Help A Child Learn To Read; Volunteer At GBSD

GRESHAM, OR — Do you love to read? Would you like to help a child learn to love reading as well? If so, you should get in touch with Marilyn Hill, the volunteer coordinator managing the Oasis tutor program for the Gresham-Barlow School District.

The school district on Thursday released a callout seeking volunteer reading tutors who are willing to donate roughly five hours per week helping elementary-aged children build reading, writing, and language skills. The school district for the past 10 years has provided this reading tutor service to kids who need a little extra help either staying caught up with their academics or developing foundational skills.

Hill has overseen the national Oasis program in Gresham since she retired after 32 years teaching first and second grades at both West and East Orient elementary schools and Deep Creek Elementary in Damascus. The program, she said, is designed to provide folks over the age of 50 with opportunities to stay involved in their communities and keep themselves busy after retirement.

However, the Gresham-Barlow iteration of this program opens its volunteerism to anyone 21 years or older, Hill said. This is because many people who do not meet the age policy have over the years come to her requesting to volunteer.

"I've had many professional adults under 50 come and ask to volunteer because they wanted to give back to their communities," Hill told Patch on Thursday. "Local churches have gotten involved, and some of the young volunteers have even offered to support more than one child."

The program is designed to provide each child with one-on-one tutoring for the entire school year, Hill said. Meaning, anyone interested in volunteering ought to be prepared to establish a close — and likely personal — relationship with the child they're tutoring.

Volunteers are expected to spend one hour every school day tutoring their student. Because of the time tutors ultimately spend with their students they often also share their own life experiences, providing not just academic tutoring but some lessons in self-esteem, positive attitudes, language skills, and basic communication.

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Children are selected for the program by their individual teachers. And while some kids may genuinely have fundamental difficulties reading, others just need an outlet that may not otherwise be offered by traditional school means.

For example, Hill said, the program previously enrolled a young girl whose mother had recently passed away. The tutor who was paired with the girl ended up doing more than just providing reading help, she said. They developed a bond that helped the girl through that tough time in her young life.

Another child previously in the program had a terminally ill father, Hill said, nothing the program allowed him to discuss his feelings with someone who wasn't his family or his regular teacher. The tutor in this situation, she said, provided a different kind of care that helped the boy not only develop a better understanding of his own feelings but also a greater understanding of what his father was going through.

"We don't ask (the tutors) to do counseling," Hill clarified, "but they are asked to prepare to develop a close relationship."

Anyone interested in participating in this program will need to take a mandatory training course. The course requires tutors to take two three-hour training sessions on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. both days. Tutors are also offered their own support meetings each month to share their tutoring experiences with other tutors and receive additional training and materials, Hill said.

To get involved or learn more, contact Hill at 503-665-3544, or email msshephard@frontier.com.

For more on the Oasis program, visit OasisNet.org.

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