AVID ANECDOTALS

• Who are you and what do you teach? My name is Azra Hadzimuratovic and I teach Spanish at Nichols.
• How long have you been teaching at Nichols? I have been teaching at Nichols for 18 years! Time flies!
• What do you like about teaching here? I love teaching here because of the students. They are absolutely the best part of the job, period. And every year, every group is different and we learn new things together and from each other.
• Why did you decide to become an AVID tutor or what do you like about working with the AVID program? I decided to become an AVID tutor because it is such a cool experience to be a part of. I also remember when I was a student in middle school and, only now, I understand how much I would have benefitted from a program like AVID! Among many great things, AVID students get to learn academic skills that will take them through high school, beyond college and into the workforce!

Fun facts about myself - I was born in South Africa where the majority of my pretty large family still lives. My great grandfather and grandfather were Italian ministers travelling through Africa on missions and rooted in South Africa in the early to mid-1900's. I moved to England when I was 3 and lived there until I was 5. Finally moving to the USA to live the American dream. I studied abroad in Spain before my junior year at the University of Michigan. I also lived in Australia for 18 months with my family of 5, moving back to Evanston in 2015. And my husband is half Japanese...needless to say, I LOVE traveling and exploring the world. There is so much more to experience and learn!

I love to exercise - run, walk, spin, yoga, strength training, pretty much anything! It is my outlet for my mental health sanity.

I have been a parent in District 65 for 11 years culminating last year when my youngest son graduated from Haven and is now a freshman at ETHS. All 3 of my children attended Orrington, Haven and then ETHS. Therefore I am very familiar with the district...however from a parent perspective. I have worked in many different school and therapeutic/counseling settings throughout the years of my career. And middle school is my favorite! It is the most challenging, kids are going through the most development over 3 short years but they are still reachable. I believe the most work can be done in the middle school years. I chose Nichols Middle School because I want to work with this age group in a district that is working on making real change. Change is bumpy and messy as well as sometimes inevitable. But hoping change leads to growth!

In January, students worked collaboratively together in groups of 5-7 to review their points of confusion in their classes. This month, the subject that most of our students have been struggling in is math. They are struggling with dividing fractions and mixed numbers. On January 31st, the 6th grade math team joined our AVID class to model for students for how to identify their points of confusion. This has been a team effort to support our students to reflect on their learning and how to advocate for the support they need.

One of the areas that has been a challenge with our students is to be able to share their struggle areas. Students want to share what they have mastered already instead of what they do not understand yet. This tutorial process is helping our students develop a growth mindset. We want our students to become comfortable with the process of learning. We celebrate our students struggling because that is the only way that they will grow as learners. Please see the video below which explains the mindset that the AVID program is helping our students to develop.

Thank you so much for all of the support you provide your AVID scholar with at home.

Here is how you can support your AVID scholar at home:

1. Check your child's class notes and ask them to use their notes to explain what they are learning in class.
2. Inquire with your child about their "points of confusion" in their various classes.
3. Encourage your child to advocate for themselves by emailing their teacher or speaking with their teacher about their AVID tutorial question.

Please reach out to the counselor Mrs. Nelson (nelsont@district65.net) or Ms. Lopez (lopezv@district65.net) if you have any questions or concerns.