By Rylee Freeman, Staff Writer
To serve others means setting aside our own selfish desires with humility and choosing to love others as Christ loves us. Through the Elrod Center, students have the opportunity to serve the Arkadelphia community in various ways, including through tutoring. The Elrod Center offers two tutoring programs: America Reads/America Counts, which sends students to Peake Elementary to tutor kindergarten through fourth-grade students during the school day, and an after-school tutoring program held at the Elrod Center for students of all ages. America Reads America Counts provides a unique opportunity for students because they get pulled out of class by a college student to hang out one-on-one for 30 minutes. Their school days can be fast-paced, so tutoring gives them a moment to slow down and receive individual attention.
Senior Noah Canon is in his fourth semester of after-school tutoring, where he has worked with an elementary and a middle school student. Canon said during his sessions, the student will grab water and a snack while they discuss their week before diving into whatever homework they have. Breaks and informal conversation are an important part of the relationship-building process. “I just know from when I was a kid, it would have been so cool to get to hang out with a college student and learn from them once a week,” Canon said. “I know how special this is to a lot of them.”
After-school tutoring at the Elrod Center is held every Monday and Tuesday afternoon from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The program serves students of all ages while maintaining the same one-on-one approach. “We think learning happens best in relationship, so our goal is to pair a Ouachita student tutor with the child and keep them together as long as possible,” Leigh Anne McKinney, director of the Elrod Center, said. “We have some that have been together for up to four years.”
Students come to the Elrod Center shortly after getting out of school and spend an hour working and visiting with their tutor. Kaitlyn Dutton began tutoring through America Reads America Counts last semester, and will begin after-school tutoring shortly. She has tutored first and second grade, and will begin tutoring fourth grade, eager to challenge herself and try new techniques. “Tutoring is 30 minutes out of the day where students will receive undivided attention, a smiling face and be given space to receive exactly what they need. Likewise, it’s 30 minutes a day for me to slow down, spend time in conversation and enjoy the presence of another,” Dutton said. Dutton strives to maintain a structured and consistent environment each week. She said she spends time reviewing material with the student and practicing skills recommended by the teacher while also building the student’s confidence and developing a genuine relationship.
McKinney said that when a Ouachita student approaches her with interest in tutoring, she meets with them to determine what age range, subject, schedule and setting they will feel most comfortable with. If the student decides tutoring is a good fit, they then complete training and background screenings and learn the practical aspects of the program.
Once tutors begin serving, they send weekly feedback to McKinney. At the end of the semester, feedback is collected from teachers and parents. “Our main purpose is to connect the resources we have on this campus with the needs in our community,” McKinney said. “Our whole goal is to take this concentration of human resources we have, put it out there in the community and meet needs. And tutoring is one of the great ways that we do that.”
Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone to serve can be a leap of faith, but tutoring gives Ouachita students the opportunity to serve others while building meaningful relationships. “Your education at Ouachita is a gift, and it is best enjoyed when it is shared. I encourage you to consider tutoring prayerfully, and wait expectantly for what He will do,” Dutton said.
For students who may feel nervous about tutoring for the first time, Canon offered a simple reminder. “The kids are not gonna know you’ve never tutored before. They’re just happy for you to be there,” Canon said. To get more information about tutoring opportunities, contact Leigh Anne McKinney at mckinneyl@obu.edu or stop by her office in the Elrod Center.
