IN THE CLASSROOM: Students give help, grades

Spending summer in school usually means a student is making up work or trying to get ahead. But for the 20 or so student volunteer tutors at Columbus Elementary School, summer school has different purpose.

These children, mostly in the fifth and sixth grades, give a month of their leisure time to help younger students learn in a peer-tutoring program.

“Any class can have a tutor as long as the teacher is willing to accept the student for that month,” said Cay Ledesma, the at-risk intervention teacher at Columbus Elementary.

Students interested in becoming peer tutors must go through a process similar to a job interview and application, he said.

They must fill out a form highlighting their best subjects, what languages they speak and what hours they are available to work and sign a contract binding them to uphold tutor responsibilities.

“I treat it like a little job experience,” Ledesma said. “I do look for more responsible students.”

Student tutors provide help in science, math, social studies, gardening, physical education and language arts.

“I’m here because I want to help kids,” said Janna Ojakhyan, 12.

She tutors students in math and science, five days a week from 8:15 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

“I don’t want to stay home and do nothing,” she said. “It’s kind of fun here. It’s fun helping kids.”

The volunteer tutor program has been a big help to the staff at Columbus, librarian Candy Bratmon said.

“The children give up their vacation to work all over the school,” Bratmon said. “They’ve been on the job since 8 o’clock this morning.”

Tutors, teachers and students are all affected positively by the experience, Bratmon said.

“It’s good for [the tutors] too because they’re not stuck in front of the television all day while their parents are at work,” she said.

But with the changing of the school to a normal track schedule next year comes the end of the peer tutor program.

Because all the kids will be on the same schedules with the same vacation time next year, the tutor program is expected to see a drastic decline in volunteers, Ledesma said.

“They’re wonderful,” Bratmon said. “It will be very strange without them.”

KIDS TALK BACK

The Glendale News-Press visited Columbus Elementary School and asked student volunteer tutors: “What’s the best part of being a tutor?”

“I get to help the students. If they need someone to work with them, we work with them.”

ERIC BIGLARI, 10½

Glendale

“Whenever, like, we’re playing games with them ¼ or I’m, like, explaining games.”

HECTOR RODRIGUEZ, 10½

Glendale

“Being active. I come out in the garden and sometimes at recess I play handball with them.”

REMY KHADIRIAN, 11

Glendale

“The students are really nice and the teacher is also really nice and the office is helpful, too.”

MARIAM MISHIGIAN, 12

Glendale

“I get to check out the books and get to use the scanner. I get to see my friends in other classes.”

ELIN MINASSIAN, 11

Glendale