Imagine…. It’s your first day in fifth grade, you don’t know too many other children as you always shied away from other students because you didn’t feel like you “fit in.” You feel like everyone else is smarter than you, so you simply stay in your seat with your head down, hoping to never get called upon for an answer from the teacher. Let’s visit this scenario from a 10-year old’s perspective.
The first day of school, the students were asked to write down a little about themselves, and then stand up and read it in front of the rest of the class. It was MY turn to read. I hadn’t written much, as I don’t know how to write very well, so I really just drew pictures on the paper hoping that the teacher wouldn’t call me, however she called me first. I reluctantly walked up to the front of the classroom, stood and faced the other kids who started laughing at me. I was so embarrassed! I somehow spoke out that my name was Olina, that I was going to be 10 years old in a couple weeks and sat down thinking I was done. The teacher then asked me what my favorite subjects were. I said Art and Music, as I was horrible at math and actually hated math as a result. The rest of the kids shared their stories and I noticed most of them listed math as their favorite subject.
Math to me was so very confusing. Sure, the teacher got up and wrote on the board directions on how to do such things as Multiplication and Division, yet I was left with worksheets to complete in class and homework to be completed by the next day. Math wasn’t fun, wasn’t clear and wasn’t something that I understood. The first couple weeks we reviewed what we had done in 4th grade, things like 3-digit addition/subtraction, line graphs, decimals and such. I hadn’t really understood much of that, before they moved onto new materials. Wham!
Multiplication, which most learned in 3rd and 4th grade, was now being used in word problems, phrases and graphs. Division was equally as confusing, as I had learned to do it one way and this
teacher was teaching it differently and then asking us to “show our work”. How do you show what you don’t know?
Fractions were a whole other problem. Sure, when I was in 2nd/3rd grade we played with pizzas that showed a fraction of the product. “If the pizza had four pieces and Johnny ate three pieces, what percentage was left over for Sally, etc. But here in 5th grade I was faced with bigger problems to solve, mixed fractions, improper fractions and so forth.
In my younger grades I was provided tutoring for reading, which helped, however, there was never extra help for Math. My folks loved me very much; however, they said the math they did was different, that this was “new math.” Then the principal sent an email to parents offering a free tutor for math help through a charity called My Favorite Charity Events. My parents agreed to let me work with a tutor. This changed my life.
The tutor was able to give me one on one time to help me understand math, not just simply to learn enough to move on to the next standard. The tutor made learning FUN!!!!! I understood more and felt much better about myself. I was no longer that kid in the back of the room, feeling so behind. The icing on the cake was when the teacher asked for a volunteer to show the class the answer to a math problem, my hand was the first raised. I had always hated math, and now found that I actually enjoyed it.
We collaborate directly with the school administration and teachers to identify specific subject areas of weaknesses and low SOL scores. Our goal? Improve them both! The approach we have taken is to follow and support the children we provide tutoring to for as long as it takes for them to become the superstar students, we know they can be. We want you to know that 100% of your donations go towards improving the lives of those children in our community who need tutoring assistance.
We are proud to announce that My Favorite Charity Events has achieved the Candid (Guidestar) Platinum Transparency Seal for providing pertinent data about our organization that can be found at 
Ms. Bradshaw has over 30 years of teaching experience at the community college and grade school levels. She has worked with the VBCPS system since 2019, including offering tutoring for SOL preparation. Motivational speaker, topics include Volunteer Management, Team Building, and Stress Management. Ms. Bradshaw received her undergraduate degree in Gerontology/Human Services, and her Graduate degree in Aging & Management. Her love and enthusiasm for education is only second to her desire to be a part of the foundation of learning for students. 
Mr. Turner has worked as an educator for over a decade, first as a full-time Kaplan tutor before shifting into the public-school setting. Mr. Turner originally provided New York City public schools with SAT and ACT tutoring programs on behalf of Kaplan test prep. Since moving to Virginia Beach with his wife and daughter in 2015, Mr. Turner has taught, tutored, and coached students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He has provided Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy to students with autism ranging in ages from 3-16. As a special education teacher with Norfolk Public Schools, he taught a group of 3rd and 4th grade students with Emotional Disabilities. Through the coordinated support of families, co-teachers, and supportive administration, his team of students (dubbed the “SuperDolphins”) achieved a collective SOL pass rate of over 80 percent. Mr. Turner currently works as a Special Education teacher at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and believes strongly that relationship-building and play-based learning are the foundations of academic recovery and long-term success.