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After
School Tutoring… The Bottom Line
By Tatiayana Cox
Edison State Community College Student
What do you think the bottom line is for struggling students in this
community and the importance of supporting them now via after school
tutoring versus later? This question stopped me in my tracks as I began
tutoring 1st-7th graders. It may have begun as an assignment for me,
but morphed into a calling as these precious kids grew on me. I quickly
realized they struggled with basic math and language skills like
multiplication facts, simple division, being able to write a complete
sentence, spelling, or even sounding out words when reading aloud. It
shocked me to know the future of these kids is hanging in the balance.
Ultimately, it rests on the shoulders of this community to meet their
needs for this type of basic, skill-setting intervention.
What chance do you think they’ll have of getting a job without these
basic skills? Some wouldn’t make it past the application process! How
do you think they’ll be able to support themselves or their future
children? What opportunities lay ahead for them to support themselves?
Food pantries, church donations, welfare… the judicial system? This
community can either voluntarily support them now through the After
School Tutoring Program at the new Greenville Middle School, Ansonia or
other Empowering programs, or be forced to support them later with
taxpayer dollars. The choice is up to you. I’d rather use an ounce of
prevention now to avoid the pound of cure it could cost this community
later.
Not everyone has the gifting or patience to tutor, but you can support
the program financially. Program leaders have done a wonderful job at
organizing the program to make it more effective. Nevertheless, the
challenges they face can be daunting keeping up with the supply and
demand for new binders and copied materials for the students added
daily. The need for math tutors is great since one tutor may often have
more than one to three tables of math students. Volunteers are the
lifeblood of this program and give crucial, individual attention
students need to stay on task completing homework, and assessing where
students struggle most using the materials in the binder’s reading,
writing, or math worksheets. It’s all hands on deck since we rely
heavily on Edison State students from Greenville Campus Communication
classes. This is perfect for retired teachers who love working with
kids to come and share their gift!
I’ve learned new tricks from the ‘old-school’ teachers. You don’t have
to worry when you’re working with such caliber of people who treat you
with the same love and respect as they give the children! One side
effect, tutors learn as much as the kids do from the synergy this
program generates. Everybody brings something a little different to the
table. We draw from others strengths and work together as a more
effective tool. This is vital to the program since you have to often
think outside the box to keep the kids engaged and willing to
learn. I believe that education is one key to success and sense
of community this program brings is another. It instills a sense of
self-worth and gives a child hope to know they’re not alone, facing a
brighter tomorrow.
Ask yourself, do you wake up saying, “Good morning Lord, or good Lord,
it’s morning?!” Many of these kids wake up saying the latter and I can
no longer turn a blind eye to their challenges. Seeing a child’s face
light up because they’ve tackled something they couldn’t do before can
become the reason you jump out of bed every morning. The bottom line is
this: these kids won’t care how much you know until they know how much
you care, and why they need your support now more than ever!
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