1:1 Math and Literacy Tutoring Program

This winter season was a tough one for our tutoring programs! We battled cold and flu season, new tracking worksheets, new phonics programs, and new coordinators for both Math and Literacy. The volunteers and students were so good at rolling with the punches; making up sessions when needed and trekking through some treacherous weather to make it to the playhouse. A heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who dedicated so much of their time and talents to help our incredible students learn how to read and improve their math skills! Spring Season is from April 16 through June 18th. We will have many of our great volunteers return, but our two in the spotlight this time are Molly Merkey with our Literacy program and Emily Owens from Math.

Molly Merkey

Molly is one of those people who you instantly become friends with. She has such a positive outlook, it’s easy to walk away feeling better than before you met her. She was a natural fit in the literacy program due to her experience in education. Molly currently works as the Gifted Enrichment Assessment Coordinator for Glenview School District. After a full day of school she comes to the playhouse to spend time with her favorite student Martin. Molly has been Martin’s literacy tutor for a few seasons and she looks forward to seeing him and his family every Monday. One thing she really understands is that our students really need to have an individualized way of learning. For one student that may mean going at a slower pace; for another it may mean rotating between standing and sitting. Molly is always trying new ways to keep Martin engaged and pushing him to be a better student. Martin’s family gushes over how much they love and appreciate Molly and GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago agrees; Molly Merkey is one outstanding volunteer!

Emily Owens

Emily has been a dedicated tutor throughout this whole session. She has worked hard to help her student stay engaged and interested in math! Even on the days when he wasn’t in the mood to learn, she pulled out all the stops to try and keep him focused and motivated. You can see a great example of this in the picture where learning is happening outside the tutoring room and with some fun toys instead of just pencil and paper! She understands that our students learn better when they can get their hands on things and try them out for themselves.  Emily didn’t hesitate to ask for help when she needed some new ideas for her lesson plans and was always quick to help anyone else in need as well. Thank you Emily for being so creative and flexible this past season!

Sign up for Spring Tutoring!

The online Application closes on Monday April 9th so don’t delay!