• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tutors Available for Students Getting a Jump on the School Year

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

Correction

The information box at the end of this story incorrectly reported the telephone number for Club Z! In-Home Tutoring. The correct number is 277-3880.

With schools preparing to open and welcome a multitude of students back from summer vacation, some parents may be looking for opportunities to get a head start on classes with tutoring services.

A number of services are available in the area.

Rhonda Pinter, who opened a franchise of Club Z! In-Home Tutoring in January, offers services for children and adults. Club Z! headquarters are in Tampa, Fla.

"Right now, I would I give parents the advice that if you are looking for tutoring before school starts, do it now," she said. "Since most of my tutors are actually working teachers, the tutoring time now is more restricted because many are going back to work. But I am always hiring more."

Through the business, which is based out of her south Tulsa home, she and other tutors make house calls to students.

Pinter has taught from kindergarten to the college level, and also taught English as a Second Language while serving as a missionary in Guatemala.

Pinter specifically matches her tutors to a student's needs.

Her franchise serves 24 students and has 18 tutors, including herself.

Costs for her services include a $50 registration fee.

Hourly tutoring ranges from $30 to $45 an hour, depending on the tutoring plan.

She doesn't require any mandatory testing for students to register.

"I have several plans where people can pay by the hour, or they can pay a base price depending on the subject," Pinter said. "The nature of my business is that I talk with them and see what they need. We work within their budget, so if they can only afford one hour a week, we work with them and set a goal where a tutor comes in one on one. But we leave instruction for them to follow up with, so they get the benefits of the tutoring after we are gone."

Pinter decided to start tutoring independently after working for different educational centers.

Jamie Hudson registered her son Drew for the tutoring service to prepare him for sixth-grade math.

"I wanted to give him a head start and reinforce some of the skills he has learned," Hudson said.

For David Roth, a private tutor who also lives in south Tulsa, he finds the month after school begins to be his busiest time.

Roth, a former math and science teacher, said he has been tutoring off and on for about eight years and has now decided to dedicate himself to the business full time.

"Anywhere from maybe two to four weeks after the semester has started, I start getting more calls because people realize they are going to need help in a particular area," he said.

Roth charges $15 an hour and he said he keeps his fees low to keep his enrollment numbers high.

The majority of those he tutors are college students. About 20 percent are high school students, he said.

"In an average week I have about 20 to 30 students during test time," he said.

He also offers live tutoring services through the Internet, depending on the topic.

Varsha Desai, who operates a Kumon franchise at 8228 E. 61st St., said most of the students who come to the center are not those who need remedial help, but those looking for supplemental enrichment skills in math and reading.

"The message I want to give about Kumon is that we are not a regulartutoring program, but a supplemental program where the children developself-learning skills," Desai said.

Students are given a free assessment exam. Registration is $50, and cost forthe program is $90 per month.

"The program is based on the student's specific ability. We don't want it tobe hard because it can be frustrating, and if it is too easy, it is boring.There needs to be some amount of challenge," she said.

At the Sylvan Learning Center, 6808 S. Memorial Drive, some students may beable to receive school credit under certain conditions, said director DanHattaway.

Under the amended House Bill 1600, certain courses offered by supplementaleducation organizations can be counted for credit upon certain approval.

"The school has to agree to accept it, but those who have fallen behind canget extra credit through supplemental organizations like ours that areaccredited," he said. "The schools decide the hours and make sure thecurriculum matches what the student needs."

There is a skills assessment required, with a fee of $95 before a program isdeveloped specific to the child.

Registration is $45 and tutoring costs $40 an hour.

Hattaway said the peak time for registration is usually around the fifthweek of school, in the spring and in the summer.

TUTORING

For more information on Club Z! In-Home Tutoring, call 288-3880 or visit the Web site at www.clubztutoring.com

For more information on Roth, call 850-5925 or visit his Web site at www.tutor-homework.com

For more information on Kumon call 254-5427 or visit the Web site at www.kumonsctulsa.com

For more information on Sylvan Learning Center call 250-7323 or visit the Web site at www.sylvanlearningcenter.com

Source: Tulsa World

More News in this Category