Tutor Spotlight: Bijan Harandi
Short Biography:
My name is Bijan Harandi, a former student at Tufts University. Majoring in Biology, I worked in an Astrobiology Lab and was the head of the Tufts Quiz Bowl Club and Breakthrough Journal, in addition to being an editor for the Historical Review. In my free time, I love motorcycling, reading history, and hiking.
Throughout my time at Tufts, I had the great opportunity to tutor for Potencia, making sure that I was able to share my English-language skills with others, and boost my own teaching skills in the process.
Why I tutor for Potencia:
As a first-generation American myself and the child of immigrants from a distant country, I understand the hardships of those arriving to this country wanting to contribute and work hard, however not having the sufficient English skills to more efficiently do so. This issue struck me; however, I didn’t exactly know how to help given my lack of experience in teaching.
One day however I met Potencia’s founders Amanda and Jun at a JumboCafe event where they explained their non-profit startup’s mission of helping immigrants and refugees in the area learn the English skills they so desired. Approaching them on how I could help, they revealed that no experience was required for teaching, and that I could start right away.
Being a bit nervous at first at this new opportunity, I understood that this was the best way I could use my English native fluency to help those around me, as Potencia was created specifically to be a bridge between Massachusetts’ immigrant populations and college students eager to help. In addition to being a tutor, I also served as a Business Development Intern for the organization the summer of my freshman year, performing market research and building a database of possible sources of funding including sponsorships, grants, and private partnerships.
Skills I’ve gained from tutoring:
Without a doubt, my start in tutoring was rocky given I had to put together my own protocols and decide how the meetings would be structured. However, over the years, I’ve had the great opportunity to build upon my teaching and communication skills that will serve me for the rest of my life.
Firstly, I learned that as a teacher you must keep an open mind to what a learner may or may not initially understand. As a native fluent speaker of English, there are certain grammar topics that while to myself seem obvious, are completely foreign to someone else. With this in mind, keeping an open and understanding mind is important so you can deduce the situation with accuracy, while also staying persistent and determined to get a particular lesson or topic across.
Secondly, being creative is key to being an effective teacher. Much of the time, utilizing traditional methods of teaching is insufficient and ineffective, which puts the responsibility on the teacher to provide new innovative modes of teaching. In my experience, I’ve reviewed TV show episodes and American political speeches to give a few examples of methods, while untraditional, have worked very well.
Lastly, fostering a nurturing and supportive environment for the learners is incredibly important. Creating a space where you can get to know your learners is extremely necessary, especially with new immigrants, as builds comfortability and confidence in them. Getting to know their hobbies, interests, and senses of humor is crucial for communication, and furthermore can be utilized in the lesson plans as certain English lessons can revolve around topics, they have particular interests in. Additionally, in a country where many immigrants do not always feel welcome, it is extremely important to let them know that you as their teacher are glad they are here learning and pushing forward.
Goals at Potencia:
Moving forward, I hope to build on my skills as a tutor and continue to meet more bright faces eager to learn and contribute to American society. So far, I’ve tutored those from Brazil, Haiti, and South Korea, and am looking forward to hopefully meeting those from a wide range of other countries and regions of the world so I can see their perspectives and help them with their needs. All of this with the aim of making the greater Boston area a bit more inclusive and supportive one step at a time.
