Q: When do paper time sheets need to be submitted?
A: Paper time sheets need to be turned in to Danielle every two weeks by Monday before 12 PM (Noon) so that she can give them to Brian to be approved. You may drop them off in the box on the door to the America Reads office.
Q: When do online time sheets need to be completed?
A: Online time sheets need to be saved and submitted by Friday at 5 PM, but please do not wait until the last minute to do them as the system may get overloaded at that time and may crash.
Q: What should I record on my time sheet?
A: You should record any time that you spend working for America Reads on your time sheet. This would include each hour of tutoring, planning time for lessons, weekly meetings, time spent looking for resources, time spent working on community events, time spent working in the office doing whatever needs to be done, writing and sending out donation letters and letters to schools, as well as other approved forms of work.
Q: How many hours can I work per week?
A: In a single week, you may work up to 9 hours. Since the pay period is bi-weekly, this allows for 18 hours every two weeks.
Q: When do lesson plans need to be turned in?
A: Lesson plans can be turned in weekly to Danielle or dropped off in the box on the door of the America Reads office. They all go into the individual child’s folder.
Q: Where can forms such as lesson plans and time sheets be found?
A: Most forms can be found in the purple folder in one of the boxes on the office door. If they are not there, please ask Danielle to make copies or to direct you to where they can be found.
Q: When I start to tutor a new student, what do I need to give the parents/guardians?
A: Each parent/guardian of the child that is tutored needs to fill out a Physical form and a Parental Permission form. These will need to be given to Danielle to go into the child’s folder and a copy of the Physical form will be given to the tutor in case of emergencies.
Q: What should I do if I would like to talk to the teacher of my student(s)?
A: If you would like to collaborate with your student’s teacher, please come and get a Teacher Permission form from the America Reads office to be signed by the teacher. Please do not ever take it upon yourself to talk to the teacher without doing this step first! By law, the teachers are not allowed to divulge certain information. It is also a good idea to talk to the parents/guardians of the child before you approach the teacher as well. It would be a good idea to get the parents/guardians to sign the Teacher Permission form along with the teacher. Just know that not all of the student’s teachers will be willing to work with you due to lack of time, interest, ect. It never hurts to get input from the teachers if you can.
Q: When I start to tutor a student, what should I do/use?
A: There is an abundance of resources in the America Reads office that tutors can use in order to conduct and plan for successful tutoring sessions. All of the books, worksheets, games, manipulatives, software, and other resources are for this purpose. For paper resources, such as worksheets, they can be found in folders and filing cabinets labeled “Tutor Resources” and “Lesson Ideas”. For assessments, please look in the folder labeled “Assessments”. Please do not feel limited to the America Reads office alone to find resources. This just serves as a convenient place to start looking for resources. Please know that the Curriculum and Technology Center (CTC) is also a good place to look for things. It is located in the middle of the second floor of McCracken Hall. Alden Library, specifically the 4th floor, is also another place to look for children’s literature and informational texts about tutoring or lesson ideas.
Q: What should I do if my student does not show up for a tutoring session?
A: If after 15 minutes of waiting your student does not show up, you may leave. If at all possible, please try to get in contact with the parents/guardians of the child to see if they simply forgot or got mixed up about the date, time, and/or location of the session, also to reschedule the session. You may count that time (all of the hour) towards your time on your time sheet. The same goes if the parent/guardian cancels the session on you for any reason. You may not count time if you, the tutor, has to cancel or change the date of the session. If this is a common practice of the parents/guardians, please let Danielle know. Policy states that two absences without proper contact or notification will result in termination from the program. Few exceptions apply and are left to the program's coordinator to decide.
