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Published on 08/03/1998 All articles from this issue

Tutoring takes many faces, as Los Altos example shows

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By Carol Tiegs

Special to the Town Crier

Tutoring is moving in new directions, and firms in Los Altos are paving the way.

Carol Taylor opened Pacific Learning Center 16 years ago in Los Altos. "When I started, kids didn't want their friends to know they were being tutored," she said. "There's no stigma attached to tutoring any more."

And tutoring isn't just about catching up, it's about staying current. It's also meeting parents' needs for meaningful activities for their children.

Pacific Learning Center offers summer group programs in math, writing, reading and study skills.

"Parents, in the summer, are looking for something really academic," Taylor said. "They have lots of sports and camp options."

The center's winter programs focus on "interactive, personalized tutoring" on a one- or two-to-one basis, Taylor said. "We don't use programmed instruction."

The Learnarium, a computer-aided after-school tutoring program based in Los Altos, was selected by the Jewish Community Center to be part of its summer camp program this year.

Los Altos Hills residents Wan and Yoke Chan founded the program four years ago. "We got the idea because we are parents of school-age children," said Wan Chan. "We are computer professionals and appreciate the computer as a learning tool."

The Chans also offer transportation for children between the Learnarium and schools or other after-school activities. "This has been very popular with two-career families," Chan said.

And children can complete their school homework and projects using the Learnarium's extensive computer resources.

California Education Plan, started 15 years ago in Los Altos by Herman and Jean Ohme, is "booming" with the addition of tutoring for home schooling, said Jean Ohme. The program is designed for children "who for whatever reason have to leave the school system," Ohme said. The plan's teachers provide certified at-home instruction, enabling children to resume public school education "without missing a step" when they are ready, she said.

Herman Ohme, a former principal at Cubberley High School, is the author of "Learn how to learn study skills." Its principles are "built into our tutoring," Ohme said, "so students can incorporate the same skills next time."

Ohme said they see "lots of gifted kids and those in honors classes coming in" for tutoring. She also sees a need for more tutoring alternatives like their home schooling and independent study tutoring programs to meet different student needs.

Another alternative is Partners in Education, sponsored by the Los Altos Rotary Club. The free, volunteer-operated program takes tutoring into the schools. It was founded four years ago by then-Rotary Club president Marge Bruno, with help from Los Altos School District Superintendent Marge Gratiot and Don Phillips, who was then superintendent of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District.

Partners in Education volunteers work at Santa Rita and Montclaire elementary schools, and at Los Altos and Alta Vista high schools. Bruno said high school volunteers provide both ongoing support to improve grades or one-time help in test preparation. In the grade schools, volunteers work in the ESL (English as a second language) lab, computer lab or with the Homework Club. Volunteers always work with the same child, "and really develop a relationship with that child," Bruno said. Rotarians said more volunteers are needed.

For more information, contact California Education Plan, 903 N. San Antonio Road, 493-5512; Learnarium, 4600 El Camino Real, 948-7888; Pacific Learning Center, 365 First St., 948-4647 or Partners in Education at 941-5732.