military family because I was just 22 years old when I got married and my husband’s first assignment was in Germany. We had our first child there and we learned quickly to depend on ourselves and our friends. We didn’t have family close by, but our military friends were there for us. I love how diverse the military is, and yet we share many of the same values, including pride of our country and of our families and the importance of education.

Tutor.com:  So Joe, you are growing up in a military family. How does that affect your school life?

Joe:  I’m in 11^th grade and I’ve moved five times.

Patty:  My older children moved eight times! They went to four elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools. That’s a lot of change. When you move so much you can’t request your teachers and you don’t know the lay of the land.

Tutor.com:  Joe, how have you handled all of the moves?  

Joe:  I make sure to be really active and join a lot of after-school events to meet people and make friends. I’m not a great runner, but I joined the cross country team. I’m also part of the stage crew for school plays and I’m working on becoming an Eagle Scout.

Patty:  I have to interrupt and brag a little about his Eagle Scout project. He just finished a 64-foot bridge to connect the Wounded Warrior Trail to the wildlife refuge to help extend the hiking experience. He was actually very sick that weekend. We had him in the Emergency Room on Friday and on Sunday he was out building a bridge!

Tutor.com:  That’s worth bragging about! Joe, we know when you’re not building bridges, you’re getting ready for the SATs or finishing homework for your tough schedule of Honors English, German, Pre-Calculus and AP Biology and History classes. Why did you start using Tutor.com?

Joe: My mom told me about Tutor.com, and for the first two months I didn’t think I needed it. Then during my final math exam I decided to get online and work with a tutor to study. I had the tutors help me with all the problems I got wrong during the year. I got an A on that final. Now I use Tutor.com pretty regularly for help with pre-calculus, and I work with English tutors to proof my papers and help with grammatical mistakes.

Tutor.com:  What do you like best about online tutoring?

Joe:  The tutors help show me the process to use and break down the problems. I like having one-to-one time to ask direct questions. No matter where I am, I can just get online and get help. I also like connecting to tutors on the iPad.

Patty:  My older kids were very bright, but they were at the mercy of what I and their father could help them with, which is mostly writing. Neither of us was great at math. Tutor.com would have really helped my older children.

Tutor.com:  We are always impressed with how military children seem to handle themselves and excel at school. Do you think there is something about being in a military family that supports this?

Joe:  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.

Patty:  You have to be very well educated to move up in the military and our kids see that. We really value our families and a great education.

Tutor.com:  What advice would you give to parents and students who may be struggling a bit with school?

Patty:  I learned a lot from the experience of raising my two older children (now 29 and 27 years old). Parents need to know that their kids will be just fine. If they don’t go to Harvard, that is okay. You need to know your children and what they can do and really push them to be their best. I have a nursing degree and a master’s degree in counseling, and I always gave my children one mental health day a quarter. Just to give them time to sleep or catch up on homework or whatever they needed.

Joe:  Talk to your teachers and let them know you are trying. They will help you. It’s good to figure out the best way you learn. For me, working with a tutor online is the best way for me to get help.

Patty: I just want to add that it’s an enormous benefit for students to have access to Tutor.com to get help. I really love the program!

If you’d like to learn more about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families go to www.tutor.com/military .

This year Operation Homefront declared April 13^th PURPLE UP day to show your support for Military Children. Once Tutor.com got wind of it, we knew we wanted to participate. So, today we got a few members of the Tutor.com team to wear their various shades of purple: eggplant, lavender, violet, etc. Luckily enough we were able to all pile into the picture behind the purple Tutor.com for U.S. Military table drape that you may have seen at an event near you!

Another way we wanted to celebrate Military Children this April was by sharing what they have to say. We receive thousands of post-session comments from students after they finish up working with a tutor, and many of these comments are quick to put a smile on our face.  Check out below what students from National Guard and Reserve families shared with us these last few weeks!

“I was having a bad night with math and I was really frustrated and not in the mood to talk with anyone. But when I got Alexandra, I felt way better. She helped me with my math and was so nice! She was really bubbly and fun. Thanks for everything Tutor.com!”  —7^th Grade Student in Army National Guard family

 “Thank you for making this free for the military I am very thankful. Doing homework is a pain when I don’t know how to do it. Luckily I have tutor.com to help me when I’m in need. Thank you!” —9^th Grade Student in Army Reserves family

 “This was the first time I had used this and the first tutor I got was of great use to me!! I now can look at my homework and know what to do!!! He was great!! Thanks!” —7^th Grade Student in Navy Reserves family

 “This has helped me so much and I can now understand my homework which helps me understand what is going on in class as well.” —10^th Grade Student in Army National Guard family

For more information on Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families click here.

Last Sunday kicked off the Month of the Military Child. Honoring and celebrating the youngest members of military families, this month allows us to bring special attention to their sacrifices and bravery.

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families was recently featured on CNN Headline News. We were so excited for this segment to air in order to alert U.S. National Guard and Military Reserve members that their children could receive 24/7, free, on-demand access to our online tutoring and homework help services. Check out the segment below!

National Guard and Reserve families don’t live on military bases, they live in local communities. If you know of a National Guard or Reserve family in your neighborhood, feel free to share this video and the news that their children can get free tutoring and homework help.

For additional information on how to recognize your military child for the Month of the Military Child, head to Blue Star Families. For more information and eligibility for Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, click here.

March kicked off conference season here at Tutor.com. We headed to Philly for Innovations 2012 hosted by the League for Innovation, to Chicago for the T³ International Conference and then ended the month back in Philly for both the Public Library Association Conference and the ASCD Annual Conference. Suffice it to say, we have been busy! Throughout our travels however, we’ve stayed on top of trends in the marketplace. From the beginnings of a national effort to adopt digital textbooks, to a PEW report focusing on the ever changing demands of libraries in hard economic times, to Connecticut legislation moving away from remedial college classes, a lot has been going on. Check out our top reads below!

U.S. Officials Tackle National Adoption of Digital Textbooks  via Education Week: The Federal Communications Commission, the newly formed LEAD Commission, and the U.S. Department of Education met today with textbook publishers and technology providers in Washington to discuss the future of digital textbooks in K-12 classrooms.

The Library in the City: Changing Demands and a Challenging Future report via Pew: Big-city public libraries have rarely been as popular as they are today and rarely as besieged. The hard economic times of recent years have generated increased demand for the free and varied services libraries provide, even as revenue-challenged local governments have cut back on contributions to library budgets. All this comes at a time when libraries are being asked to perform a new and changing range of functions. This report looks at how Philadelphia is faring and the challenges facing urban libraries across America.

Measure Would End No-Credit Remedial Classes at Colleges via The Hartford Courant: Students at community colleges who take at least one remedial course are about half as likely to graduate in three or four years as students who don’t. Now state lawmakers have gotten behind legislation that would eliminate no-credit remedial college classes by 2014, replacing them with regular credit-bearing classes that come with embedded remedial support for students who need it.

Tutor.com App Now Available Through Boopsie via Boopsie.com: Tutor.com and Boopsie, the leading mobile solution for universities and libraries worldwide, announced the availability of Tutor.com through the Boopsie platform. The partnership will make it easy for library patrons whose libraries subscribe to both services to access a live tutor anytime, anywhere through the Boopsie native mobile app.

Educational Opportunity for Military Children via The Huffington Post: The vast majority of the 1.2 million school-aged military children attend public schools. While there are schools that are models of how to support military students, most are still not equipped to help these students manage the stresses of military life. Worse, many school districts, including some near military bases, have no idea if there are military students in their classrooms, let alone how many. How can schools support military students if they don’t know who they are?

Did we miss something? Let us know what your top read for March was in the comments section below.

We were thrilled when former Marine Captain Meg Sauvé joined Tutor.com’s military and federal programs team to travel across the country meeting National Guard and Reserves families at various events. These events are often held over the weekend in a local hotel. There is heat (or air conditioning) food and generally lovely, creature comforts. Meg has a great time meeting military members and letting them know that tutoring is indeed free to their family thanks to the Department of Defense MWR Libraries and the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program. But this weekend, Meg was back in camouflage, a full pack of gear and even a gas mask in the hot New Mexico sun to honor WWII veterans and wounded warriors in the 23^rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March. We are so proud of our colleague. Below is her personal account of the event and its historical importance.

This past weekend I had the distinct honor to participate in the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, NM. This event is unique among endurance races: it honors those living veterans who survived Bataan and Corregidor during WWII, now numbering less than 100, and memorializes those who perished or have passed in more recent years. Sixteen of these veterans, most in their 90s, joined the nearly 7,000 participants for the event on Sunday, and some even walked the first eight miles of the race.

The Bataan also offered a different opportunity for the team with whom I raced, Team X-T.R.E.M.E. As a Veteran non-profit group which strives to honor, empower, and motivate wounded heroes, our goals coincided with those of the race organizers. Team X-T.R.E.M.E. completed the 26.2 mile course in the “Heavy March” category, wearing full uniforms, 40+ pound rucks, and gas masks throughout. Additionally, we welcomed our newest Warrior Athlete Sergeant Noah Galloway (US Army), a double amputee (left leg and left arm) who carried the exact same gear and also wore the gas mask.

Why would anyone march 26.2 miles in the desert heat while wearing a gas mask? We don the masks as a way to symbolize perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds and overcoming mental and physical obstacles.  In this event we were honored to be able to bring awareness to thousands of wounded warriors from the Afghanistan and Iraqi campaigns as well as pay homage to the tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers who surrendered to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of being a prisoner of war. The challenges which we experienced in the mask lasted for hours, while the brave heroes who survived the Bataan Death March and our nation’s current wounded warriors endure their challenges for a lifetime.

Our new Senior Marketing Manager for Military and Federal Programs, Pamela Brehm, understands what it’s like to be in the shoes of many Tutor.com for Military Families clients; because of her parents’ State Department jobs, she spent most of her childhood living and moving around overseas, too.

Pamela’s eager to blend her personal and professional experience supporting outreach for our Military and Federal Programs. An education technology marketer since 2004, Pamela previously worked at Blackboard in Washington, DC and Inspiration Software in Portland, OR. She also spent several years as a Marketing Manager for a major brokerage firm and at a marketing communications agency, where she created marketing and product materials for Hewlett-Packard.

Pamela holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Oregon, as well as the equivalent of a master’s degree in Electronic Publishing and Design. Pamela is based out of our new Tutor.com office in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

Outside of the office, you’ll find Pamela at local orchards, farms and farmers’ markets, buying whatever she can cook, bake or can with. When she’s not elbow-deep in fruits and vegetables, she enjoys traveling, camping and being outdoors with her dog, Yogi.

Please join us in welcoming Pamela Brehm to the Tutor.com team!

Michaela and her family.

Sergeant Master Michael O. of the U.S. Marines has moved every four years of his 26-year military career.   During his last move, from Georgia to Virginia, he brought his wife and two daughters along.  Once his older daughter Michaela was enrolled in her new school she immediately found that the new curriculum was challenging and for the first time she needed extra help.   We caught up with Michael, his wife Marcia, and their eighth grade daughter Michaela to find out how Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families helped them during a difficult academic time.

Tutor.com: One of the reasons the Department of Defense wanted to provide online tutoring to military families is the very mobile lifestyle you lead.   How has that affected your family?

Michael:  I’ve moved many times during my military career, but often my family would stay put to give them stability.  But, for this last move before I retired, the family moved with me.  It was a big adjustment, especially for Michaela who found her classes in Virginia very different from those she had been taking in Georgia.  It really had an impact.  We didn’t realize how different the education systems were between states. 

Tutor.com:  How did you find out about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families?

Michael:  I was at a meeting at the Pentagon for new community members and someone happened to mention it to me.  I only wish we had learned about the service our first day!  It made a big difference for Michaela.  We loved that Michaela had access to tutoring whenever she needed it.

Tutor.com:  What subjects did you get help in Michaela?

Michaela: I worked with tutors mostly on math.  I would use it to study before a test.  I’d ask the tutor for extra problems that I could work on, especially word problems which are hard for me.  The tutors helped give me tips and then I could do it on my own.  I did better on my tests.   I also got help writing papers.  I really liked working with the tutors.  At the end of the year I had a high B in my math class.

Tutor.com:  What made math so tough?

Michaela:  Moving from my old school to a new one was hard because the classes were different and I didn’t know some of the information.  Tutor.com helped me with everything I didn’t know.

Marcia:  Yes.  I’d say that the tutors really connected the dots from one curriculum to the other.

Tutor.com: Do you have a busy schedule outside of school?

Michaela:  Yes!   I’m a cheerleader and I sing in the chorus.  I’m also in a mentoring program with my mom called Emerging Young Leaders.

Marcia:  Emerging Young Leaders is a program for middle school girls sponsored by a sorority. It helps girls get ready for college and provides culture awareness.  We also recently went to a weekend retreat put on by the Steve Harvey Foundation called Girls Who Rule the World. 

Tutor.com:  You are a busy family!  Michaela, what’s your advice to other busy students who want to get great grades?

Michaela:  You have to be organized and follow your schedule.  Include enough time to study.  And if you have questions, ask during class or go to the teacher before or after school.  I used Tutor.com in the evenings and on the weekends.  It was really convenient way for me to get help.

Have a Tutor.com story you want to share?  Email jkohn@tutor.com.