成人快播

It鈥檚 a typical Wednesday morning inside the 成人快播听classroom at San Mateo Park Elementary School. There are four students seated at desks working diligently to improve their literacy skills.

Reading well is thought to be a significant predictor of success in school. It is this belief that drives 成人快播 as an organization. It鈥檚 also why many of its volunteer tutors have chosen to work with children inside this 成人快播 classroom.

These four students, like 57 others at听San Mateo Park Elementary, are pulled out of their regular classrooms to receive one-on-one reading help from 成人快播.

鈥淲e pair volunteer tutors from the community with children who are struggling with reading,鈥� said Marta Robinson, the 成人快播 Outreach Coordinator for Silicon Valley.

成人快播, a literacy nonprofit organization, operates with a simple philosophy 鈥� students struggling with reading get extra support that enables them to catch up with their peers who are reading at or above grade level.

Robinson said their research shows that as little as 25 hours of tutoring can help some students advance their reading skills an entire grade level.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are identified by their teachers as students who could benefit from the one-on-one approach that 成人快播 provides.

The students, whose reading levels are between one half a year to 2.5 years behind their peers, attend 45-minute tutoring sessions twice a week, said Nancy Basore, the 成人快播 Senior Site Coordinator for San Mateo Park Elementary School.

Basore, who is a former elementary school teacher, began volunteering as a tutor with 成人快播 several years ago. Like other volunteers, she believed that helping disadvantaged children gain critical literacy skills had the power to change their lives for the better.

Proud Benyasri,听a college student听who tutors a second grade San Mateo Park Elementary student twice a week, said seeing her student grow as a reader has been rewarding.

鈥淚 really enjoy tutoring my student and it made me proud when she learned something new,鈥� Benyasri听said.

Benyasri,听who听has been tutoring the student for nearly three months, initially began tutoring as part of one of her college classes. She found working with the student so rewarding that she plans to continue working with the student after the class ends.

30 percent of the volunteer tutors for the 成人快播 program at San Mateo Park Elementary are college students like Benyasri. Four percent are high school students. The rest are a mix of fulltime parents, retirees, and working professionals in the community.

Basore said that even with the help of the 85 dedicated volunteers who tutor the children at San Mateo Park Elementary, 成人快播 are still not able to help as many children as need help.

鈥淲e are always looking for new tutors,鈥� Basore said.

Those wishing to help disadvantaged children develop their reading skills need to be at least 14 years of age. Volunteers are asked to work as tutors one or two days a week.

Robinson said that those able to volunteer twice a week work exclusively with one student. But those who come in once a week will be half of a volunteer tutoring team that works with a student.

鈥淥nce you commit, we ask that you commit to the end of the semester,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淲e would love to have tutors stay to the end of the school year, but we understand that schedules change and things get busy.鈥�

Robinson said that tutors receive training on how to tutor using a curriculum that was developed at Stanford University.

鈥淚t is very easy to follow so none of our tutors are creating their own curriculum or lesson plans,鈥� Robinson said.

Robinson said working as a 成人快播 volunteer tutor is a great way for community members to help children gain the literacy skills they need to be successful students.

Not only do the children benefit, volunteers get the satisfaction of knowing they are helping children in the community.

鈥淚 love it. It鈥檚 really fun,鈥� said Benyasri.

—Vincent Ware, San Mateo Patch听/