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Virtual tutors helping students in Immokalee
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NAPLES — When Crystal Garza, 13, needed help on her social studies homework Tuesday, she found it at the Immokalee Branch Library.
Only the help didn’t come from a library book or librarian.
Instead, Garza got help from a professional tutor — virtually.
The Immokalee library is the only Collier County public library that provides free “Live Homework Help,” an online tutoring service by Tutor.com. The service connects students of all ages, including adults, to free expert tutors for assistance with math, science, social studies and English via the Internet.
Spanish-speaking tutors are also available to assist students in math, science and social studies.
Tanya Saldivar, Immokalee library branch manager, said part of the library’s mission is to help meet the needs of the community and a large part of the community needs supplementary educational services beyond school.
The free service, which is provided 40 hours a week, allows students to connect to an expert tutor specialized in the subject of concern.
“It’s the public library’s way to enhance or support their education experience,” Saldivar said.
The service is available after 2 p.m. until close on four computers, adjacent to the computer lab. Prior to 2 p.m., those computers are limited for people needing to complete online government applications.
Saldivar said the library didn’t want to duplicate a tutoring service offered by the Florida Department of Education through the public school district.
On average, 6 to 8 students, mostly older teenagers, use the free tutor service.
Saldivar said she would like to see more students using the service.
Saldivar helped Crystal with the program Thursday. It was Crystal’s first time using the free tutoring.
“It’s cool,” Crystal said. “It’s like MySpace, but different.”
The tutoring service is monitored by staff and cannot be used to visit such Web sites.
Crystal’s mother, Ausencia Garza, said in Spanish that the tutoring service is great because she is not fluent in English and isn’t able to help Crystal with homework.
Tutor.com access was funded by a Community Libraries in Caring Program Grant from the State Library of Florida. The cost of the service is $5,000.
Due to a recent reduction of staff hours, Saldivar said the cost would cover two years of online tutor access.
The Immokalee library qualified for the grant due to its “rural status.”
Patricia Trinidad, a senior at Immokalee High School, said she planed to use the service.
“I think it’s good because most people in school are scared to ask questions,” Patricia, 17, said.
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So why is this tutoring service only at the Immokalee Branch Library?
WHY?
This tutoring program should be at all the local libraries.
With the state of literacy in CCPS and a close call with accreditation loss at any minute, tutoring help would be welcomed by families here in a heartbeat.
#1 Posted by beetlejuice on September 26, 2008 at 1:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We could be talking home schooling here. If every one home schooled we could get rid of the school board and thompson the one we love so much.
#2 Posted by chincieone on September 26, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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