Eye of the Editors: Biased perception

Diamond Bar seems to be the hub for local tutoring centers. AP Chemistry help is conveniently offered right across the street from Diamond Bar High School and several SAT preparatory centers lie not too far away. Strangely enough, however, flocking toward these tutors and seeking help provided outside of school often puts students who do not have the supplementary education at a severe disadvantage.

Although most teachers instruct their classes so that students can adequately comprehend the curriculum, some Diamond Bar teachers have been noted to teach with the mindset that students will receive additional help elsewhere. As a result, a few teachers have openly stated that they are aware that students can just ask their tutors about the material and do not make the effort to thoroughly teach the lesson. Those teachers’ views are not completely unwarranted, as most students do rely on tutors rather than seek help from their teachers. But to presume this and therefore teach insufficiently is unfair for students who cannot afford tutors. If the standard bar has been raised to match the learning pace of students with tutors, what results is an unequal opportunity for success.

Some students do not seek additional help before school starts, but only after, when they notice their grades begin to slip because they do not understand the material being taught. Yet, there is a common misconception that because Diamond Bar has such a competitive atmosphere, students are hiring these tutors in the summer and do not listen in class because they are already fully informed of the course material. Frustrated teachers seem to take this idea to heart and frequently do not make an extra effort to ensure that students do not need tutors.

This entire situation is ironic—a teacher instructs the class inadequately on the presumption that students have already learned the material or will turn to their tutors and the student seeks out remedial classes in response, further encouraging the preconceived idea.

It is popularly—and most of the times, wrongly—believed that tutors have become a way for students to stay ahead in class rather than an option for struggling students to catch up. Nevertheless, teachers should not use this as an excuse to teach the more basic ideas of the material and assign much harder tests. At times, teachers also use the idea of having tutors as an excuse to quicken the pace of the class. And I bet you can guess what that leads to—yes, more desperate students seeking tutors.

Students are fully aware that this is not the case for all teachers, as some teachers disregard the fact that students receive additional help and instruct their class with a whole hearted passion that results from the thrill to teach. Their effort is sincerely appreciated, but we believe that all teachers should show this desire to teach without the mindset that our tutors will always be there to catch us when we fall.