It’s True Whether You’re The Kid, The Tutor Or A Little Of Both. Read these stories and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Tutors seem to get as much out of the experience as the kids do. Maybe it’s because it brings out the kid in them or maybe it’s because the successes are so real and so close at hand. You can see the progress every week. Watching kids go from learning letters to reading their first book is magical. The joy in their eyes is truly infectious. Maybe that’s why so many volunteers come back year after year. It’s always great to hear from parents. More than anyone, they see the impact our tutors have on their kids. The following letter was submitted to the News Tribune as a public thank you to the tutor and Werlin. “When my son was in kindergarten at McCarver Elementary, he was matched with a tutor, John Ladenburg Jr. My son formed a strong attachment to John and looked forward to their weekly sessions. He found it easier to learn from his friend John than from anyone else, even his mom. He wanted to do well to please John and eventually, himself. John tutored my son weekly for three school years and really helped him to blossom as a reader. Today my son is in the third grade and no longer needs John’s help. He reads voraciously (Harry Potter is his favorite) and is proud to be a “Chapter Book Champion” at school. It is hard to believe that he ever struggled. He’s glad that John still comes to help his friends improve their reading. I would like to say a huge public “thank you” to the Werlin program, McCarver staff and teachers and especially to John and others like him who care enough to take time out of their busy schedules to make a difference in the life of a child.” After receiving a thank you letter from a grateful child’s grand parents, this tutor wrote back to give them a personal progress report and to say his thank you. Here is an excerpt. “It was such an honor to receive a letter from you regarding Dennis. Of course I could see the improvement but it is so much nicer to hear it from a family member. When I first started with Dennis he would often look out the window. He seemed distant and pre-occupied. If we landed on a page with lots of words, he would sigh and complain of too many words. I would tell him that he could do it by “tackling one word at a time”, and before he knew it he would have read the entire page. Slowly, he would begin tackling each word and I would compliment him after each page. As the weeks went by, he began to put expression into his reading, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying the content of the book. Dennis has ALWAYS been very cooperative and can now read fairly high-level books. He just lacked motivation. With “pats on the head”, “roughing of the hair”, the sharing and laughing, he has taken a whole different approach to reading. Last session, he picked a book called “Arthur’s Loose Tooth” and read the entire 63 pages in our half hour session. He laughed, read with great expression and really got into the story. Thanks again for letting me know I am making a difference. It feels so good.” Here are a few short comments from tutors. “It has been a real pleasure working in the Werlin Program. I was truly blessed to see Jesus’ reading skills improve so much. Tears come to my eyes as I remember the first day and the last. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with such a wonderful student.” “Tutoring was a highlight of my Thursdays. Thanks for all your encouraging words.” “I haven’t been a tutor for very long, but plan on continuing throughout the years to come. This program is truly gratifying. Sophoni is a sweetheart.” “The Werlin program has been such an enriching experience for me. I only hope the children get as much out of it as I do.” And our kids say the darnedest things. “My tuter toots real good.” “Dear Melissa I miss you a lot. I wish you couldn’t live so fare Because you were the coolest touder I ever met. I wish I can have you for a touder again.” “One of my favorite memories from first grade is when we went to a reading tutor.”