Beyond the cozy reading nooks and the scent of aged paper are the voices and smiles of young volunteers and passionate learners alike. Homework Helpers, a free student-led tutoring program for English language learners (ESL), has been helping children grasp new concepts and overcome language barriers for over two years.
The program began when senior Sarani Puri started tutoring a struggling ESL student and noticed a striking demand among ESL learners. Currently, six of the ten towns in Marin are in the top most segregated cities in the Bay Area with a population of nearly 70 percent white civilians. With Marin’s pattern of discrimination, Puri tackled a need for educational support among unserved individuals.
“It is hard to keep up in your classes when your parents are not there to give you the little bit of support that you might need, [especially] if you can not afford a tutor [and since] teachers are spread really thin…that’s the role we stepped into,” Puri said.
Shortly after Puri began tutoring, her efforts quickly expanded into a county-wide program.
“Initially I started the program so the library would not get mad at me for offering free tutoring [without approval,] so I definitely did not [expect it to grow to this extent],” Puri said. “But what changed everything was probably working with city council members, because I never imagined it being scaled to multiple locations.”
Homework Helpers officially launched in November 2022 at the Corte Madera Library before expanding to the Fairfax, Civic Center and Novato library branches, through collaboration with library staff and council members. Sarah Butts, librarian at the Corte Madera Library, fondly remembers the emergence of the project.
“When Sarani was a sophomore she came into the library with all these lofty ideas like maybe we can spread to other branches and more. So I said, ‘let’s start here’,” Butts said. But [Sarani] totally pulled it off; she’s an impressive person. It was Sarani’s energy, will and brute force that made it succeed.”
Currently, Homework Helpers has a total of 25 high school volunteers from schools across Marin. Junior Sophia Rubel joined the program her sophomore year and will continue her dedication to the program as a student lead this coming fall semester.
“Seeing the kids succeed [is the most rewarding part of the program]. For example, I work with this one girl in Spanish to understand her math and it is extremely rewarding to see her understand [concepts] and come back [to learn more],” Rubel said.
While the program has helped many families and students heighten their educational paths, many tutors, like Rubel, find they also grew personally.
“It heightened my awareness about how privileged I am. And how amazing it is to give back to the community. It is benefiting [the kids] but it also benefits you, [the tutor] in return because it makes you feel good and warms your heart,” Rubel said.
For Puri, Homework Helpers shaped the person and leader she is today.
“I’ve learned a lot throughout the process…about how to get things done, publicize, make myself heard, while also keeping interpersonal relationships, keeping the team inspired and engaged,” Puri said. “[Homework Helpers] is the biggest thing I think I have done in high school. A lot of families will mention that their student feels much more confident or parents sleep better knowing their student is getting the help they need—because I took a few hours out of my day to sit with them. It’s a surreal feeling.”
With Puri leaving for college to the University of California, Berkeley, leadership is transitioning to a group of students, the planning team, that will oversee the program. Many tutors and community members, including Butts, see a great and lasting future for Homework Helpers.
“In the next year or two, I would like to see it get really established where it is. For instance, people in West Marin would really appreciate the program. But would tutors drive to somewhere like Point Reyes?” Butts said. “Without Sarani caring so much, we also need to find a new routine that is less dependent on one person.”
However, Puri will still continue her efforts to support underprivileged communities and stay involved in the program .
“Part of the reason I’m studying [global business and inquiry studies] is because having a global business or nonprofit perspective, is something that will help me continue these efforts,” Puri said. “But just because I am going away, does not mean the program will. I love that I got to start this but I am going to love even more getting to take a step back and see what happens in the future.”
