About Elijah

Volunteering has genuinely changed the way I show up for kids. Before that experience, I thought teaching was mostly about knowing the material. What I didn't understand was how much of it is about waiting -- waiting for a concept to click, waiting for a kid to feel safe enough to try and waiting through frustration. Through my volunteer work, I got real tutoring experience that no classroom could have handed me. Sitting with a kid who just doesn't get it yet, and staying calm, staying curious about why they don't get it rather than just repeating myself louder -- that's a skill I had to build slowly, session by session.