International Rescue Committee: Providing Academic Support to Refugees and Immigrants

Presenter: Nandini Persaud, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars

For my practicum project, I volunteered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to tutor students from various grade levels, ranging from grade six to college. IRC provides refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, immigrants and other survivors opportunities to be successful and thrive in the United States. Education plays a vital role in an individual’s ability to live a healthy life. As a tutor for the After School Program and Saturday Learning Series, I provided academic support to these students who have faced many hardships. I provided one-on-one assistance with homework, assessed their online learning, explained learning principles that are fundamental to their education and encouraged the development of their English and writing skills. After tutoring on Saturdays, students could unwind and play interactive games, while also building their social and communication skills. After each session, I completed a tutoring log to record my overall experience with the student, their well-being and academic progress.

10 Comments

ebennert

May 06, 2021

What was the biggest problem you faced tutoring students over the internet?

npersau8

May 11, 2021

Replying to

Hi Ebennert!

The toughest problem I faced tutoring students was being able to ensure they understood the material. It can be challenging to provide a succinct and clear explanation and sometimes you don’t realize that your explanation is as clear as you had hoped for it to be. That is why I also focused on creating a safe and open environment where the students become comfortable expressing themselves when they need further clarification. While I want the students to complete the assignment in the allotted session time, it is preferable that they use the time to understand the material. This way, if the assignment is not completed, they can complete it on their own with a better understanding of the…

Jolie Sherman

May 06, 2021

What are some personal challenges you faced with having the tutoring sessions online?

npersau8

May 11, 2021

Replying to

Hi Jolie!

One personal challenge that I faced when I first began tutoring was being mindful that no student is the same. It’s critical to gauge the level of understanding that an individual has about the topic to have an efficient and productive session. It’s easy to just dive right in and start the assignment but I found that when you take a moment to be aware of the student’s level of understanding it gives you a better understanding of how in-depth you should explain and the approach you should take to do so. Now, I always gauge their level of understanding and explain as sufficiently as I can to aid in completing the assignment and ensuring they understand the…

Vibhu Agrawal

May 05, 2021

What kind of challenges did you encounter with these children that you were unable to fix that you wish you could've?

npersau8

May 11, 2021

Replying to

Hi Vibhu!

While tutoring there were some challenges that I faced, such as being able to relay the information to the student in a clear, understandable manner. While I resolved these challenges, there was one challenge in particular that I had no control over but wish I could resolve. Being completely in an online environment has posed difficulties in regards to the connection. When internet connection issues occur, unfortunately, all you can do is hope that their connection becomes stable again and you’re able to communicate efficiently.

Elizabeth Laskey

May 05, 2021

Great job on the presentation! I think that what you are doing is making a significant impact on those lives who you are tutoring. Do you want to continue pursuing this problem in your future career? If so what particular challenge do you want to address?

npersau8

May 11, 2021

Replying to

Hi Elizabeth!

Thank you! Before volunteering with the IRC, I did not consider a career path concerning immigrant or refugee youth education. However, my experience volunteering, working with such a caring team and passionate students has led me to consider career opportunities in this field. While I am looking further into career opportunities I wish to pursue, in regards to the education of refugees and immigrants, a particular challenge that I would aspire to address is adequate access to quality education for refugees and immigrants.

Ruth Dube

May 05, 2021

This is a very interesting topic! It seems as though you are passionate about the cause. What is your personal connection to refugee and immigrant education, if any?

npersau8

May 11, 2021

Replying to

Hi Ruth!

Thank you and that is a very thoughtful question! I do not personally have a connection to refugee and immigrant education. While my parents are immigrants from Guyana, I was born in the US and discussing the differences in their educational system and their curriculum in general education is a very interesting topic. However, education of minorities is an aspect of Public Health that I have come to realize I am very passionate and interested in as education is a powerful tool that can propel or hinder the health of an individual/community.