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> Office for Community Involvement > MSU America Reads * America Counts
Becoming a Tutor
Work-Study Tutors
If you have been awarded work-study as part of your financial aid package you can use America Reads*America Counts as your way of earning your award. We pay work-study students $9.00/hr and we will work around your schedule to make sure you get your full award and have a schedule that works for you. Several of the schools are located close to campus so for those students who do not have their own transportation we can place you in a nearby school or we can work with you to allow time in your schedule to ride the Streamline bus system.
Work-Study Application
Volunteer Tutors
We love volunteers!! This is a great way to get involved in our community. You can choose how much time you would like to volunteer, if it's taking on one child for one hour a week or tutoring seven, we would love to have your application. We do ask that your commitment be for at least one full semester so that we can provide some stability in the student's tutoring schedule. Also, if you are want to commit 300 or more hours over 12 months we can get you into an AmeriCorps Non-Stipend position with an education award starting at $1,000.
Volunteer Application
MSU America Reads*America Counts Tutor
(Volunteer and Work-Study)
Position Description
The Office for Community Involvement (OCI) serves as a community service resource to MSU students, faculty and staff. OCI administers and oversees the MSU America Reads* America Counts (MSU AR*AC) program which engages college students as work-study employees and volunteers as well as community member volunteers in work tutoring pre-k though 8th grade students in Bozeman area schools. The mission of the MSU AR*AC program is to work with and support area children to achieve and succeed academically. In any given program year the OCI recruits, screens, selects, trains and places 45 to 120 tutors in area schools serving 200 to 350 children referred to the program by concerned teachers or specialists. In the school setting the tutors are supervised by and accountable to the referring teachers of each student with whom they work.
The MSU America Reads*America Counts tutors are responsible to work with the students to whom they have been assigned, assisting them in meaningful and constructive ways to embrace and experience success with literacy or math skill development. The tutors are consistent and reliable adults in the lives of the children referred to this program and they are looked up to and seen as role models by their tutees. Each tutor is responsible to work cooperatively with all supervising teachers and maintain ongoing communication with those teachers so that the referred students can receive the most timely and relevant instruction possible.
Responsibilities:
Each tutor with the MSU America Reads*America Counts program has the following responsibilities:
Program Responsibilities
- Consistently follow the established schedule of tutoring hours each week with students with whom they have been matched over the course of the semester;
- Attend and participate in all monthly Roundtable meetings as outlined in the Tutor Manual;
- Complete both sides and turn in monthly timesheets tracking hours served tutoring with appropriate teacher signatures by the due dates specified (Head Start teachers need not sign timesheets; Head Start hours served will be verified by comparing timesheets to in-kind logs completed by tutors in the classrooms each month);
- Complete the full term of service (volunteers at least one semester, work-study tutors serve one academic year);
- Maintain an active email account that is checked daily for program updates;
- Keep OCI apprised of any changes in contact information, status with work-study funding, or tutoring schedules;
- Abide by the MSU Student Code of Conduct at all times;
- Never work with a student outside of school grounds or school hours;
- Never, ever transport a student in any vehicle at any time for any reason.
School Setting Responsibilities
- Honor and consistently abide by all school system and school building policies and procedures when on school grounds;
- Sign and abide by the Bozeman Public School District's Volunteer Policy statement if tutoring in a Bozeman Public School setting;
- Always sign in and out at the school front desk so that the school officials know who is in their building at any given time.this matters in times of emergencies;
- Always wear the MSU AR*AC nametag when in the schools; this identifies why you are in the school and assists teachers and students with remembering your name;
- Always come to tutoring sessions clean (avoid body odor and dirty fingernails);
- Always dress appropriately to all tutoring sessions:
- Wear clean clothing
- Wear clothes without holes in them
- Wear clothes that cover all of your stomach and chest areas
- Never wear ball caps or hats on school grounds
- T-shirts may be worn without messages on them:
- No preaching
- No alcohol related messages
- No tobacco related messages
- No sexual messages or implications
- No foul language
- No cell phones or beepers may be on your person and turned on (even to vibrate) while in the schools; the student and/or their teachers are the sole focal point so phone and beepers have NO place in a tutoring session;
- Be respectful of all school staff members at all times.
Responsibilities to Teachers
- Build positive and cooperative relationships with all supervising teachers;
- Always be prompt, consistent and accountable; notify teachers ideally 24 hours in advance of the need to miss any tutoring sessions and explain the circumstances to them (all teachers/schools have direct phone lines with voice mail so a message can be left at any time of the day or night);
- At the beginning of a working relationship with the teachers establish what mode of ongoing communication will work best for you both (emailing, notes, communications log, brief face-to face discussions etc.) and work to maintain that communication for the duration of the time working with that teacher's student;
- Be respectful of all teachers with whom you interact at all times and be prepared to accept constructive criticism as a vehicle for personal and professional growth;
- Willingly and openly share your ideas, observations, concerns and thoughts with the supervising teacher regarding the student with whom you work;
- Willingly and openly seek advice, suggestions, support and guidance from the supervising teacher throughout the tutoring service term with any given student (teachers are AMAZING resources).
Responsibilities to Students
- Respect and encourage the unique identities of the students with whom you work;
- Be prepared to be seen as a role model by students with whom you work, so act in a mature and responsible manner at all times;
- Provide encouragement and support to students with whom you work;
- Exercise patience, understanding, and persistence in work with assigned students;
- Respect the confidentiality of all students and their families at all times (see Confidentiality Statement below).
Prohibited Activities:
- Never transport any child associated with the program in any vehicle at any time;
- Do not become involved in "classroom assistant" jobs like putting up bulletin boards etc. as part of your work with MSU AR*AC;
- Do not work with entire classrooms of students or take responsibility to oversee any students aside from those you are assigned to tutor; (The exception to this prohibition is tutors working with Head Start students; tutors are not assigned to a single student in Head Start classrooms and can therefore work with any Head Start student on early literacy or early math skill development);
- Do not work with students outside of their school setting or outside of school hours.
Qualifications
Required
- Must have a high school diploma or equivalent certification and/or be studying at the college/university level;
- Must demonstrate community service leadership experience/potential in the application;
- Willingness to make at least a one semester commitment if wishing to serve as a volunteer or a two semester commitment if wishing to serve as a work-study tutor;
- Competence organizing, and prioritizing, multiple work assignments, exercising sound time management and reliability in meeting commitments consistently;
- Competence in accurately following and explaining instructions and procedures.
- Willingness and ability to work with people from all cultures, religions, backgrounds and walks of life.
- Strong commitment to serve children in our community and to fulfilling the mission of the MSU America Reads*America Counts Program with professionalism and integrity;
- Strong oral and written communication skills including the ability to summarize information for students being tutored in a coherent fashion;
- Ability to work cooperatively with others specifically in a school setting;
- Self-motivation and ability to work as part of a team with OCI staff and supervising teachers;
- Must have access to reliable transportation to get to and from schools where tutoring takes place;
- Ability to maintain good personal hygiene and wear suitable clothing for work in the community.
Preferred
- Background experience working with children in a mentorship or tutoring capacity.
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