Eleven-year old Neil is a Latino with a specific learning disability in visual and auditory processing. Broad written language, mathematics, and spelling skills are among Neil's scholastic deficiencies. I met each tutee separately each week for one hour after school at the Learning and Counseling Center. Located in Southern California, the Center occupies a few rooms in a one-story brown complex. Immediately inside is a waiting room furnished with a couch and wicker furniture.
Stuffed animals fill a basket and pop music plays in the background.
The second door down the hallway leads to the tutoring room. The tutoring room is big enough to hold a round wicker table with a glass top, some chairs, and an erasable marker writing board. A non-profit agency, the Center provides various services to those in need. The Center also offers group and individual tutoring in almost all subjects for students of all ages, including students with learning disabilities. I was employed at the Center as a tutor before selecting it as a field site.