Ever thought about tutoring?

My name is Heather and I’m a Literacy Tutor at GiGi’s Playhouse in McHenry, Illinois and I can safely say I have been blessed with one of the most fun, most challenging, most rewarding and downright most fabulous volunteer opportunities ever.

Basically, I get to help kids and adults with Down Syndrome learn how to read. But that’s just the beginning. I see my students weekly and in our sessions I get to know them, hear their stories, celebrate their victories and grieve their losses. I love how my student Lisa and I end up in giggle fits during our sessions because we share the same sense of humor. I love how Matt’s face glows with pride after I’ve made him work really hard and he’s kept at it to the very end. I love how I’ve gotten to watch Anna develop over three semesters – there is such a strong woman inside that tiny girl!

I also love what I’ve learned. That patience is worth more than gold and you can never, ever have enough of it. That the littlest steps forward are often the most important and always deserve celebration. That humanity is diverse and beautiful and sharing life with people who are different than you will show you all kinds of things about yourself that you never knew, that you never even knew to look for.

As wonderful as it is, I’d also have to admit that it’s probably not the easiest volunteer gig, and I’m not talking about the teaching part. GiGi’s has a fabulous training program and lots of supportive staff and volunteer professionals, and after a few sessions, you get the hang of the program and so do your students and then everyone starts having a lot of fun. But you have to be creative and quick-thinking, patient and flexible, and above all: sincere. Without sincerity, no one can learn anything from you. And you also might find that your students work their way into your heart and if they have to stop coming for a while, you miss them. Or if something tragic happens in their life, you might find yourself crying with them. And I guarantee that you will end up bragging about how interesting and wonderful they are to whoever will listen.

In order to keep providing this free program to our students, we need tutors. Volunteers who will take on this task. People who will weekly donate a couple of hours their time for several weeks to teach a child or an adult with Down Syndrome how to read.

We are getting ready to start a new Literacy Session in October and if you would like to join our Literacy team, let us know. You need no teaching experience as all the training is provided. If you’re interested in becoming a tutor, please call Laura Cook, Literacy Director, at (815) 385 – PLAY or email lauracookies7@gmail.com