roughly speaking...studying is boring

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle didn't necessarily like tutoring, but she'd drawn the short straw today and sat in the library waiting for someone to show up who needed help on their homework. She wasn't alone. There were other's sitting around waiting for someone to show up and partake of the help they were offering but Axelle was a little surprised that she didn't have a line. Maybe she had overestimated how many of her fellow students were terrible at math. As Axelle waited for the chance to help someone, she worked her way through her own homework, carefully pushing the buttons on her calculator and writing the answers down on her paper. One of the things she loved about Hammel was their ability to look ahead. Someone, long ago had realized that sometimes there would be students who would need special supplies and to that end, whenever Axelle needed something, all she had to do was place an order.

She had special writing tools made of sturdy enough material that she didn't snap pens and pencils all day along with a special calculator that was heavier than normal and could withstand her frustration if she punched the buttons a little harder than necessary. Axelle looked up in the quiet of the library as she finally finished her own homework and dropped it into back pack, a stack of books already nearby incase the student she was tutoring forgot theirs or were possessive. When she finally noticed someone standing nearby she smiled at them. "Hello! Are you here for tutoring? Pull up a seat, I don't bite," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Many people were really nervous around tutors for whatever reason and she didn't like that. Nervous people didn't tend to pay attention to the information they were being given. “I’m Axelle, nice to meet you,” she added with a small wave in order to avoid shaking the other girl’s hand.

[Marley Rose]

Marley didn't want help - even when she knew she needed it. The girl would literally go out of her way in order to avoid people who want to help her. She didn't like learning she was wrong or being told to change her ways. It made her uncomfortable to be so awful at something that she needed somebody to literally carry her through it. She'd much rather struggle and feel at least slightly accomplished by whatever the outcome was.

So needless to say, when Marely's math teacher demanded she was tutored for the upcoming test, her heart sank to her stomach and she spent the remainder of her day brooding. But Marley knew her teacher would never pass her if she didn't put in a "solid effort" and go to tutoring and get the dumb slip that said she attended signed by whatever smart ass was tasked with teaching her factoring.

She trudged to the library toward the middle of the tutoring sessions, and skulked around to where her teacher said they would be. She didn't approach anyone though, not quite sure how to even start such a conversation - Hi, I'm stupid, you should fix that . Marley stood in the shadows of a bookshelf for a bit, trying to think of an excuse that could get her out of this, but before she could slip away, she was spotted by one of the tutors.

Marley stepped forward with a sigh, setting her books on the table. The girl seemed to try and lighten the mood with a couple jokes, and a few smiles. Marley half smiled back and when the girl introduced herself Marley mustered a polite, " 'm Marley." and a half smile, trying not to project her frustration with her teacher onto the tutor she was basically being forced to work with.

[Axelle Flint]

It was pretty obvious that Marley was not thrilled to be in the library, but to be fair, not many people were super excited to spend extra time studying when they could be doing anything else. She tried to put the younger girl at ease. "Hiya Marley! What can I help you with today?" she asked with another smile. She spied the book Marley was using and fetched it from the pile beside her. "Are you studying for an upcoming test, would you like me to check your homework, or are you stuck on something your teacher did a really crappy job of explaining in class?" she asked, the last bit in a lower voice and a sneaky look around.

Axelle happened to be naturally gifted when it came to understanding numbers, she did the best when the answers were always going to be the same. At the same time she really, really sucked at her English homework and was constantly checking with her friends to make sure that her "interpretations" of the material would be acceptable for their teacher. She also knew that math did not come easily for many people and part of the problem was that teachers weren't always able to explain the material in a way that complimented each student's learning style. They had to gauge to overall level of the class and teach there; otherwise the class would fall behind. Unfortunately that also meant that those who were struggling usually couldn't catch up without extra assistance.