For students at Berkeley High School in all three Advanced Math courses, and AP Calculus AB and BC, tutoring hours aren’t optional. Each semester, students are required to tutor students in regular math classes. Mandatory tutoring should remain a requirement, because they improve understanding, support struggling students and foster accessible math tutoring.
One of the benefits of tutoring is how it stimulates the tutors’ own learning. Teachers see this firsthand. “When you explain something to somebody else, you yourself learn it better. There’s a lot of research out there that shows this,” AP Calculus BC teacher Michael Weitz said. Tutoring is especially effective when AP Calculus BC students help AP Calculus AB students, solidifying their understanding. “Explaining concepts from the foundation up makes me think about how I understand them myself. It also helps me identify weak points in my own understanding and work them out while tutoring,” AP Calculus BC student Eloise Thomas said.
Tutoring doesn’t just benefit advanced math students — it is a critical support system for those struggling in standard integrated math classes. “If I run a tutorial room and I’m flooded with students, there’s no way I can get around to help everyone. Having a peer tutor there as an extra voice is essential,” Weitz said.
For some students, tutoring taught patience and stronger communication skills. “You need patience when teaching younger students. They might not understand something the first time, so you have to find other ways to explain,” AP Calculus AB student Kayla Nguyen said. Beyond that, tutoring can allow for new interactions with students and staff. “I’ve gotten to know math teachers I never had, which makes bonds between the staff and students,” Nguyen said. Still, mandatory tutoring comes with challenges. “I already have a lot of homework from math and other classes, so tutoring just adds more stress,” Nguyen said. For many, time management is hard. “It was stressful trying to fit tutoring hours in when places weren’t always open. But once I learned to plan ahead, like finishing hours early in the semester, it was much less stressful,” Thomas said.
Regardless of these disadvantages, the benefits of tutoring outweigh the negatives. “Tutoring provides free help for students who can’t afford private tutors, which makes math more equitable. If it were voluntary, fewer people would do it … Because it was required, I got benefits from it and helped others,” Thomas said.
Mandatory tutoring hours are not just about checking boxes, they're about reinforcing learning, providing extra support and building a culture of collaboration. “Talking about math, sharing ideas and explaining to others is a huge part of learning math,” Weitz said. When it comes to learning math, teaching others may be the best method of all.