New tutors for young scholars a first in Manitoba

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This article was published 04/07/2023 (687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summertime is when most students gleefully toss their schoolbooks aside and run to the nearest pool, baseball diamond, or screen to enjoy months of vacation away from all that reading, writing and arithmetic.

It is also a time when much of what was learned during the school year quickly falls out of their heads, requiring teachers to refresh everything all over again in the fall. One way to avoid that, and to try to make up for a lot of lost learning during the pandemic, is to get a tutor. Now there is a new option in Steinbach to keep all that information contained, the first of its kind in Manitoba.

Sajda Siemens is a local mother who saw her own Grade 9 daughter needed a bit of help, but had trouble finding the help she needed.

“I just knew the last couple years has been pretty rough on our kids with some of the school closures and online learning, and so I just felt like this is something that could contribute positively to the community here,” explained Siemens at the grand opening of Scholars on June 24.

While there are Scholars locations across Canada and the United States that use the local curriculum to shape its own focused and hopefully fun learning experience, the Steinbach franchise is the first to open its doors in Manitoba.

The first five students walked in April 4. Siemens said more joined every week, with 40 of all ages now learning from Steinbach-area licensed teachers and university education students. Topics taught range from basic reading and writing, to high school chemistry and physics.

The first step is an assessment for each individual student before they are put into small groups of usually two or three. Each student and parent can choose how much learning they want, with recommended summer tutoring of at least two hours per week.

“The first things they do is check how they are ready to learn: how was their day at school, just to kind of gauge do we need to switch up what we’re going to be doing with them because maybe they’ve had a rough day already,” explained Siemens.

“They usually cover about eight activities per session,” she added, saying a lot of the learning is hands on.

The day ends with an educational game. And earned stamps from the activities are used for prizes from the Scholars store that helps motivate the kids.

“It allows them to take responsibility for their time here,” said Siemens.

All this tutoring in pairs and threes helps teachers come September, and throughout the school year. And the students who do not raise their hands or who may be overlooked because they are a little quieter or less confident get attention they may not have otherwise got.

“The students who are great here are the ones who tend to be overlooked in school. So they’re quiet, they’re not a behavioural issue but they’re not getting what they need at the classroom because there are so many students,” said Siemens.

“It’s impossible for teachers to give anything more.”

And the work is already getting noticed at school and home, according to Siemens.

“I’ve had four or five parents who come up to me and tell me the confidence of their children has increased. I actually had one parent who was asked at school, ‘what have you done differently with your son? He seems different, what’s happening different in his life?’ And they just said he’s coming here, this small environment, having somebody they’re building a relationship with that cares about their education is huge,” she said.