Congratulations to Kim Marcum of Big Stone Gap, VA! Kim is our Member Feature for this month! Kim wrote the following article for one of our AmeriCorps Newsletters that we sent out to the schools. Kim's article was a very insightful view from both a tutoring standpoint and from being a single mother raising two children on her own.

As a single mother of two school-aged children, I know first-hand how difficult it can be keeping up with your child's progress at school. Our children are learning at a much more accelerated pace than we were at their age. Unfortunately, many children do fall behind and need extra attention in order to succeed. The goal of MECC AmeriCorps is to target these struggling students and offer our services to help them acheive their academic goals.

As a second year AmeriCorps tutor, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with many wonderful children. I have found that these students are eager to learn and usually just need a little individual attention to help them "get over the hump." I have also witnessed the abundance of genuine concern and dedication our educators devote to our children.

My experiences have taught me how easy it can be to help children succeed. Talk to your children about their day. Ask them open-endend questions about what they learned. Find out what they liked and what they didn't like. Spend time each day listening to them read. Check their backpack to see that they have their homework completed. And finally, do not hesitate to meet with the teacher if you have questions or concerns. When your child knows that you are interested in their school life, they realize the importance of education. This support provides the self-confidence they need to succeed in school and in life.

Kimberly Marcum
MECC AmeriCorps