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Saint Mary's College freshman Samantha Coale tutors fourth grade student, Emily Tula. Photo Daniel Scherer
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Samantha Coale, a freshman at Saint Mary's College, has wanted to be a teacher since she was in the third grade. Now, the 18-year-old from Moraga is putting that desire to the test. She's a volunteer tutor at the Monument Crisis Center in Concord, tutoring elementary grade students.
"It feels good to volunteer, and I get to work with all grade levels," Coale says. She also gets leadership class credit at her school.
The Monument Crisis Center's After School Cafe Program has expanded to more than 75 students and is looking for more volunteer tutors.
The center, which provides food and other safety-net services at no cost to thousands of low-income households in Contra Costa County, has 32 volunteer tutors. It wants more so that each student can develop a relationship with a particular tutor.
"A one-to-one relationship is especially important," says Alice Rector, 69, a retired speech and language pathologist who volunteers to mentor the tutors. Numerous studies have shown the value of one-to-one tutoring. (Read more about this study at http://nichcy.org/research/summaries/abstract3). Teachers are constantly challenged to find time to work with students individually.
Most of the center's tutors are in high school or college and tutor elementary school children. Some of the center's current tutors were once tutored in the After School Cafe Program. Others simply want to help or give back. The center expanded its tutoring program to three afternoons a week and has launched a tutoring program for middle school students, too. Included within the tutoring programs are homework assistance, special subject tutoring, computer time in the Rotary Learning Lab, art projects, educational games, and healthy snacks.
"It is very rewarding," says Sandra Scherer, the center's executive director. "Our families tell me how important this program is to them. Their children gain self-confidence, a sense of pride and enthusiasm for learning. This program improves not only the individual but creates positive impact and dynamic change in the greater community."
For more information, or to volunteer, contact Scherer at (925) 825-7751.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA