As the name implies, Homework Center for Rainier Scholars – Tacoma is a resource for students who need schoolwork assistance, but it’s also a growing destination for building community throughout the Rainier Scholars family. Initially provided as an online-only offering, today, Homework Center is held on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Rainier Scholars – Tacoma office, with a Zoom space also available during those hours.
“Homework Center is designed to be a place for all of our students — a consistent, reliable, safe space offering a welcoming environment staffed by trusted adults,” explains Muhammad Ramadan, Director of Elementary and Middle School Readiness – Tacoma. “At any given session, we might see as many as a dozen students, usually visiting in waves of two or three students at a time. That works to our advantage because we can give them more personalized care.”
It provides support for both Rainier Scholars’ homework and any other schoolwork, depending on where students are in their journey. It also serves as a second line of support, ensuring students have everything they need to stay successful in the program. “If a student is not caught up on the work that they’re doing with us, we would try to prioritize that so that they don’t get behind,” says Muhammad. “Students who have lower than a C grade or a 3.0 average come in once a week on a mandatory basis to check in and stay on top of assignments.
If students are missing assignments, we have a system for contacting parents, and Homework Center would be a next step for them.”
This programmatic support offers guidance across a wide range of subjects delivered by members of the Rainier Scholars program team and volunteers from the University of Puget Sound. “We always have generalists and one or two people who are a little more familiar with certain subjects. I will admit that there have been times when students have asked about advanced math and, in some cases, we’re learning together,” says Muhammad. “I think it’s nice for the students to see that, even as adults, there are things we just don’t know. But we work towards solutions, providing space for problem-solving, resilience, and perseverance.”
Aside from schoolwork assistance, Homework Center is becoming an important space for community building among scholars and staff. “A student mentioned they were reading the book ‘Refugee’ by Alan Gratz. I mentioned that I had met the author and had a signed copy of the book. We got into a conversation about it, and, at the end, the student said, ‘Thank you. It was nice to be able to talk to you like a person because adults don’t always talk to us that way.’ Having a normal conversation felt like community. That’s been one of the most rewarding parts for me.”
In general, the students who visit Homework Center most often are good at self-advocating or on the periphery of knowing they need help but unsure how to articulate it. Students who have siblings or a lot going on at home like having a space to work and focus with resources readily available when needed. It is also a place to take advantage of newly formed affinity groups and participate in make-up sessions for any monthly Saturday skill-building workshops scholars might have missed.
Looking ahead, Muhammed hopes to encourage more students to visit Homework Center, especially those who are often reluctant to ask for help, with more extracurricular or club-style activities like a speech and debate club or a book club. He’d also like to see how this support can provide a setting for scholars to build relationships across cohorts.