LA HABRA : Tutors Score a Hit With Youngsters

Leading a pack of about 25 third- and fourth-graders, Veronica Bernal, Karen Krueger and Suneet Bawa raced to church after school.

The Walnut Elementary School students couldn’t wait to get to the United Methodist Church.

“We try to get here fast because we want to hear the stories, eat the snack and get help on our homework so we won’t have to do it at home,” said Veronica, 9.

The third-grader said she has improved her grades since she started coming to the church for tutoring last year.

Sammy Adame, 8, a third-grade student, said that since he started getting help with his homework two months ago his grades went from Bs and Cs to straight A’s.

The students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the church’s year-old tutoring program. Volunteer tutors, most of whom are retired, say they feel useful and appreciated.

“I enjoy working with the kids, and I really get a lot out of it,” said Peggy Cameron.

Cameron watched 8-year-old Jennifer Gonzales complete her spelling homework and checked for mistakes.

“A lot of these kids have parents who can’t help them with their homework,” Cameron said. “I think this gives them a little more confidence, and that feels good.”

Bob Oertel, 68, agreed.

Three girls hugged Oertel, calling him “Grandpa” before taking their seats at a table. Then, the tall, gray-haired man with a deep voice told a table full of third-graders to concentrate on their multiplication and division homework.

“The kids say I’m strict, but I’m nice,” Oertel said, smiling. “I get a hug from them when they arrive and a hug when they leave. It’s just the greatest thing.”

Oertel and seven other volunteers tutor on Tuesdays while 22 other volunteers work Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The after-school homework club is open to all third- and fourth-grade students in the La Habra City School District. Those from Walnut are escorted to the church by one of the program’s founders, Betty Shaw, a 40-year church member, or Barbara McIntosh, a retired La Habra teacher.

“One of the most fulfilling things about this program is when the fourth-graders ask us to help the fifth-graders too so they can keep coming next year,” Shaw, 68, said. “It’s really been rewarding watching the students blossom.”

Shaw said one third-grade boy, who now excels in academics, used to think he wasn’t capable of doing so. “We’d say read this or do that and he’d say, ‘I can’t.’ ” But he changed. All he needed was some encouragement.”

Shaw said she modeled the program after a similar one at a homeless shelter in Norwalk, where she worked.

“We’re here to listen and help, and the volunteers feel they’ve accomplished something,” she said. “We can see the progress.”

Tiny McCabe, 78, a retired engineer, said the time he spends tutoring is worthwhile. “It’s a great pleasure,” he said. “The kids win their way right into your heart. Helping them with their homework builds self-esteem in them and us.”

Rhonda Merkel, a parent, said she is thankful her 9-year-old daughter Heidi has somewhere to go to get tutoring.

“I try so hard to do the work with Heidi, but for some reason she does better here,” Merkel said. “I’m not actually sure what (the tutors) are doing, but it works.”