Every Monday 10 students ranging from kindergarten to 8^th grade come to the Family Center for tutoring in reading or math. Buhl Family Network is conducting a pilot program in tutoring, something that I thought would be relatively easy which is always what I think when something turns out to be really difficult!

The tutoring team consists of one retired teacher/reading coach, one administrator/teacher, two additional retired teachers, and two paraprofessionals.

All set then to start tutoring, right? Hardly. There is a lot of training, planning, and preparation first. Tutors learn how to assess the students, evaluate the findings, develop lesson plans to target the “holes” in learning, and select the materials to use in teaching each student. I attended portions of the training sessions and left when my eyes started popping out of my head. Tutoring training is strenuous work that drains the brain!

At last the tutors were ready to receive students. The assessments revealed that no two students were alike in areas needing attention. That means one tutor for each child for 50 minutes and there are three sessions of tutoring to accommodate all 10 students. Tutors employ three repetitive sensory skills when teaching in order for the student to grasp and retain the concept. For example, in teaching the alphabet, the tutor shows the student the letter a, the student says “a” and draws the letter in the air or on paper (see, hear, do). Recognizing the letter, sounding it out, and then learning combinations of letters are key learning blocks for reading as the student progresses. All of this is done at a rapid pace so that it becomes second nature to the student. When I observe the training and try to keep up, I drop out around second grade level. I don’t know how I learned to read. I remember going to school one day and all of the strange marks on the page turned into words!

After their workout, the students are ready for a hug and a snack and go home. The tutors eat lunch, I give them cookies, and then they get down to the second half of their day. They receive additional training, review the progress of each student, write the lesson plan for the following week, and then select the materials to implement the plan. I drift away when I can no longer absorb any more training, usually after the second cookie.

As I drive home, I think what a blessing it is to have a dedicated team of tutors who love kids and want to help them succeed. Think about helping just one student catch up with grade level work, not have to repeat a grade, and not become a future dropout! And then I think, we’re going to need more tutors! There are many more students needing individualized help. Our pilot program of tutoring ends in December. If you are interested in tutoring, let me know now so that you can begin to observe and receive training. If your child or grandchild needs tutoring, let me know so that we can reserve a slot for them in the new year. Finally, tutoring is expensive. Our costs are $30 per student per session. Parents chip in what they can. Buhl Family Network is seeking donations and grants to cover the full cost.  If you can donate to the cause, let me know. Thank you for supporting our future!

-Priscilla Martens