THE DES MOINES REGISTER November 13, 2007

HEADLINE: Year-round tutors guide kids to confidence, better grades

By Micholyn Fajen

No longer just called upon for a summer brush-up, Waukee’s 40 tutors are personalizing education and building confidence in young learners.

The tutor list on the Waukee district’s Web site is filled with teachers, substitutes and former teachers driven by the passion to give students a leg up on learning. While not sponsored by the district, tutors must have worked in the district and have completed background checks.

“We provide and maintain the list as a service to our parents,” said Carol Caroll, administrative assistant to teaching and learning. “I send out a request to all the teachers in our database to see if anyone is interested in being added to the list ... there’s no pressure and no expectation that they have to participate.”

Caroll updates the list each spring for parents who want to hire a tutor for their kids. Parents are required to do all the coordinating, and payment for services goes directly to the tutor.

Lori Axtman, a Title One teacher at Brookview Elementary School, said her tutoring schedule fills during the summer months. Her motivation, she said, is a drive to help kids excel.

“I hate to see kids struggle. If I can give them a leg up before the school year starts, maybe I can level the playing field for them.”

Axtman benchmarks each child’s progress with testing at the beginning of her session and six to eight weeks later when the session ends.

Axtman said parents share their delight in better grades and improved self-confidence in their child. Some students she tutors who previously qualified for Title One Reading assistance have excelled beyond the “needs extra help” zone and no longer qualify for the program.

“For most of these kids it is a journey of time. They just need more time to practice reading. We are a fast-food society, so I try to come up with creative ways for these kids to practice reading outside of the classroom to make it fun,” Axtman said. She spurs her tutoring business by serving students she teaches at Brookview and word-of-mouth advertising.

Fourth-grade Maple Grove Elementary School teacher Kristi Rumph enjoys the one-on-one association with her students as she tutors them in math, reading and writing. But even one-on-one work has its challenges.

“The trick is finding the right thing that works for that kiddo. Every child is different and learns differently. For some, it’s learning through games, others repetition and others it’s through completing worksheets. Once you discover it, you begin to see their growth,” said Rumph, who tutors up to three students a year.

While the school district offers more one-on-one attention to students who need extra help, Waukee teachers recommend tutors to parents when a student’s need has outgrown what a teacher can meet.

Tutoring was the perfect match for Tyra Behnkendorf, who resigned from teaching at Eason Elementary School when her son was born three years ago. Her passion for mothering was well-fed, but her passion to teach had no outlet.

When she discovered the tutoring program, Behnkendorf said, she was able to balance being a mom with her zeal for teaching.

“It was even better than being in the classroom where you are trying to meet the needs of 27 students. Tutoring allows me to give 100 percent of my attention to one student’s needs. It’s more personalized,” Behnkendorf said.

Her tutoring schedule balances up to six students. Whether meeting at the Waukee Public Library, her own home or the student’s home, Behnkendorf said her individual meetings are scheduled twice weekly.

Being removed from classroom teaching poses a challenge when tutoring middle school and high school students, she said. Behnkendorf said it is difficult trying to decipher what the teacher expects students to know for tests or what direction the focus of a book chapter should take.

It’s a role reversal she admits is perhaps the same battle students face daily. But the response from students and parents feeds her fervor. One parent called Behnkendorf a “godsend,” praising the tutor for guiding the girl through learning strategies that taught her how to study.