"What college do you want to go to?" "What do you want to be in the future?" "What's your passion?" Growing up, I was constantly asked these types of questions, and I never really had an answer. Everyone around me seemed focused on a very specific goal, yet no one tells you what to do if you’re not quite sure. The truth is, not everyone knows what path they’d like to go on, or even the path they’re on now. School is supposed to help with that, but with increasing expectations and high standards, many students are crumbling under the pressure.

School is the main source of stress for many kids. On top of that, Covid-19 suddenly became prevalent and made things ten times worse. Children already struggling suddenly couldn't even see their friends at school for an entire year. It’s important to realize that the pandemic has taken a toll on many people’s health, not just students', both mentally and physically. Students could see their grades dropping, and they didn't have the motivation or energy to fix them. Parents were losing their jobs and their loved ones, and they couldn't do anything about it. These handicaps on people's lives were precisely the reason T.O.T.S. was created. Whether from financial struggle, busy work schedules, or other reasons, many parents didn’t care or have the time to help their child with education. Even today, as the pandemic has waned, many students struggle with school and can’t get the help they need. Having to balance school life, social life, and sometimes work life, is challenging for almost everyone. In order to facilitate this, T.O.T.S. is time-flexible, simple, and for both tutor and tutee.

T.O.T.S. makes an effort to give everyone a fair opportunity and provides completely free, online tutoring sessions for grades K-8. What makes T.O.T.S. special is that the tutors are Plano East Senior High School’s very own students that are passionate about teaching and community service. These peer tutors are kids who’d like to give back to the community, kids who want to help others, or kids who want to pursue a career in education. More importantly, these are kids that have gone through the school system, so they can provide more personal advice and share their experiences now that they’ve made it through. As we go further along this journey, many changes will be made. In the future, we look to greatly expand T.O.T.S. Here at Plano East, we believe that little by little, T.O.T.S. could change lives and help the world become a better place through good, accessible education in safe and nurturing environments.

Natalie Tan

President and Founder