This is Why I’m H.O.T.

UC Irvine students are teaching high school students in English literature or history. These classes are often neglected and this is good for students and teachers. - - Donna Poisl

By Marissa Osato

Travel a few miles up the 55 North and the prim, polished, perfectly planned community of Irvine transforms into the graffiti-ridden, overpopulated metropolis of Santa Ana. According to School Data Direct, a service of the Council of Chief State School Officers next door to one of the most affluent, first-rate research universities in California, the Santa Ana Unified School District stands as one of the lowest-ranked school districts in Orange County. We remain aware of these curious socio-economic contrasts, yet the question remains – what can we do?

H.O.T., or Humanities Out There, seeks to answer that question. It is an educational outreach program in which UC Irvine undergraduates visit Santa Ana high schools once a week to teach English literature or history lessons devised by graduate students. Each undergrad tutor leads a small discussion group and is given the freedom to alter lesson plans to address individual students’ needs.

UCI English professor Julia Lupton founded H.O.T. 10 years ago to allow undergrads to share their knowledge and build relationships with local community students, a unique enterprise that would bring university education to public school classrooms. UCI’s School of Humanities and the Santa Ana Unified School District established a strong partnership in hopes of improving these students’ academic aptitude and inspiring them to go to college. The idea was that students would feel more motivated to finish high school and pursue a college degree if they interacted with university students.
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