Tips for Teachers

Below are some helpful tips for teachers working with UMass Dartmouth America Reads & Counts tutors.

Getting Started

• This is a paid, work-study program, not a volunteer program. If tutors are not reliable or helpful, they should be reported to us and we will take corrective action.
• If your needs leave the tutor with empty blocks of time, help the tutor schedule work with other teachers.
• Tell the tutor what to do if s/he is going to be absent (call the office, email you, etc.). If you want, give them your home or cell phone number and get theirs. Please note, tutors are instructed by the program to contact the site coordinator. If you would also like to be informed, please instruct the tutor.
• Make sure they are aware of your calendar and ask them to keep you informed of theirs. This is especially true for unusual days when the school might be closed.
• Tell the tutor how you want him or her to enter the class, interact with the students, etc.
• Ask if the tutor has special interests or skills that might help you in the classroom.

Ongoing Use of Tutors

• Tutors may help students with any academic activity -- individually or in groups -- that you assign them to do.
• Tutors should not be assigned clerical, administrative, housekeeping, or disciplinary tasks. They are there to help with academics.
• Never leave your tutor alone with students. They must always work in the presence of a teacher.
• You may not use your tutor as a substitute teacher.
• Tutors may have lunch with the students or accompany them to the playground, but they may not be the person in charge of students. There must always be an adult professional present.
• Try to have clear, systematic tasks for the tutor at each session.
• Where possible, plan your activities to maximize the use of the tutor's schedule.
• Make sure the tutor learns the children's names.
• Tutors are instructed to dress in a manner that shows respects for the students, teachers, and others. They are instructed not to wear hats in the building, not to use iPods, etc., and to turn off cell phones while in the building. If tutors violate these instructions, please feel free to correct them, or to inform us if it continues via the Policy Violation form. Please let us know if and as problems present themselves rather than waiting until the end of the year. If necessary, we will terminate the tutor's participation in this program.