"That is the Biggest Reward": Q&A With a Longtime Homework Help Volunteer

By rablogspl on September 17, 2024

Homework Help volunteer Bruce Finlayson helps a student with a physics problem at the Lake City Branch.

Bruce Finlayson is a retired chemical engineer who has volunteered with Homework Help, The Seattle Public Library's after-school tutoring program, for about 11 years, always at the Lake City Branch. Until 2019, he kept a diary about his volunteer experience, in which he would write stories about his interactions with the students.

"There were times when the students couldn't figure it out and they learned that adults don't have all the answers," he reflects. "Those are good lessons, too."

As Bruce gears up for his 12th school year of volunteering, he shares a few of the lessons he has learned in hopes of encouraging other volunteers.

Homework Help starts the week of Sept. 16 and will be held at nine branches this year. Find the schedule at www.spl.org/HomeworkHelp. If you're interested in volunteering with Homework Help or other Library programs, find out more at www.spl.org/Volunteer.

What drew you to Homework Help?

I had retired and I wanted to start other activities. Two of my kids had done some tutoring and they encouraged me. There seem to be two ways to tutor. You could volunteer at a school and you work with the same students every time. Or you can volunteer at the Library and you could work with the students who show up. That's what I decided to do.

What is a typical Homework Help session like?

I've been doing the 6 to 7:30 p.m. session at the Lake City Branch, and there's a session before mine. I get in and put my badge on. Sometimes a tutor in the earlier session will motion for me to come and help someone when they have to leave. They might assign me. Sometimes I might go in and if someone is sitting there who's working away I might sit down and ask "Can I help you?"

A Homework Help volunteer helps a student at the Broadview Branch

You have to be flexible, but you don't have to be an expert. There are other tutors at Homework Help and over the school year, they get sorted out and you can direct students to other tutors. You're part of a team, and you have a lot of support.

My subjects are math, physics and chemistry. I also enjoy reading with the kids. When they're starting out, they read a page and I read a page and we talk about the pictures and other things. Anyone can do that.

When they're starting out, they read a page and I read a page and we talk about the pictures and other things. Anyone can do that.

One of the changes that's taken place [since I've started] is there are more things on the computer. They might show you the assignment on the computer, but the information needed to answer the question is not visible. So the student may have to search around to show you what you need to help them. That's one of the harder things.

What are some of the rewards?

I'm doing it to help my community. I get a real sense of satisfaction from it because I see the students advance and I can tell their parents are very happy.

With younger kids – a lot of them have math sheets with maybe 30 problems on them. A lot of times they're starting and we work through problems and build up their ability to do them.

Sometimes I'll help them for a couple of problems, then I go to help someone else and then by the time I've returned they've zipped through the other 28 problems. I know they're happy to learn and that makes me feel good, too.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with potential volunteers?

I think my main suggestion is to be open to kids. When they see you're trying to help them they will be open to you.