by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Marti Bunde wasn’t sure if she would enjoy working with children when she first became a tutor for the Minnesota Reading Corps program, part of AmeriCorps, but she said she quickly found she does.
Her tutoring has made a difference in students’ reading success at Kennedy Community School.
Bunde has been a reading tutor since November 2014, working at the Kennedy site. Because of program regulations, this will be the final year she is able to work with the program.
She has worked with both pre-kindergarten (4-, 5- and 6-year-olds) and kindergarten through third-grade students.
Last year Bunde, who works part-time, worked with about 20-25 students for 20 minutes each day.
She said when students first begin the program they often seem very lost and timid and lack confidence in themselves.
Bunde enjoys helping the students master new skills and watching them gain confidence.
“Kids are very smart for the most part, and us helping them just makes them smarter,” she said.
In order to succeed in the reading world, a child needs a certain amount of accuracy and speed.
As a tutor, Bunde helps students with letters, sounds, words, rhyming, picture recognition and other skills.
She found many of the students she worked with her first two years had retained their knowledge of what they learned, even over the summer.
Bunde grew up attending Sartell schools and is a Cathedral High School graduate. She is a retired federal employee who worked for 38 years at the Veterans Administration in St. Cloud.
Bunde is married and has two children and one granddaughter.
She began working as a reading tutor after attending a job fair. Her goal was to help pay for damages to her van that had been totaled in an accident when someone crashed into her.
Bunde also volunteers with CentraCare, working in the infusion center and baking cookies for cancer patients. She is a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sartell and also volunteers there.
Lori Posch, the St. Cloud School district director of teaching and learning, said tutors help fulfill the district’s mission of educating students to be successful in today’s and tomorrow’s society in partnership with the surrounding area. That partnership ensures everyone works together to meet the students’ needs. Besides improving math and reading skills, the students are paired with adults who want them to succeed.
“We are thankful with the AmeriCorps program and proud of the members/tutors who serve our students,” she said.
According to mid-July information compiled by Brooke Williams, district math coordinator, and Lori Eckert, district literacy coordinator, Kennedy Community School has two returning reading tutors and could use two math tutors.
Williams and Eckert are district coaches for the Math Corps and Reading Corps programs.
Last year, Kennedy served about 40 students through the reading program.
Math Corps focuses on working with students who are close to meeting proficiency on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments test. Those students often need an extra boost to help them understand math.
Reading Corps helps students who benefit from the one-on-one daily 20-minute intervention. Students and tutors also develop positive relationships and provide a school/home connection with the “Read at Home” binder. This binder informs parents daily about what is happening in the program and provides materials for them to listen to their child read.
Currently 7.5 reading, one K-focused position and seven math tutor positions are filled in the St. Cloud schools. A typical caseload for a full-time reading tutor is 18 students and a part-time tutor is 12 students. If all positions were filled, the district could serve 350-375 students, with a list of students waiting to enter as others graduate out of the program, move or are placed into other services.
A full-time math tutor can serve about 24-30 students and a part-time tutor 12-15 students. The numbers vary according to school schedules. If all positions were filled, the district could serve up to 420 students.
The district currently has 11 K-3 and three K-focus reading positions and seven math positions open to be filled.
Tutors do not have to be math or reading experts. Training, materials and support are provided throughout the school year.
Bunde said because the program only allows tutors to work in it for four years, it gives other people a chance to try the program.
She said it’s very important people talk to their legislators and stress the importance of having a paid-for pre-school program.
“It’s good to get the word out to help kids,” Bunde said.
Both reading and math tutors commit to 11 months of service and earn a living allowance, education award and more. Tutors come from varied backgrounds and include graduates of high schools and colleges, people changing careers, retirees and more.
Tutors attend yearly training workshops and work with specific scripts that include praising the child. The script ensures tutors treat each child with the same integrity. Program coaches observe tutors to be sure they are following the script.
For more information about AmeriCorps Reading and Math programs visit the websites at minnesotamathcorps.org and minnesotareadingcorps.org.
Marti Bunde (right) reviews tutoring materials with a student. Bunde is a Minnesota Reading Corps tutor at Kennedy Community School and has worked with students to help improve reading skills for three years. This will be her last year working in the program. The St. Cloud Area School District currently has several open positions that need to be filled.
