Teacher Fact Sheet
Volunteer Tutoring Program Overview
This volunteer tutoring program is based on procedures developed by Volunteer Mid-South (formerly Volunteer Memphis) using information from the Points of Light Foundation, Memphis City Schools and the Our Children Our Future Program, and the Academy Tutoring Project funded by the Hyde Family Foundations. The initiative brought community volunteers to into the schools to work one-on-one with selected students with the goal of improving student academic performance. Volunteers are asked to serve at least one hour a week for the course of the academic year. Elementary students receive a 30 minute session twice a week and middle or high school students receive one 45-60 minute tutoring session per week. This program is now being managed by your school administrators and it's success requires the full support of the School Administrators, the Site Coordinator, and the faculty.
Teacher Support
Your support as the classroom teacher is critical.
Volunteer Tutoring Program Overview
This volunteer tutoring program is based on procedures developed by Volunteer Mid-South (formerly Volunteer Memphis) using information from the Points of Light Foundation, Memphis City Schools and the Our Children Our Future Program, and the Academy Tutoring Project funded by the Hyde Family Foundations. The initiative brought community volunteers to into the schools to work one-on-one with selected students with the goal of improving student academic performance. Volunteers are asked to serve at least one hour a week for the course of the academic year. Elementary students receive a 30 minute session twice a week and middle or high school students receive one 45-60 minute tutoring session per week. This program is now being managed by your school administrators and it's success requires the full support of the School Administrators, the Site Coordinator, and the faculty.
Teacher Support
Your support as the classroom teacher is critical.
- You will be asked to work with the Principal or School Site Coordinator to recommend appropriate students and obtain a permission form from the parent/guardian. That form includes a option for parents' to approve the release of student information to the tutor. Once that form is received, it should be given to the Site Coordinator who will coordinate the matching of the student with a tutor.
- Once the tutoring schedule has been arranged, you will be expected to make the student available at the given time, or to send a prearranged alternate student. Make sure you have an alternate student in case the regular student is absent. It is important to miminize the number of times a tutor is turned away because there is no student available. If this happens more than once, the tutor is likely to feel discouraged and drop out.
- The School Site Coordinator, or the volunteer tutor, might ask for help in identifying special focus areas for the session activities. You are encouraged to provide a profile of the student's academic strengths and suggest areas that the student could use extra help. Some teachers set up a tutor folder in their classroom or send materials to the School Program Coordinator for the student to work on in their tutoring session. Math, Reading, Tutor notes, Reading prescription.
- Whenever possible, please acknowledge volunteer tutors for their commitment and offer encouraging feedback. Should you want to communicate more frequently with the tutor, sharing email addresses is an effective and less time consuming way to connect with your student's tutor. The Connect Tab can be set up to share contact information from tutors and teachers. Some programs have the tutor sit in on an actual class to get a better understanding of the teacher's style and expectations.