13th December 2010 9:48
By Blue Tutors
One of the most bizarre tutoring programmes has started in Bowie in the USA. Students from a local high school are being tutored at a fast-food restaurant called Chick-Fil-A after school on Tuesdays. It was reported on the local news website, bowie.patch.com, that the scheme began almost organically in October of this year, and is becoming increasingly popular among the students and tutors who participate.
The marketing coordinator of Chick-Fil-A, Ashliegh Wingfield came up with the idea to make the lessons a more organised activity, but she explains how it began by itself: “We have kids night every Tuesday when kids eat for free and can get their faces painted, but I noticed the kids were doing homework before they ate and played, and I thought we should offer a night for tutoring.”
Each Tuesday there are at least three tutors available, all of whom are in Parkdale’s Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programmes. The tutors receive service hours for their time, but for many it’s a chance to work with the local children, and gain valuable teaching experience. On tutor, Michael Spisak said “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, this is the first step in what I want to do.”
Currently Parkdale is the only school in the area participating, but it’s hoped that more local kids will come along to be tutored soon, and there’s a plan to expand the tuition programme to other branches of Chick-Fil-A across the US.