What People Are Saying
I Still Learn So Much
Pat Treadwell, Experience Corps member, Monarch Academy
Even though I am a grandmother, I still learn so much about children through working with the 10-year-olds at Monarch Academy. I need to learn about each child's different background and family life before I can understand them. Seeing the different personalities is remarkable!
Find a Key
Naomi, Experience Corps member
I always felt that with all the children that I tutored, if you can find the key to that one child, you can open everything up. It's like looking for treasure.
Keeping Sharp
Peoria Lewis, Experience Corps member, Civicorps Elementary School
Tutoring children is good. It keeps the mind sharp and focused.
I Pray I Will Make a Difference
Mary Watson, Experience Corps member, Emerson Elementary School
Tutoring gives me something to do that is worthwhile for both myself and the community. I'm pleased to be able to give back. Each day when I leave my home, I pray that I will make a difference in some child's life.
A Love of Reading
Ronnie WIlliams, Experience Corps member
Ron Williams sat on the floor of a third grade classroom in Oakland, CA.
"Okay," he said, handing a book to two students stuck in the middle of an argument. "Who starts?"
"I do," one of the boys answered, getting down on the floor with Mr. Williams. "I read the first page. He reads next."
Williams was inspired to become an Experience Corps member, he explains, "Because I needed something to make me come alive. Being around adults my whole working life had caught up with me.
"I searched around for what was next. A long time ago, someone took the time to instill a love of reading in me. I wanted to do the same for other kids."
"People ask me what I do to stay so happy and full of energy," Williams says. "I tell them that working with Experience Corps has given me back my youth. I knew there had to be more to life. By tutoring these kids, I have found it."
Enriches the Entire School
Clint Wilkins, head of school, Civicorps Elementary School
The presence of Experience Corps members at Civicorps Elementary School enhances our students' academic performance and helps them develop better social skills. Experience Corps members also enrich the entire school, through the positive and strong intergenerational relationships that ensue. We are also appreciative of the other improvements that the program brings, chief among them being fewer classroom disruptions and reduced conflict in the hallways and schoolyard. The result: a greater sense of community. And where there is a strong sense of community, everyone benefits. In brief, this is a win-win-win for all of us!
I've Never Seen Anything That's Clicked Like This
Mr. Allen, fourth and fifth grade teacher, Emerson Elementary School
Our children need someone who can provide love, and our Experience Corps member does just that, giving the students stability and an uplifting feeling about themselves. She is effective, patient, and very well organized. I am sure Emerson schools math scores for 4th/5th graders will be elevated by her presence. I wish Experience Corps was all over the school district. I've never seen anything that's clicked like this.
Makes A Huge Difference in Kids' Academic Performance
Ms. Gelormino, 1st grade teacher at Civicorps Elementary
My Experience Corps member is incredible. She knows exactly what to do with the kids I send her. Sometimes she'll notice something and be able to articulate it even better than I could because she's spent time working 1:1 with a child. Having her as my own personal volunteer is making a huge difference in the academic performance of my kids. Almost every student in my class has benefited and has improved at an accelerated rate because of her."
A Recriprocal Relationship
Lucy Scott, Experience Corps member
"Experience Corps is really a reciprocal relationship. The kids give so much to me and then I get a chance to give back. It's really wonderful."