Fundashon Tur Ta Konta was founded in September 2014 to make a difference for children who have difficulty with calculation and math. The name Tur Ta Konta means “everybody counts” in Papiamentu. Being able to calculate well is important for the general development of a child and for his or her future. Good math skills also help with critical and logical thinking and solving everyday problems. Ingeborg Boswinkel, one of our Associate Directors, has been part of the program from the very beginning. Read Ingeborg’s blog about her experience with working with the kids.
The Program
Tur Ta Konta offers one-on-one tutoring for children from groups 6, 7 and 8 of elementary school. Besides math tutoring, Tur Ta Konta has also started tutoring for reading comprehension in groups 4 and 5 because math is becoming more and more linguistic (“redactiesommen”…). The tutoring sessions are generally one hour per week and take place after school. The tutors get a special training from Tur Ta Konta where they receive information about the guidelines and methodologies for math education as well as didactic and social-emotional tips.
Why did I sign up as a math tutor?
I have been a math tutor since the first school year of Tur Ta Konta’s existence, 2014-2015. I signed up as a volunteer for the Tur Ta Konta program because I love math and I enjoy teaching and mentoring children. I strongly believe that this program can make a difference in the lives of children who don’t have the support environment that for example my own kids have. It’s not only math tutoring, but it is one hour of support and exclusive attention for the child. This personal attention helps to build the child’s skills and confidence.
My first pupil was a girl in group 7 of the Kolegio San Martin de Porres. From the beginning, I had a very good bond with this girl and her mother. I even went to their home several times in the weekends to help her with math or to prepare for tests. Her grades started improving quickly and I was very happy and proud of her results. I kept in contact with her when she went to secondary school and I helped her prepare for her mathematics exams. It gives me a very good feeling to be able to help a child succeed. And it only takes 1 or 2 hours per week!
If you want to become a tutor, you can sign up here.
