Since September, parents of students who struggle to read have been bringing their children to Elon’s School of Education for free tutoring sessions by per-service teachers enrolled in the university course EDU 324E (Teaching Struggling Readers). The children being tutored attend several local elementary schools: Andrews Elementary, Newlin Elementary and Smith Elementary, in the Burlington Alamance Country School District, as well as Gibsonville Elementary School in the Guilford Country School district.
Pre-service teachers have developed a keen appreciation for the tremendous sacrifices some parents make to seek educational assistance for their children. One such pre-service teacher, Madelyn Rohleder, was particularly moved when the father of the student she tutors apologized profusely be being 15 minutes late for the tutoring session.There was a death in the family, and the father drove all night from another state to get back to Elon because he made a promise to his son that he would not miss his tutoring session.
Along with their professor, Dr. Jean Rohr, pre-service teachers have used two classrooms, a conference room, a computer lab and even the hallway as they work with students and parents to diagnose reading difficulties and teach them phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension strategies.
Jean Rohr, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Education