Many choices offer students free homework help
January 5, 2009
By Chantelle Lusebrink
Pine Lake Middle School seventh-graders (in foreground, from left) Kevin Gorham, Trenton Mathy and Jarrett Oseran, and two other students, work on computers in March to finish homework assignments at the school library, during the after-school homework club. Photo by Chantelle Lusebrink.
If you were left scratching your head when your student came to ask you for homework help, you’re not alone.
Free help isn’t far; just turn to your local library and school for free services.
The Issaquah Library has a range of services for students at its Study Zone.
Students “can get free help with any of our tutors, in group or individual sessions. It is really informal. They bring their homework or the project they are working on, and can bring a snack and a drink,” said Jessica Gomes, the teen services lead librarian. “It’s a really great service.” Study Zone hours in Issaquah are from 4-6 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Wednesdays will most likely be available, as well, but check the library’s schedule for current information.
The program depends on volunteer tutors who are trained by the library. Many tutors are local college students, but some are professionals or high school students taking collegiate level courses, Gomes said.
Each tutor is able to help students in kindergarten through eighth-grade. When help is needed for students in high school, specific tutors with advanced training in subject-specific curriculum are also available, she said. The library has tutors capable of working with high school-level English, French, math and science.
Because of the program’s flexibility, it has become popular; students can stay five minutes or for the entire two hours, Gomes said.
Students are also using the library as a third space for work, similar to adults who use coffee shops, she said.
“It’s a controlled environment and they don’t have all the distractions at home — the television, siblings and parents,” she said.
In addition to free tutoring, Study Zone offers free materials to complete projects, Internet service, printing, reference materials and plenty of books, which can help the family pocketbook.
Schools also offer a range of services.
The Issaquah Schools Foundation helps fund three different after-school programs designed to help students with their homework — Club 7 at the middle schools, Homework Help after school at the middle and high schools, and the Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education mentor program.
“Each tutoring program is designed to meet the varying academic needs of students,” Eve Martine, board president for the foundation, wrote in an e-mail. “We know how important it is for students to get on-time help with school, and we also know how expensive tutoring can be.”
The VOICE mentor program coordinates a volunteer with a classroom or works one-on-one with a student one hour per week. Mentors are matched with students’ needs and come from a variety of backgrounds.
The program originated in the elementary schools, but recently expanded to middle schools and the Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus.
Club 7, an after-school program for middle school students at risk of failing or dropping out of school, provides sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders with six hours of support per week to address their academic and social needs.
Lastly, the foundation helps provide funding for after-school homework help programs at each of the middle and high schools. The sessions generally take place in the school’s library and connect students with teachers, librarians and other peers.
Many high schools’ National Honor Society clubs also host after-school peer tutoring hours.
Teachers are also available to provide a helping hand. Many reserve certain days for after-school help in their particular subject matter.
Free after-school options
Issaquah Library — www.kcls.org/studyzone
Issaquah Schools Foundation: www.issaquahschoolsfoundation.org; click on “programs” on the top navigation bar.
National Honor Society after-school tutoring: Check your child’s school schedule for dates and times.
Teachers’ office hours: Check with your student’s teacher to obtain a schedule.
Reach Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
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