WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Aside from the pandemic health crisis, one of the big challenges of 2020 has been educating children in public schools. Many students and their families were thrust into remote learning and are continuing to face academic challenges.
Virtual learning for many came with extra confusion and loss of learning for students needing extra help.
Some parents with children in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district said there weren't enough tutors to help with remote learning.
"The reason one of my kids couldn't go anymore is because they just didn't have enough people there for all the kids that were showing up," April Rhodes-Tillery, a Winston-Salem mom said.
Learning center coordinators said the pandemic has made recruiting tutors harder especially for in-person interaction.
"We have some folks who have health conditions, who are highly susceptible to COVID-19 and so we have to be able to buttress the number of tutors because many who qualify are simply not available at this time," James Perry of the Winston-Salem Urban League said.
Perry also runs Tent Tutors which provides tutoring support at some learning centers for the district.
"Even though there are almost 1,000 tutors active in the Winston-Salem, Forsyth County area not all of them are able to serve in this role," Perry said.
That's why the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district has amplified the search for tutors to help students with the load of remote learning.
The district is among 18 districts in North Carolina looking for more tutors and getting help from state officials.
The North Carolina Education Corps launched in late November and plans on helping districts recruit around 200 tutors. The Education Corps is seeking college students and recent graduates as well as skilled professionals to serve in public schools across the state.
Each district wants to hire around 40 tutors to provide extra support to K-12 students hard hit by the pandemic.
"These are challenging times for a lot of people. So, if you have never thought about education, think about it now because we need people," Jevelyn Bonner-Reed said. Bonner-Reed is the Chief Human Resources Officer at WS/FCS.
"We also want to grab that talent from other industries that may not be able to use them right now so it's a win-win, so let's introduce you to education," Bonner-Reed said.
The tutors would work part-time with up to 20 hours a week or full-time.
They'll earn at least $13.15 an hour and could tutor students remotely or in-person at schools and remote learning centers.
"It will be a face-to-face type of experience to provide that support for some of our students that may be going through challenges during virtual learning," she said.
If you're interested in becoming a tutor, the application window is open until Dec. 7.
The district is looking for teachers and is hosting a virtual teachers career fair this Saturday.
It's also planning to hire more bus drivers in a few weeks.
