Struggling kids benefit from volunteer tutors

When I was a teacher-librarian at Odle Middle School in Bellevue, WA, I often saw the look of defeat on the faces of kids who were struggling academically. I felt frustrated because I simply didn’t have the time to give them the individual attention they needed. One day, a parent of a struggling student came up with the idea of recruiting volunteer tutors—and six years later, our program has grown to 42 helpers—including parents, high school students, senior citizens, and local business employees. They’ve helped hundreds of kids improve their reading skills, pay closer attention in class, and become better researchers.

One of the attractive things about our program is that tutors can volunteer as little or as much time as they want. Some volunteer for a single lesson, while others volunteer every day of an entire two-week unit. I often promote our program in the monthly parent newsletter, but the best place to find new volunteers is at our school’s fall open house, where I talk to potential tutors about my program and explain how they can help students.

Before tutoring sessions begin, I meet with volunteers a few times to train them as a group. As I get to know them, I try to informally match them with students who can benefit from their strengths. Some volunteers have the patience to work well with students who lack basic skills. Others have the firm hand required to keep a group of kids with attention problems from roving.

How does our volunteer program actually work? Participants are instructed to arrive 10 minutes before the beginning of class, and they’re handed laminated instruction sheets explaining the unit of study and how they are expected to help. Kids with similar problems are grouped together, and each volunteer helps up to four kids at a time. Struggling students are told in advance that they will be receiving support from tutors and, surprisingly, no one is ever embarrassed about getting extra help.

Teachers are asked several weeks in advance to identify kids who need tutors, and we schedule volunteers based on need. I conduct a “New Teacher Orientation” each year to let new educators know about the program. Along with their tutors, students are expected to gather online and print resources to complete their assignments. I give volunteers tips on how to assist kids without doing the work for them, such as how to evaluate a credible Web site, how to read a topographical map, and how to help students remember to use something as simple as an index.

Problem solving is key. During a lesson on ancient civilizations, for example, one student named Charles was stumped in his search to find the religion of the Aztecs. Under the gentle questioning of his tutor, Charles searched under the words priest, temples, gods, and myths, and eventually found his answer. Volunteers record each student’s daily progress and areas that need improvement, all vital information for future tutors.

All of our students ended up learning important skills, such as how to frame questions that guide their searches and skim for relevant information. But most importantly, they gained the confidence to complete assignments. We discovered that reading everything aloud—from assignments to reference materials—to those with very poor reading skills was extremely helpful. Within weeks, they felt confident enough to look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary. Volunteers helped kids who could read but found it impossible to write by taking dictation of everything the student needed for his assignment. In the past, all of these struggling learners anticipated failing their assignments, but after working with tutors, they were proud to share discoveries with their classmates in as little as a few weeks.

Students suddenly came to the library expecting to be engaged because they appreciated the supportive volunteers who kept them on track. Our tutors felt deeply rewarded by their role in helping students succeed, and teachers were delighted by a library full of focused, on-task students. Using volunteers means everybody benefits—and it doesn’t cost a thing, except a little bit of everyone’s time.