By Smarty Guest Blogger Kimberly Paulk, Senior Connector at SHARECharlotte.com, a free, easy and local website that makes it easy to learn about and engage with our local nonprofits
When you get, give. When you learn, teach. – Maya Angelou
What if the “achievement gap” we hear about in education is due to an “opportunity gap”? According to the folks at Citizen Schools, students from affluent families benefit from roughly $8,000 per year in enrichment activities, along with 300 hours of adult guidance. However, kids from lower income families are less likely to experience enrichment opportunities beyond the traditional school day.
Citizen Schools works to remedy that by connecting middle school students who want to learn with adults in the real world (like you) who have something to teach. This expands the students’ learning time by three additional hours a day.
Getting this done takes hundreds of volunteers, known as Citizen Teachers. Each spends 75-90 minutes a week over a 9-11 week period leading project-based apprenticeship courses with a small group of students.
Interested, but not sure what would you teach? Chances are pretty good that an area you know well would make a great topic. Past courses have included a robotics project, a mock trial, business plan creation and video game design. Citizen Schools provides training and a curriculum library that covers subjects like Media & Journalism, Business & Finance, Food & Health, and a lot more.
Find out more about becoming a Citizen Teacher below, and get more information at SHARE Charlotte www.sharecharlotte.com.
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Teach An Apprenticeship! – Training is provided by Citizen Schools. Apprenticeships culminate in a WOW!—the final product, presentation, or performance that showcases students’ learning for a public audience of family, school staff, and community leaders.
1:1 Tutoring – A few students need individual attention to help them with homework or support with Core content. Tutor a student one-to-one to support them academically.
