Tutoring
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Practice
Practice Tutoring:
Visit the Whiz Kids website to find sites near you.
Participate in in-person or online training.
Commit to 7 months of tutoring (October - April).
Tutoring is a tangible way to invest in your neighborhood's future. Whiz Kids was founded as a tutoring nonprofit organization in 1990 when business leaders, church leaders, and school officials came together to address a growing academic gap among elementary age students in Denver. Whiz Kids became an official community partner to Denver Public Schools providing after school tutoring at local churches and local schools. Their longevity and intentionality have made an impact in the lives of thousands of students in our city.
“We are relationally rooted, passionately curious, and humble collaborators.” Whiz Kids Executive Director, Elly Conant, shared in our conversation. “We are curious about each other, about God, about our students, and about our tutors.” Relationship, curiosity, and humility are the pillars Whiz Kids uses to build a connection between kids and tutors.
Tutoring is where it begins, but Whiz Kids’ tagline, “More Than Tutoring,” makes it clear this is about much more than academic support. What sets Whiz Kids apart is a student getting one-to-one attention. Most after school tutoring is group-based learning. Whiz Kids’ model is one hour of weekly one-to-one tutoring. Elly shared passionately, “Whiz Kids may be the only place a student has a caring adult focused on them one-to-one in a whole week.” Beyond academics, students grow in their confidence and their self-esteem because of the one-to-one attention.
“Kids don't learn from people they don't like.” Elly shared honestly. In tutoring, learning goes both ways. Tutors have something important to offer, and students have something to share as well. Elly explained, “We want to move beyond a transaction into transformation. Staying passionately curious about one another is how it happens.” Sitting across from a student, it is often the tutor who learns to recognize the love and grace of God as their student is learning, growing, and transforming.
Whiz Kids serves over 500 elementary students each week in 7 school districts across 9 counties. A way to love your neighbors and neighborhood is to participate in the practice of tutoring. Walk alongside an elementary aged student in your neighborhood. Help them in not only academics, but in life. The life of one elementary student may feel like a small way to love your neighborhood. But, as Elly shares, “The Kingdom is being built in the one hour of one-to-one meetings every week.”
Thank you to Elly Conant for her conversation and contribution to this article.
