MONTEREY, Calif. -- Presidio of Monterey personnel are among those serving up "brain food" for local children during Saturday morning tutoring sessions at the Naval Postgraduate School's Dudley Knox library.
The "Breakfast for your Brain" program provides educational presentations and one-on-one tutoring for local children in first grade through high school.
"I like to teach. I learn a lot from teaching. I learn other people's learning styles, and I learn a lot I can apply to my own learning," said Spc. Eric King, Company A., 229th Military Intelligence Battalion, who is studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and also tutors Addison Kirk, a Marshall Elementary School student, in 3rd grade mathematics.
King said tutoring math helps him decompress from the rigors of his own studies, but watching a younger student grasp concepts she previously struggled with is the biggest reward.
The program is managed by NPS students who serve on rotating appointments. Tutoring is available to all Monterey Bay --area students, regardless of military affiliation.
Volunteer tutors include military personnel, staff members and spouses from NPS and the Presidio.
"Some of our students have specific things they are working on," Army Capt. Ryan Miller, the program's assistant director and an NPS student studying operational research and applied mathematics, said. "Other times the parent is just looking for that mentorship aspect."
Addison's mother, Amber Kirk, said recent changes in how math is taught has makes access to the tutoring program invaluable for parents who learned math decades ago.
"It's challenging as a parent, because we're not in the class learning the 'behind the scenes.' She's like 'Mom, how do I do this,' and I'm like 'Give me twenty minutes, I'm not sure anymore,'" she said.
Once a month, NPS faculty kick off the tutoring session with a fun and informative 15-minute lecture on a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) topic.
Another parent, Mahima Aggarwal, brings his children to the tutoring sessions because he wants to push their education beyond what they learn in the classroom.
"They are doing great academically, but I'm always looking for opportunities to enhance that," he said.
"Breakfast for your Brain" offers tutoring and mentorship for local students on Saturdays during the local school year, from 9-11 a.m. There will be a "Brain Gain" STEM presentation at the beginning of the May 7 session.
The last tutoring session of the 2015-2016 school year is May 21. Tutoring sessions will resume for the 2016-2017 academic year in September.
To request a tutor:
Email the child's grade and subject area requested to breakfastforyourbrain@nps.edu by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the session you'd like your child to attend. Military affiliation is not required, but parents or guardians without installation access privileges should contact the organizers for sponsorship information prior to their visit.
To volunteer, email your name, contact information, and subjects/grade levels you are available to tutor to the organizers.
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