Tutoring at the Elihu Yale Elementary School

In 1997, the Yale Club of Chicago adopted the Elihu Yale Elementary School (www.elihuyale.org) as a Club project. While the Club has supported the school in many ways, its principal contribution has been providing tutor/mentors over the past 15 years. Yale Club volunteers have become an important part of the fabric of the school.

The Yale School is located at the corner of Yale Avenue and 70th Street (mailing address is 7025 South Princeton Avenue) in Englewood, one of Chicago’s neediest neighborhoods. It serves an African-American student population of about 250, from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In spite of its challenging location, the school building is well-maintained, clean, and inviting, with ample, safe parking. Personal safety has never been an issue. We have had several women tutors who have felt quite safe driving solo to and from school. The principal, teachers, and staff are friendly, warm, and highly enthusiastic about the Yale tutors, whom they view as valuable resources for their students.

The Yale tutors have focused primarily on helping children improve their reading and math skills, though tutors also help with science and social studies. Class sizes are not overwhelming, averaging 20-25 students. While the classroom teacher properly makes all decisions affecting the students, the tutors provide insights into subjects, values, and life styles far beyond the experiences of the students. We have found that specific training in subjects such as reading and math is unnecessary for the role the tutors play. Their work requires only good common sense and the desire to help and inspire. Parents who have read to their own children have all the training one needs to make a significant contribution.

Our routine over the years has been to assign the Yale tutors to specific teachers for the duration of the school year. This one-on-one approach allows for the building of a beneficial relationship between teacher and tutor, and between students and tutor. This does not mean, however, that the tutor is "locked into" a particular assignment for the year; each volunteer tutor retains flexibility to contribute in ways that are personally comfortable and of value to the school.

Each Yale tutor selects the days and times he or she wishes to visit the school, keeping in mind his or her personal schedule and other obligations. Each typically visits once a week, for two-three hours in the morning, or two-three hours in the early afternoon. The principal, Mrs. Gamble, would like the tutors to limit their weekly visits to three days—Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. While participation is entirely voluntary and flexible, ideally we would like each tutor—after viewing the program and agreeing to be a participant—to commit to a weekly visit for the entire school year (August to June).

Tutors working in the Loop can count on spending a total of about three to four hours, including commuting by car or CTA Red Line, for a morning or afternoon at the school. In past years, we have organized carpools from Chicago and the northern and western suburbs. This adds a pleasant social aspect to the project, as Yalies discuss and compare the day’s school experiences inside a car or over lunch at selected restaurants.

In addition to tutoring activities at the school, Yale Club members have sponsored a variety of activities for the students, including field trips to museums, musical performances, and exposure to a professional music educator. The Club has repaired and updated computers at the school, and donated athletic equipment winter clothing, and books.

The personal rewards that the Yale tutors gain from this project are exceptional. There is nothing quite like meeting a former student in the hall and getting a big hug!

The tutoring project is always looking for volunteers. It is not necessary to be a Yale graduate or a member of the Yale Club of Chicago in order to be a Yale tutor. We have open slots at the school that we would like to fill. If you are interested in further information, or exploring the possibilities of volunteering, please contact Dave Ream at 847-328-8453 D37Ream@sbcglobal.net or Bill Fry 847-446-1979 W-Fry@northwestern.edu.