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Homework will probably never be fun, but can be a lot less unpleasant at the Pittsburg Public Library Homework Center.
Open from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the school year, the center offers drop-in assistance with homework for students in first through 12th grades.
“This has been going on for over 10 years now,” said Bev Clarkson, PPL assistant director. “In the beginning it was funded with a 21st Century grant through USD 250. That ran out, but we decided that it was such a valuable service that we decided to continue it.”
Current center coordinator is Rachel Martin, a Pittsburg State University student who is currently doing her student teaching at St. Mary’s Elementary School, working with second graders.
“All the learning I’m getting in school to help teach kids, I can bring it all here,” Martin said.
She and the center have a fan in Kadeyn Dixon, 10, a fourth grader at Westside Elementary School.
“It’s cool because I can get help with homework, Rachel is nice and good at math,” he said.
“A lot of the students come here for help with math,” Clarkson noted.
Martin makes no claims about being a math genius.
“As long as they bring their book in, I can usually figure it out,” she said.
But, posted on a bulletin board in the Homework Center, is a complicated Algebra II problem that she helped Hailey Burton, a Pittsburg High School 10th grader, work out.
“I think the Homework Center is great,” Burton said. “You can just come right over after school and get your homework done. I probably come here every day except Friday, when they aren’t open.”
The center has reference books, electronic encyclopedias, word processing software and Internet access. Students may come in and use the computers and books at any time.
“We also have some basic school supplies such as poster board and markers that the youngsters may not have at home,” Clarkson said. “A lot of students have computers at home, but they don’t have printers so they bring their homework here to be printed free of charge.”
She said that the center seems to be getting more usage these days.
“Before, I’d say we got around five to 10 a day, now it’s sometimes more like 10 to 15,” Clarkson said. “Sometimes they spill out of the center into the Young Adult area.”
Students are generally reasonably well behaved, and there are some sweet incentives to stay that way. Martin currently has two jars of candy in the center.
“If they follow the library rules and stay on task, then they get to make one guess a day on how many pieces of candy are in whichever jar they choose,” she said. “We’ll have a drawing, and the students making the closest guess to the correct number will win the candy.”
Homework will probably never be fun, but can be a lot less unpleasant at the Pittsburg Public Library Homework Center.
Open from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the school year, the center offers drop-in assistance with homework for students in first through 12th grades.
“This has been going on for over 10 years now,” said Bev Clarkson, PPL assistant director. “In the beginning it was funded with a 21st Century grant through USD 250. That ran out, but we decided that it was such a valuable service that we decided to continue it.”
Current center coordinator is Rachel Martin, a Pittsburg State University student who is currently doing her student teaching at St. Mary’s Elementary School, working with second graders.
“All the learning I’m getting in school to help teach kids, I can bring it all here,” Martin said.
She and the center have a fan in Kadeyn Dixon, 10, a fourth grader at Westside Elementary School.
“It’s cool because I can get help with homework, Rachel is nice and good at math,” he said.
“A lot of the students come here for help with math,” Clarkson noted.
Martin makes no claims about being a math genius.
“As long as they bring their book in, I can usually figure it out,” she said.
But, posted on a bulletin board in the Homework Center, is a complicated Algebra II problem that she helped Hailey Burton, a Pittsburg High School 10th grader, work out.
“I think the Homework Center is great,” Burton said. “You can just come right over after school and get your homework done. I probably come here every day except Friday, when they aren’t open.”
The center has reference books, electronic encyclopedias, word processing software and Internet access. Students may come in and use the computers and books at any time.
“We also have some basic school supplies such as poster board and markers that the youngsters may not have at home,” Clarkson said. “A lot of students have computers at home, but they don’t have printers so they bring their homework here to be printed free of charge.”
She said that the center seems to be getting more usage these days.
“Before, I’d say we got around five to 10 a day, now it’s sometimes more like 10 to 15,” Clarkson said. “Sometimes they spill out of the center into the Young Adult area.”
Students are generally reasonably well behaved, and there are some sweet incentives to stay that way. Martin currently has two jars of candy in the center.
“If they follow the library rules and stay on task, then they get to make one guess a day on how many pieces of candy are in whichever jar they choose,” she said. “We’ll have a drawing, and the students making the closest guess to the correct number will win the candy.”
