A new four-school policy implemented this fall has students meeting with their privately-hired tutors off campus instead of in the Center or library.
Deans from all four schools raised safety concerns about the number of non-school employees who were on school grounds during and after the school day.
“We became aware of the number and the impact once we put in the check-in system at the
front desk,” President Anne Marie Krejcarek, said. “We found that there were about 60 individuals who were not employed by our school coming on campus and using our facilities.”
The check-in system, put in place last year, scans visitors’ government-issued identification and screens for registered sex offenders. The system saves the names, times and dates of arrival for each visitor, allowing for review if needed.
The new policy will push students to take fuller advantage of school resources according to Krejcarek.
Despite the difficulty of meeting with tutors off-campus, some students agree with Krejcarek’s ideal outcome.
“It was inconvenient to keep tutoring when my tutor couldn’t come to school anymore,” junior Zara de Matran said. “It’s going to force me to connect with teachers more and become more independent.”
Not all students using tutors feel the same way.
“It wastes time not being able to tutor here,” junior Marly Schatz, said. “Having to be tutored at Tully’s makes it difficult to concentrate.”
According to Krejcarek, parents should not have to pay for a tutor to cover services the school should be providing.
“Students pay so much, and we are delivering what students need for the tuition everyone
pays,” Krejcarek said. “It’s a big change because culturally it alters where you go for help,” Academic Support Director Patricia Kievlan said. “It shouldn’t be that when you are struggling in a class you feel the need to hire somebody to help you get better. It should be that you go to the teacher for help.”
Krejcarek said she agrees the tutors’ presence on campus was interfering with students’
self-promotion and independence.
“When tutors are engaged the students become less self-advocating and more dependent on that tutor than their teacher,” Krejcarek said. “We believe that when we have tutors we can’t do it without them, and often times we can do it without them.”
The resources offered on campus are designed to help support students with different learning styles, according to Kievlan.
“During the school day our community here on campus is what students should be making best use of,” Kievlan said. “Our hope is that we can serve a whole lot of needs here with the investment families have already made.”
Madeline Ainslie
Design Editor
A new four-school policy implemented this fall has students meeting with their privately-hired tutors off campus instead of in the Center or library.
Deans from all four schools raised safety concerns about the number of non-school employees who were on school grounds during and after the school day.
“We became aware of the number and the impact once we put in the check-in system at the
front desk,” President Anne Marie Krejcarek, said. “We found that there were about 60 individuals who were not employed by our school coming on campus and using our facilities.”
The check-in system, put in place last year, scans visitors’ government-issued identification and screens for registered sex offenders. The system saves the names, times and dates of arrival for each visitor, allowing for review if needed.
The new policy will push students to take fuller advantage of school resources according to Krejcarek.
Despite the difficulty of meeting with tutors off-campus, some students agree with Krejcarek’s ideal outcome.
“It was inconvenient to keep tutoring when my tutor couldn’t come to school anymore,” junior Zara de Matran said. “It’s going to force me to connect with teachers more and become more independent.”
Not all students using tutors feel the same way.
“It wastes time not being able to tutor here,” junior Marly Schatz, said. “Having to be tutored at Tully’s makes it difficult to concentrate.”
According to Krejcarek, parents should not have to pay for a tutor to cover services the school should be providing.
“Students pay so much, and we are delivering what students need for the tuition everyone
pays,” Krejcarek said. “It’s a big change because culturally it alters where you go for help,” Academic Support Director Patricia Kievlan said. “It shouldn’t be that when you are struggling in a class you feel the need to hire somebody to help you get better. It should be that you go to the teacher for help.”
Christina Berardi, Alexandra Wood, Zoe Baker and Franny Eklund (left to right) meet with Academic Support Director Patricia Kievlan in the Center during their free period to discuss their Honors American Literature book "Old School" by Tobias Wolff. Students are encouraged to utilize on-campus help.
Krejcarek said she agrees the tutors’ presence on campus was interfering with students’
self-promotion and independence.
“When tutors are engaged the students become less self-advocating and more dependent on that tutor than their teacher,” Krejcarek said. “We believe that when we have tutors we can’t do it without them, and often times we can do it without them.”
The resources offered on campus are designed to help support students with different learning styles, according to Kievlan.
“During the school day our community here on campus is what students should be making best use of,” Kievlan said. “Our hope is that we can serve a whole lot of needs here with the investment families have already made.”
