Amina Shahid — Call her the ‘Queen of Homework’

--- Published on January 13th 2017 ---
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Call her the Queen of Homework.

Perhaps Amina Shahid has completed more schoolwork than any other NUSD student this year – her own and that of others.

The 17-year-old Inderkum High School senior volunteers weekly for the North Natomas Library’s Homework Zone program, which offers a helping hand to any student stumped or puzzled by a classroom assignment.

“I love working with kids and I’m good at tutoring, so it’s something I have fun doing,” said Shahid, who has a grade point average above 4.0, was Inderkum’s top scorer and team leader in the Sacramento County Academic Decathlon this month, and hopes to attend UC Berkeley or UCLA next year. “I just really like kids. They’re so young and excited to learn – it’s great.”

The Homework Zone is available from 3:30-5:30 p.m. each Wednesday at the North Natomas Library, which is located beside Inderkum at 4660 Via Ingoglia. The South Natomas Library has a similar program from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursdays. Both offer help in all subject areas.

Shahid, who specializes in Math, said she understands how important education is and how frustrated a young student can get feeling stumped or confused. Sometimes parents can’t help much, particularly with Math, if they’re not familiar with California’s new standards.

“Kids are our future, so I want them to have the best education possible,” she said.

Heather Bratt, North Natomas Youth Services Librarian, said Shahid is exemplary as a homework coach and looked up to by other volunteers in the program.

“Amina is very patient, she’s a calm person and she’s very good about making sure that kids understand their homework,” Bratt said.

“She’s really good at paying attention to what works for students,” Bratt added. “When other homework coaches have trouble with Math, they go to her, saying, ‘Can you help me explain this another way?’  So she’s really our go-to Math person.”

Volunteering at Homework Zone has helped Shahid fulfill her required 30 hours of community service for Inderkum High’s senior project, but she continues to show up, week after week, and plans to keep tutoring this year and perhaps for years to come, wherever she attends college.

Does she ever get stumped herself? Shahid smiled. Sometimes it’s difficult to recall something learned years ago, or the way a homework problem is worded can be confusing. “When we do get stumped, we just have to resort to the Internet,” she said. “We figure it out.”

Shahid said many of the kids she sees are 3rd, 4th or 5th graders who tend to need help in Math. Sometimes they just need their work checked. Sometimes they’re advanced students coming to get ahead. Other times, they’re struggling and need one-on-one attention, she said.

Rather than money, Shahid’s reward for hours spent at Homework Zone comes when the lightbulb goes on, when a student suddenly understands a new concept and says a heartfelt thank you.  “It’s the best feeling that you were the person who caused that,” she said.