Becoming a reading tutor

By Children Rising | November 13, 2012

If you have been following our blog, you might know that I (Madalyn) have started tutoring at La Escuelita on Wednesdays.

It’s hard to immediately tell about all the joyful, funny, fulfilling, learning moments that happen during tutoring, so for this first post, I will elaborate on two aspects of the process of becoming a tutor: getting my Livescan and tutoring training.

Livescan: I didn’t think this would be interesting, but Elaine at Prints on the Run (where we recommend you get your Livescan done if you live in Oakland) is such a fun and caring person that I must write about her. She is a fingerprint expert who not only did my fingerprinting, but also gave me tips on how I could improve my fingerprints (mainly, moisturize more to get rid of the minute cracks on my fingertips).
Two thumbprints up to Elaine for making it so pleasant for Children Rising volunteers to get their Livescans done!

Literacy Training: This was invaluable. Rebecca (our Succeeding by Reading program director) fed our stomachs and minds with tasty snacks and a wealth of information about early childhood literacy. I got a binder that detailed various aspects of a learning reader’s process. My class of ten tutors practiced our phonics skills, previewed some of the materials we would be using, and shared about our own young reading experiences. It was great to meet other tutors, some of whom were retired, had part-time jobs, or were taking time from work to volunteer. Some had worked with children before or in education, and others had no experience but wanted to meet a need in the community.
I was fortunate that I was in the same class as two other tutors that also volunteer at La Escuelita. When I saw them the next week, we all had the same things to say about the training: Fun! Informative! Helpful! Motivating!

Stay tuned for my first interactions with my student, Erick!