Tutor Spotlight: Keenan Harris
In addition to his work as the Director of generational ministries at Redeemer Church, father of three children 5 and under and avid Settlers of Catan player, Keenan Harris devotes his time to tutoring Math and Science Test Prep for CLC. Before that he was teaching Algebra and Geometry full time at Frenship High School with the Bachelor’s of Science degree he earned in Mathematics and Secondary Education for Wayland Baptist University. But even before that, he was a high school senior in Perryton, Texas, actively involved in sports, choir and the usual small town activity of just hanging around with his friends.
He remembers what it was like to make the decisions about where he would spend the next four years of his life, in college. He knew he wanted to stay in West Texas and knew he wanted to attend a smaller college. When he received a scholarship to play point guard for the Wayland Baptist University basketball team, he just knew it was a good fit.
While he did not continue his basketball career he did flourish at WBU, where the small classes offered a more personal experience and the professors knew his name. Keenan absolutely loved the dorm life and wished he would’ve stayed on campus longer, taking for granted how short this special stage of life actually lasts. Other than that, he had what most would consider an exceptionally good college career.
As a tutor at CLC College Prep, he wants to help students find a similar satisfaction in helping them achieve admittance to a college that fits them just as well. Keenan is recognizant of the fact that not everyone enjoys math as much as he does, but he finds that any student finds gratification in doing the work and seeing the progress. To him, it is not ever about achieving a certain score, but rather when students take ownership of the process. His favorite moments at CLC have been with the students, whose parents might have “made” them come in or who are skeptical about whether they will ever “get it”. He doesn’t see a student who is struggling with math. He sees a student whose barrier is largely based on a lack of confidence. The success for him as a tutor comes as he watches these once incredulous students doing the work and seeing it pay off, moving from doubting their abilities to feeling confident about overcoming personal barriers.