Rimmer tutoring offers more than just math, English

By Aubreigh Heck
Co-Sports Editor

Tutoring is a fast and effective way to get help in a subject that a student might be struggling in.

At Hutchinson Community College, tutoring is offered for free at Rimmer Learning Center, where Brad Fenwick, Director of Rimmer Support Services, helps students find tutors that are right for them.

“Usually, we have 20-25 tutors on hand,” Fenwick said. “We have a couple types of tutoring that we do. What we always promise is that we’ll always have math and writing tutors available. For everything else, we either have somebody for it or we’ll try to hire somebody for it.”

Alexa Platzer, a Wichita sophomore, enjoys being a tutor at HutchCC.

“I tutor mostly math, biology and chemistry,” Platzer said. “I enjoy both school and helping people, so tutoring is like a mix of both. It’s different for every subject, but I especially enjoy it when students realize how different topics relate to one another and begin to become more self-sufficient as they continue working.”

Students that tutor in Rimmer can typically tutor in more than one subject. If a tutor has earned an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ in a class, they are eligible to tutor in that subject.

Of course, not all students who receive a high grade in a course are able to efficiently tutor in that subject, so Fenwick makes sure that tutors are certain they can teach a student.

“I always ask tutors, ‘Do you feel like you could really tutor in that course,’ because there are things that you earn a good grade in and you feel like you can’t actually tutor in that,” Fenwick said. “We want to make sure that they do not tutor a student in something that they don’t feel comfortable tutoring in.”

If a student needs a tutor, there are simple steps they can follow to set up a time with one at Rimmer Learning Center.

“We have a form available in Learning Zone, it’s also available at the HutchCC website if you go to the Rimmer Page,” Fenwick said. “There’s a form there that’s an individual tutor appointment request form. It asks what class you need help in, and what times you’re available. We then match that up with a tutor who is also available at that time and can tutor in that subject.”

There are often misconceptions about students who need tutoring, but Fenwick has a different approach to those thoughts.

“People quite often have the idea that you get tutoring because you’re a bad student and that you’re not doing well,” Fenwick said. “The reality is that good students get tutoring too. Good students want to do better, and make sure they get an A in their class. Tutoring is something that good students get.”

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