Legacy Center needs tutors for reading and math services

One of the goals of The Legacy Center for Community Success in Midland is to help people reach their full potential. That includes helping children who are behind in math and reading, and adults who are building basic education and workforce skills. But that work can’t be done without having enough volunteer tutors. And that’s who the center is now looking for.
Kristi Kline is the director of student reading programs for the Legacy Center.
Kristi Kline, director of student reading programs, says during the first couple of weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center lost about 30 percent of their students and 30 percent of their tutors.

“We have 25 kids waiting for a tutor. These kids are trying to build back up from falling behind,” says Kline. “Tutors were hesitant to come back, which makes sense,” says Kline. “We will work with those tutors who want to work on-line with students.”

Kline explains that now that “we are through the pandemic, demand [for tutoring] is higher. Children have suffered academically and now they’re behind. There are more students who need help,” she says. Kline says she needs 8-12 more tutors to address the needs of students waiting for help.

In total there are some 240 students at the center. The reading program is the largest program with 95 students. With some students falling a year or more behind academically, tutors are greatly needed. “Life is different now. Tutors [and students] can meet masked, on-line or in person. But we are back to tutoring in person.”

Kline says many of the tutors are retired or semi-retired. Some tutors go out of town, but can still tutor students on-line. The COVID-19 pandemic made meeting face-to-face difficult. “People’s dynamics changed. They had to care for family members.”

Kline says she has on-line tutors from all over the state and some from out of state, including Texas. The center provides all the material to tutors at no cost, and tutors can work remotely or in-person. Funding is Midland-based and pays for materials used in the program.

Tutors may find the program "very rewarding" and "fulfilling."
Tutor Carolee Hinterman says she finds tutoring “very rewarding” and “fulfilling.” She tells the story of a student whom she met with for over one year and watched the student flourish.  “I saw such a change in her posture, and her confidence. She hadn’t had plans to go to college, but now it’s realistic for her. She’s using the educational tools she was taught to find academic success.”

Hinterman says she enjoys seeing students grow in their own potential. Carolee’s husband, Dan, is also a tutor in the math or JUMP program. He, too, has seen much promise and success in his students. “He finds it rewarding to see the students reach their goals.”

The center offers literary services, youth development, consulting and evaluation services. One-on-one tutoring for children and adults includes the Barton Reading and Spelling program for children who are a year or more behind in reading. The JUMP math program is a math tutoring program that works as an intervention with students in grades K-8 who are behind in math, according to the website. Tutoring for adults is available for those who are building basic education or workforce skills, as well as those who are learning English as a Second Language (ESL).

For more information on the center and how to become a tutor, visit: tlc4cs.org.