"A Free Tutoring Service: Preparing for the Future"  

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April 17-20, 2006     Tell Oprah about us!  (click)    Send E-mail to:  cleophas9@sbcglobal.net    

 Activity... April 18, 2006    Attacks on Homework do occur! See below!   We frequently use The Periodic Table of the Elements   See Ne-Ne's attack on dirty laundry....below

  Please click on Ne-Ne's photo (center)

Easter Joy: Shalay and V ivian; Ne-Ne...after Church For larger photo of Vivian and Shalay, click on photo of them! Ne-Ne has a larger photo at the bottom of this page!    See: An Attack on a Science Project: An Attack on Algebra: An Attack on Electricity....below

I was in the mood to visit Curtiss Middle School in Carson (click). I was in the mood to speak to the Magnet Coordinator. I met with her at 8:30 AM and had a lively discussion about my need to interact with the teachers to....Tyneesha (12).  See my previous editorial:  failing student? (click). The parent to Tyneesha joined us later and all three of us discussed ways to improve Tyneesha's grades. It was in my opinion, a successful meeting!

I learned of Tyneesha's Science Project on this morning and discussed the Project with her mother in the parking lot at Curtiss.  Tyneesha's mother brought her to tutoring on Tuesday at 4:00PM from Curtiss.  We immediately went to work on her Science Project. For background information, I sent her into the Internet to research information relating to her topic "Soap's Ability to Clean Clothes".

I picked up Shalay from Dodson Middle School after I had picked up Cleasena from Lynwood. I brought both to tutoring. Cleasena was scheduled to catch a plane to Atlanta; Shalay was scheduled to hear an intense lecture from me on "Atomic Bonding". Shalay was the recipient of the most intense of tutoring sessions. We went word by word through the chapter that dealt with Atomic Bonding; covering everything from Dalton's model of an atom to the Bohr atom. We ended up with a discussion of "polyatomic molecules" and their properties. Shalay was scheduled to take an exam on Wednesday, and in no way was she going to fail it! I grilled her on everything that came to mind, with special attention to the Periodic Table of the Elements. We dissected the Table from top to bottom (Group to Group) and from left to right (Proton number to proton number). I suppose I was in one of my hyper-tutoring states as I took her through valence electrons, shared electronic bonds, properties of ionic compounds and electronic shells about the atom. I discussed the halogens, with their valence electrons of 7 and their ability to combine with Group One Elements, with a valence electron of 1. I used poker chips to show the "dot diagrams" of elements and their shared electrons to from covalent bonds.

In no way was Shalay to fail the toughest of quizzes, or the most sophisticated of exams. I was to make absolutely sure of that. I called her mother to let her know to call the school after the exam and find out Shalay's grade!

April 19, 2006  An attack on a Science Project: An Attack on Algebra One, Two: An Attack on Electrical Theory (click)

                        (Larger Photos at bottom of page)

Shalay was brought over to tutoring by her mother. I had picked up Tyneesha from Curtiss Middle School at 3:10 PM. Our intensity level only increased as I took Shalay into the deep waters of her Algebra One lessons in preparation for a quiz on Monday. I called Daniel (12) and Omatseyin (13) into the room and had them to take notes on what I would be teaching Shalay. Previously, I had Omatseyin to read our Electronics Book and write down all that was said about "Q" the quantity of electrons , found under the "Static Charge of Electricity". Omatseyin and I went word by word to learn of the Coulomb,  and its 6.25 x 10^18 electrons, as being equal to a charge of -Q. One " -C" is the amount of electrons that are equivalent to the charge of one proton. When 6.25 x 10 ^18 electrons (1 Coulomb) pass a point in one second, that is the flow of one ampere of current. I discussed clouds and their ionic elements that allowed for lightning strikes; the ionic layer above the Earth that allowed for radio communications; the static electricity picked up when one walks across a carpet; the electrostatic field caused to occur between  the positive and the negative; a difference of potential as being a voltage; an electromotive force as being a voltage, and the ability of that force to cause a flow of electrons through a circuit. Omatseyin had never seen the likes of this  type of intense tutoring; a word by word account, to stop and write on the dry erase board, each and every line that seemed in question, to absorb, with questions and answers on the spot, of each and every term. Omatseyin was given a break and Shalay got the same type of treatment with her greatest common factor in her Algebra one book.

It is as I had said, our intensity level will increase again! and again! Breaks are held to a minimum; students are asked time and time again, if they truly want to be at this location at this time; they are instructed to leave if they find themselves uncomfortable with this type of intensity; talking is a no-no; eating is  an absolute no-no! The only allowed sounds are those relating to homework and study for exams....as Shalay, Daniel and Omatseyin competed to complete her algebra one problems that dealt with greatest common factors; with a small prize given to the one that did the problem the fastest! The time was cut to less than 8 seconds! In no way was Shalay to ever fail an exam again. On Monday, she will take an Algebra One quiz. Her grade should be no less than an "A"!

Tyneesha received assistance from all of the students. We reviewed her Project guidelines, taking time to read about the Abstract, Introduction, Experimentation, Conclusion, Acknowledgments and Glossary of Terms.

Tyneesha went to work on her Science Project afterwards and she was like a student possessed! She cut and pasted and clipped and snipped until her display board was a miracle within itself. I stood proud of her, and so did her mother when she came to pick her up. I explained some of the aspects of water, soap, oil and dirt and the ability of soap, with its long molecule of negative at one end and positive at the other; with the polar water (slightly negative because of the strong pull of oxygen atoms on the hydrogen atoms) and its attraction to the positive end of the soap molecule, leaving the non-polar oil and dirt to be attracted to the negative end of the soap molecule, to finally be washed down the drain when a garment is rinsed!  A rather brief interpretation of a most sophisticated bit of chemistry. Corrections, anyone, I haven't had time to read what I have written. I fell asleep shortly after this most intense and long day of tutoring.       See a part of her Science Project....below

Tyneesha (12) needed to do a Science Project for Mr. Luna of Curtiss Middle School. She decided to find out why her gym clothes could be cleaned by soap. Ne-Ne decided to assist her, and they came up with a chemistry solution!

  Wow! I suppose you want me to teach those students about the ability of soap to clean my new Easter dress? Forget it!  I send my clothes to the cleaners (click) Kaye of "Quick Cleaners" (click) does a wonderful job! Please click!

 April 20, and I finally get to speak to Tyneesha's teachers at Curtiss Middle School. 

I have prepared a letter of introduction for myself when I meet the teachers on this Parent-Teacher night. Several tutoring students have asked to come to Curtiss with me. I  have said yes, as some want to say "hello" to their former teachers. Mine is a one-track mind to ask the teachers to communicate with me in regards to Tyneesha. We will change her "F" grades to all "A" grades.....the only thing in question...is how long it will take! How many months, that is!

Our Attack on Electricity is facilitated by the book below. We have all types of Algebra books and CD disk that facilitate our attack on Algebra One and Two!