This summer we have approximately 7 Orton-Gillingham trained tutors at Camp Spring Creek during any given week. These tutors each have unique and varied backgrounds, but they have all received a minimum of Associate Level Training and prior practicum experience. Susie hires, assesses, and mentors the Camp Spring Creek tutors and she has also trained most of them through our Outreach Center in Spruce Pine. (Some tutors came to us already certified!) When asked what it takes to fill the very important role of tutor at Camp Spring Creek, Susie explained: "I like our tutors to be outdoorsy and to be the kind of person that enjoys the whole child, instead of just the tutoring...I also look for an array of different personalities when I hire tutors for Camp Spring Creek. At the start of each summer, I then match each child with the best personality fit amongst our tutors."
Here's what our returning tutors have to say about what they learned in training, and advice to future tutors:
Sara: "I took the training to help me with my own dyslexia and by the end of the training I knew how much it was helping me and wanted to help all children so they wouldn’t have to struggle the way I did. The most challenging part of the training was realizing that as much as I wanted to learn everything right then and there it was going to take time. So I had to step back and not be such a perfectionist."
Tracy: "I was a school librarian for several years and always promoted reading but did not know how to teach reading especially to our struggling readers. I actually met Susie while applying for the Office Manager position. We both quickly realized I would be a much better tutor than office manager. I learned so much in the training and found working at camp last summer to be so rewarding that I wanted to come back again. I have moved to New Jersey and will live at camp this summer. I commuted last year from Bakersville."