Westview After School Tutoring Helps Students Soar

Westview After School Tutoring Helps Students Soar

Monday, April 17th, 2023

When Westview High School students need extra academic help, they have a new place to turn to this year for support. Watch Me Fly, which receives funding from the Beaverton Education Foundation, provides students with opportunities to get the after school homework help they crave, while building strong relationships with tutors, teachers and other students. 

“Our students need more than our regular study hall,” says Benjamin Prange, Westview’s activities director who oversees the program. “Watch Me Fly offers them personalized attention and additional time to tackle subjects they struggle with. And we hold them accountable along the way. We encourage them to focus their questions and dig into specific areas they want to improve, whether it’s math, science or writing.”

Watch Me Fly uses both teachers and student mentors as tutors and serves the entire spectrum of Westview’s student population. The student-to-tutor ratio is dramatically smaller than in regular classes, with often only two students sharing one tutor for the hour-and-a-half sessions that are offered one or two times each week after school. 

“One of the things that has been popular with teachers is sending their kids to Watch Me Fly to receive help from other students,” says Prange. “Some kids feel more comfortable asking their peers for support, while others prefer working with teachers, so we offer both options,” says Prange.  

Zachary, a Westview senior, appreciates the after hours access to his teachers and the opportunity to get help in a smaller, less distracted environment. “It allows me to ask as many questions as I’d like, so I can get the specific help I need to prepare for a test. I feel less stressed and my grades are better now,” he says. 

Watch Me Fly has already surpassed its goal to support 75 students this academic year, and teachers see a noticeable difference already. Kristin Buys, a Westview math teacher and Watch Me Fly tutor, says that after participating in the program, students have more confidence, participate more in class, and are willing to ask questions in class — and they complete more homework, too. 

“Watch Me Fly students know that there are both peers and adults who can help. When students work with peers, they now have a resource to use even when a teacher isn’t available,” says Buys. “Because of the way the program is structured, students feel like coming to tutoring is normal, and they don’t feel embarrassed about asking for help.”