Addressing Children's Health and Wellbeing With Lakeland Stars

Presenter: Preethi Narayanan, Computer Science & Finance, Global Public Health Scholars

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 For my practicum, I participated as a tutor in the Lakeland Stars Tutoring Program. This is a student-run program at the University of Maryland that meets at the lobby of Centreville Hall every Wednesday and Thursday.  We work with elementary school students at Paint Branch Elementary School.  I got the opportunity to tutor a 3rd grader and helped him with refining his math and reading skills. I helped him complete his homework and provided him with additional practice to reinforce his learning. At the same time, I made sure to just provide him a safe space where he could learn and grow. This experience has refined and taught me skills such as patience, resilience/adaptability, and clear communication. I learned that it is really important to talk clearly and make sure that information is conveyed in a way that everyone can understand. I also learned that being resilient/adaptable is important. There were times, I would work with other kids and I had to think of new learning activities on the spot as not all kids learn the same way. This is a skill that is important to have as in after college life, people will always face setbacks but it is important to think of solutions effectively so that time is not wasted. Lastly, I learned the importance of patience. Sometimes the kids would not listen to me but instead of getting mad I patiently expressed to them why they should listen to me. I wanted them to understand that I was looking for their best interest. Therefore, participating as a Lakeland Stars Tutor has helped me develop better problem-solving skills that I will use going forward. This practicum is directly connected to public health as I directed address the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting education (United Nations, n.d.). Through our case studies and in-class discussions, we learned that education is something that is not promoted everywhere and that access to education is difficult in some areas.  Because some kids do not have access to education, they end up having more health problems down the road and are stuck in this cycle of poverty. By having free tutoring programs in poorer areas, kids are getting access to education and additional support they need. This will hopefully help them stay in school and be determined to continue their education.