Teen Tutors Pay It Forward
For ninth-graders Jason Johnson and Kevin Morales, volunteering as tutors in Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Gift of Literacy and Math programs this summer was something of a déjà vu experience. In elementary school, they were students in the program themselves.
The boys were accompanying younger siblings to tutoring this summer when they were encouraged to volunteer. They are the first to have been in the program as both students and tutors, and among 35 teens (out of 80 volunteers total) who volunteered in the Gift of Literacy and Math program this summer. Since the program’s inception, the JCC has trained thousands of volunteers to help economically and academically challenged students focus on education as a way to succeed.
Jason and Kevin understand firsthand the value of volunteer tutors. When he entered the program as a grade schooler, Jason, now, a freshman at Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem, struggled with reading. “It was hard for me to understand big words,” he said. “My tutor, Fern, helped me.”
The summer program allows kids to reinforce what they’ve learned during the school year, and avoid the academic backslide that often occurs when kids are out of the classroom for the summer. The elementary school students who participate benefit from having good role models, enjoy the camaraderie, and learn to relate to adults and teens, says the program’s director, Judy Gross.
Jason and Kevin, both 14, worked with first-graders at PS 163 on the Upper West Side. “While they may not have as much experience as some of our adult volunteers,” says Gross, “their youth has its pluses. Teen tutors tend to be very flexible about using different methods, particularly in math. They’re very easygoing about tailoring instruction to the younger kids’ learning style and knowledge. They’re also more likely to have worked with newer concepts themselves.”
“Because I was tutored,” says Kevin, who attends the High School for Hospitality Management, “I remembered how hard it was to learn, and I understood how hard it was for these kids too.” Jason admits to being “kind of nervous,” but says, “it wasn’t scary after the second or third time.”
“Tutoring for the JCC program was really cool,” says Kevin. “I got to teach little kids and feel how it was to be a teacher.”
Gross described both boys as “hardworking and responsible.”
Because their schedules are more flexible than those of their adult peers, teens also tend to tutor more frequently, often as much as four times a week. Teen volunteers are able to earn community service hours for their work.
“When kids move on to middle school or high school, they’re still part of our network and can still get the help they need to succeed in school,” says Gross. “As more and more become old enough to volunteer, we welcome them to help younger students.
“Once kids are in our programs, they’re part of our family,” Gross concludes.
Sherri Lerner is the former editorial director at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has written and edited for numerous publications and is currently on the staff of the Wechsler Center.