Seniors offer a helping hand in classroom, life

Intergenerational tutors provide academic assistance while connecting with youngsters

For the past six years, Morse, 72, has volunteered as a tutor for county elementary schools through OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring, a program that helps the school system place students from kindergarten through third grade with volunteer senior citizens who augment classroom reading and writing skills in weekly one-hour sessions.

"It's definitely a two-way street," Morse said of the benefits of working with OASIS. "I come away feeling great, and I think they feel very special that someone's giving some special attention to them."

Marge Feldman, a local OASIS coordinator, explained that the tutors receive two days of training from a former MCPS teacher and are assigned children after instructors have had time to evaluate students' reading and writing skills, usually in October.

"The school system tests and sends us students who are not up to reading level," Feldman said. The tutors use student journals called "All About Me" books, storytelling and simple conversation to help students improve on skills learned in the classroom.

"The tutor may ask, ‘Can you find all the Gs in that sentence?' or, if they're a little more advanced, ‘Can you tell me all the action words?'" Feldman said.

Interages, a county-funded program that has been placing students with reading and writing tutors for 20 years, is another option for residents age 50 and older with an interest in community involvement.

Executive Director Carol Croll described Interages as the local equivalent to the OASIS program, which operates nationwide.

"The beauty of it is that all our seniors are volunteers and we have about 180 of them," Croll said. "We want them to keep volunteering because the more volunteers we get, the more kids we can help."

The county public school system seems all too happy to have motivated groups of citizens dedicated to helping students. Patricia B. O'Neill (Dist. 3) of Bethesda, the county Board of Education chairwoman of the communications and public engagement committee, views intergenerational tutoring as a success.

"In the United States today, you don't always have that same community network; grandparents, aunts and uncles living in the same town," O'Neill said. "Many students don't have the opportunity to interact with today's seniors."

O'Neill has attended several Interages meetings and anniversaries, and is wholly supportive of the program's efforts.

"In Montgomery County, we never turn away a helping hand," she said, "I've been very impressed with all their programs and what they do for the children."

For volunteers like Morse, perhaps the best reward comes from the sessions themselves. She recalls one memorable experience when she arrived at her student's class to find the children enjoying a special movie day.

"I popped my head in and she was watching a movie and she didn't even hesitate, she got right up and came out to me," Morse said. "The teacher said, ‘Wow! She gave up a movie to be with you!' It kind of makes you feel good that what you're doing is pleasing the child."

Both OASIS and Interages are actively seeking additional

volunteers for the new school year, which began Tuesday.

Fall training for OASIS begins Sept. 9-10 at Macy's Home Store in Montgomery Mall and later in September or early October at North Creek Community Center in Montgomery Village. nContact OASIS tutor coordinator Kay Meek at 301-558-5416 or by e-mail at krm5416@aol.com or call Marge Feldman at 301-869-1638 to sign up or for more information.

An Interages-sponsored open house on how adults ages 50 and over can volunteer with school-based programs will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Holiday Park Senior Center, second floor, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. Contact Sara Cartmill at 301-949-3551 or Cartmill@interagesmd.org.