January 2, 2019

Because so many of Mercy Home’s children arrive at our Home two to three years behind in school, one of the most important tasks they undertake during their time with us is improving their grades. That’s why it is so fortunate that they have access to tutors who help them learn how to study efficiently, complete their homework, and catch up on what they missed.

“Tutoring has been proven to improve confidence around academic abilities and attitude toward education,” Brittany Terrell, director of education resources, said.

And not only does tutoring improve our kids’ subject knowledge, it also teaches them other important skills like executive functioning and work habits. It also helps our kids understand the value of soliciting and receiving immediate feedback.

The tutoring our kids receive is tailored specifically to their academic needs and takes into account their strengths and areas of need. This is specifically true when it comes to our Title 1 tutors, who gives intensive practice to students who need it.

The majority of Mercy Home’s tutors are volunteers. Before they can begin working with our kids, they must complete a tutoring orientation that outlines Mercy Home’s mission and how to effectively work with kids who have experienced trauma.

“Mercy Home tutors are dedicated professionals who are determined to give back and aligned with the agency’s mission and values,” Terrell said. “They value education, structure, and ensuring that our youth receive that one-on-one support that motivates self-paced and self-directed learning.”

Tutoring sessions last from 45 minutes to one hour, and tutors may also assist our kids in planning each session to help our kids increase their productivity during sessions and engage with them in their academics.

“Mercy Home tutors are dedicated professionals who are determined to give back and aligned with the agency’s mission and values.”

After sessions, tutors are allowed to give immediate feedback and share their thoughts about the time spent together, including organization/preparedness, engagement, motivation, and subjects worked on.

TJ is one of our young men who has benefited tremendously from our tutors. When he first came to Mercy Home, he was getting almost all Ds in school. Now he is getting all As.

While his tutors help him with all his subjects, TJ is especially for their help with math.

“I use their help to my advantage … when I need help in geometry or when I took algebra, I needed a lot of help with that,” he said.

And even on days he doesn’t have homework, his tutors are still helpful, he explained—they can help you with things you studied in the past and didn’t fully understand.

“You can have tutors help you with understanding problems that you never really caught up on,” he said.

“Tutors are such an integral part of the educational advancement of the youth in our care,” Terrell said.

“[They] are a vital resource for assisting our youth with catching up on their skills in school subjects [and] also improving their executive functioning skills. We are forever grateful to our tutors here at Mercy Home!”