An Alphabet of Colors
Mrs. Beacote, Experience Corps member
I was assigned a little girl at Morris Elementary who was unable to write or recognize her name. I began writing her name everyday, using different colors. One day she told me that her favorite color was red, so I wrote her name only in red.

Then I used colors to write letters, one at a time. She copied the letters everyday. One day she came in and picked out the letters for her name, even though they were not red. She found them because she recognized the shape! Now she is writing her full name. This is something that the teacher thought she would never do. I knew she could do it from the start.


They All Want to be Smart
Belinda D. Cousin,, Experience Corps member
Becoming a tutor has been a challenging, life-altering experience. While in training, I listened over and over as different people discussed their own experiences in tutoring. Each person was touched in some way, but still I didn't fully understand. It's something you have to experience first-hand to appreciate.

Since walking into the Marshall School in November, my life has taken on a new meaning. I have a little girl whom I have been tutoring since November. She came to me unable to do anything more than scribble all over her paper. She knew the alphabet song but not her alphabet. You can't imagine the pride I have in her accomplishments, not because I did it, but because I know how hard she has worked to get to this point. To see the happiness and pride on her face as she recognizes all the letters, upper and lower case, to listen to her as she attempts to read a book, to see her write her name fills me with a satisfaction that only those who have tutored before can truly understand.

My children come from many different family lifestyles, but they all have one common goal. They all want to be "smart." This program builds confidence where there is insecurity and courage where there is fear.

Experience Corps changes the lives of the tutors as well as the lives of children. I feel needed in a way totally different from my family's needs. These children know they can depend on me. They can tell me anything and, believe me, they do.I have developed into a better person because of these children.

I've learned to be patient, because with patience comes understanding. I've learned to be more understanding because with understanding comes compassion. With patience, understanding, and compassion come success.


The Strength of the Community
Shirl E. Gilbert, Regional Superintendent
Experience Corps shows us that we cannot meet the needs of our children alone. Experience Corps members bring the strength of the community into the schools.


Test Scores Continue to Rise
Paul Vallas, former CEO for the School District of Philadelphia
Since Experience Corps has come into the schools, test scores have continued to rise. Its no small secret that Experience Corps has played a large role. We need this program in all of our schools.


Helps Me Reach My Goals
Rosemary Cataldi, principal, Cook Wissahickon Elementary
Experience Corps helps me to reach my goals by providing quality one-on-one help to those students who need it the most. Corps members are well trained, self-managed, and will go out of their way to do whatever is needed to help students gain success.


An Opportunity to Reach Proficiency
Deborah Borges-Carrera, principal, McKinley Elementary School
Experience Corps helps us by taking the core curriculum a step further. The tutors provide a consistent, reliable intervention that allows students who are falling behind an opportunity to reach proficiency. We look forward to our PSSA results in the spring and truly believe that our scores will increase, and Experience Corps will be a part of the success.


They Come Back to the Classroom Able to Read
This program is really important. What is a teacher supposed to do with 32 kids with all different needs? When Experience Corps tutors work with these students, they come back into the classroom and they are able to read along with the rest of the class.


What Progress Looks Like
Annette Bush, Experience Corps member
"I'll tell you what progress looks like... it's when you have a child who can't write his whole name when he comes to us but he can now. Just the fact that they really want to be here to learn is progress."