By MACKENZIE WRIGHT
Contributing Writer
Do you have a love of English, or a desire to volunteer in your community? If so, then look no further. The Oasis Literacy Program allows people to volunteer to help children through the process of literacy tutoring, whilst also facilitating situations in which both parties have a chance to build meaningful relationships and bonds.
“The individual attention that a tutor can give is the most important aspect of the program, as a student has the opportunity to catch the love of reading shared directly with them by their tutor,”said Fiona Thompson, district volunteer coordinator for the city school district of Albany. “Many students do not get much personal attention, at school or at home, so this program gives them an opportunity to develop a relationship with a volunteer tutor who comes to the school weekly just for them. This means that this pairing is not only about literacy skills building but about building personal relationships across the generations. When our students develop these skills we all benefit.”
The 12 schools in the Albany district that offer OASIS are just a small part of the successful national program. OASIS focuses on tutoring kindergarten through fourth grade students. While the national program only allows those aged fifty-five and up to volunteer, the local program invites people of all ages to participate and share their love of reading with the younger generations.
“This program works!” said Thompson in an email. “Everyone loves this program: the tutors, the students, the teachers, the principals, the school literacy coaches. It is effective because the purpose is not to teach the student (the job of the teacher) but to share the tutor’s interest in reading and to encourage an excitement about reading in each student,” said Thompson.
The program offers a wide range of benefits for all parties included. This especially applies to the tutors and the students. “These people form wonderful relationships,” said Dawn Castle, a trainer for OASIS tutors. “The same people come back year after year.” Tutors and students have a chance to create relationships with one another, and share an interest in reading and English. The program also is low-pressure, and is designed to be a positive experience for all parties.” OASIS supports the process of literacy without making the child feel like they’re going through a tutoring program,” said Castle.
When someone is tutored, it can lead to positive outcomes. “To me, tutoring means to work with students at their level of understanding and patiently and calmly help them learn material that can be difficult while allowing the student to gain confidence in his or her work and abilities in order to help students succeed,” said Matthew Woods, assistant director of academic success and student development specialist for the College of Saint Rose. It can give students, and their tutors, confidence in the subjects that are being discussed and taught.
According to Castle, training tutors involves practicing reading comprehension skills and simulating what it would be like to be a student getting tutored. The tutors are also taught how to fully “describe something,” as well as some games that they can play with their students, so they are prepared for when they are actually tutoring a child. The training sessions, which usually occur on a Saturday once or twice a year, include snacks and lunch, and are typically seven hours long.
“We have an OASIS Literacy Tutor Training coming up on Saturday, Jan. 26. All community members with some time available to commit to weekly tutoring are welcome to register for this training. Tutors choose the school where they want to volunteer their time and the schedule that fits their availability.” said Thompson. Anyone, regardless of experience, is encouraged to volunteer. However, tutors should be available during the school day and should enjoy reading.
“Pine Hills Elementary has had OASIS tutors for only a short time so we particularly welcome more volunteers to help in that school. The original OASIS pilot schools, Arbor Hill, Sheridan Prep and Schuyler Achievement are models for how much our OASIS tutors are committed to the program as their OASIS tutoring teams include tutors who have been tutoring for many years, some right from the beginning in 2011. We expect that the OASIS tutors at Pine Hills will get hooked on tutoring in the same way and keep coming back year after year,” said Thompson.
