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CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TUTOR
In order to think about what will make you an effective tutor, please take a few minutes to think about an
especially good teacher, coach, or other role model in your life, an individual who was particularly good
at motivating, teaching, and/or inspiring.
What did this person do that made him or her so special?
Which of these characteristics/qualities do you think you possess?
Which do you think could be developed or learned?
You may be coming to the realization now that being a tutor to a young person involves more than being
able to navigate through the homework assignments for the day. You have an opportunity to contribute to
another person's discovery of his or her giftedness. Look for the successes, encourage the exploration, let
your attitude and energy be contagious. If your influence as a tutor can make the learning process relevant
and even enjoyable or exciting to the young person you tutor, you will have made an impact that will go
well beyond the hour or year that you invest. Put your whole self into the task at hand. Prepare yourself
mentally and emotionally so you can be in peak form for your assigned hour. We wish you all the best
and every success for the sake of our youth and for their future.
Dear Volunteer Tutor,
Welcome to Mercy Home for Boys & Girls and to our tutoring program. We are deeply grateful
to you for your willingness to commit your time and talents to support the academic efforts of our
youth. Education has long been one of the fundamental values of Mercy Home. Our renewed
focus on this key issue assures that every child entrusted to our care will have the opportunity to
realize his or her potential and move into adulthood with the capacity to be a productive citizen.
Your support as a tutor is irreplaceable in our mission.
As you join us in our care of youth in need, you will be challenged and rewarded in ways you
have never dreamed. You may learn empathy to understand the perspective of a young person
who has never imagined a future where an education could have a benefit for him or her. You
may discover how the challenges of coping with daily doubts and emotional hurt can crowd out
the motivation to study or excel. You may also be fortunate enough to witness how resilient and
courageous these young people can be as they realize what possibilities their future might hold.
The task you are taking on is no small one. You may not always be able to discern how or even if
you are making a difference. Everyone who works with young people occasionally struggles with
this question. Do not, however, make the mistake of underestimating the power of what you are
committing to do. By your presence, by your interest, by your consistency you are sending a
message. You are saying I care--and that is a message that can change a life.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Manager of Career Resources
Director of Volunteer Programs
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MERCY HOME FOR BOYS & GIRLS
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls has provided troubled youth a "port in the storm" since 1887. With its
origin as an orphanage over a century ago, more than 18,000 youth have found safe haven--and a home-on the urban Near West and South Sides of Chicago. As a true pioneer in the care of needy youth, Mercy
Home has provided residential and community based programs in Chicago to help direct these young
people toward a healthy adult life.
The foundation of the Home's programs is threefold: to provide the young person with a supportive
environment, where he or she can develop an understanding of the hurt and problems they've
experienced; to recognize the need and the opportunity to change; and, finally to help them move beyond
their hurt by developing the ability to lead responsible adult lives.
MISSION STATEMENT
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a Catholic organization answering the Gospel call to minister to all
children and families in need. Mercy Home:
 Saves young lives by providing a safe, nurturing home, opportunity for an excellent
education and means for personal growth
 Supports healing for families
 Is committed to raising public awareness of youth in need and encourages support to help
them
 Is sustained by benefactors who believe in the miracle of God’s mercy in action
A PERSPECTIVE ON TUTORING
For much of your school career, job, and life, you have probably been successful. You may have
personally enjoyed school. You have most likely learned to think clearly about how to organize
the tasks you have been asked to perform and to complete them judiciously. Your ability to do
well has brought you to the point where you can now be of help to others. As a tutor, you are
going to meet and spend time with someone who has not met with the success you have. Your
task will be to help them become more academically independent.
An important issue for a tutor to understand is that questioning is very important. Tutors should
ask a lot of questions! About an assignment a tutor might ask, "Can you show me what you've
done already? How can I help you from where you're at now?” Other basic questions are, "What
do you think you are supposed to learn from this assignment?", "How did you think you were
supposed to do this?", and "What happened when you tried to do the assignment?” Let the
student then explain his or her understanding of what's going on in the class. This will help you in
your understanding of what you can do to be of assistance. It is always more important to ask the
student questions first to get an idea of where he or she is at with an assignment. Avoid the trap of
taking over and doing the homework for the student.
However, don’t be afraid to step in when they are struggling to tactfully suggest a way to arrive at
the correct answer. Finally, as you ask questions, don’t forget to listen carefully. Being a good
listener will help the student feel they can trust you with their thoughts about their schoolwork
and will set you on the path toward more effective tutoring times together.
VISION STATEMENT FOR YOUTH PROGRAMS
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a Catholic Child Care Organization that provides structured residential
and support programs to children who are best served in this placement. In order to foster the healthy
development of children in its care, Mercy Home creates a therapeutic community within each program.
Each program emphasizes the self-determination of every child and uses the living environment as the
chief vehicle for growth. Education is a key component in each Home. Additionally, family and
individual therapy, as well as vocational and spiritual support, is an integral part of the child's life at
Mercy Home. The underlying values for the staff and children at Mercy Home are spirituality, honesty,
respect, responsibility, caring, trust, and accountability.
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PROCEDURES FOR VOLUNTEER TUTORS
1.
Please try to arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled tutoring time so that you have time to sign in
and be in place to start promptly. After signing in, please wait to be escorted to the Home by the
Education Coordinator. Your commitment to be on time sends a subtle but clear positive message
to your tutee that you value the time with him or her and that you value education.
2.
Check in with the program staff before you begin to work with your tutee. Staff may be able to
give you a briefing of how your tutee is doing in general and what homework projects might be
most crucial to address. Program staff can be a good resource as to how to interact effectively
with the tutee.
3.
Program staff should direct you to an appropriate area to tutor. For the protection of volunteers
and residents alike, tutors are not allowed to enter the resident’s rooms and should not be in an
unsupervised area with a resident. Please be flexible in using the space provided but let staff
know if the assigned space is posing great challenges for your particular youth to complete the
tasks of the evening.
4.
Use the tutoring time wisely to send a clear message about the value of education and academic
achievement. Keep your focus on the work at hand. Do not allow the resident to sidetrack you
into off-task conversation. If your tutee does not have school assignments to complete, the staff
will have access to resources that address the individual needs of each resident.
5.
At the end of the tutoring time return to the main reception area to check out for the evening.
Please also take the time to fill out a tutor feedback form.
6.
The contact information for your tutee’s Education Coordinator will be in your file and you are
encouraged to contact this person with any concerns or questions. Please take time to share your
thoughts on how your tutee is using the tutoring time either with this person directly or through
the feedback form. If you need to speak with someone immediately, please look for the Education
staff in the Learning Center or have the receptionist reach them by phone.
7.
Please also take time to complete the tutor evaluation survey given out each semester to help us
continue to improve our program.
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INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this handbook is to ensure that volunteers are aware of the policies and
procedures that affect them as they consider their involvement in the programs of Mercy Home
for Boys & Girls.
We recognize that volunteers do not expect to be paid, and it is not our practice to pay them for
their services; nevertheless, we do hold them to professional standards as we do our own
employees. Therefore, just as we have an employee handbook for paid employees, this handbook
is a summary of pertinent policies and procedures with a particular focus to address the needs of
volunteers.
This handbook serves as a guideline for day-to-day practices. We will make sure that all potential
volunteers receive a copy of this when they attend a training meeting. The Mission of Our Lady
of Mercy, also known as Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, reserves the right to vary these policies
to meet specific circumstances.
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a social service and welfare organization of the Archdiocese of
Chicago. It serves members of the community regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, or veteran status. The Mission of Our Lady of Mercy is organized and functions under the
control and auspices of its Board of Directors. Its policies and practices are set by the Board in its
efforts to minister to people in need and humanize the social order.
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VOLUNTEER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
These policies and procedures have been prepared and approved so that volunteers will know their rights
and obligations as volunteers for the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. Any such volunteer handbook cannot
contain a rule, regulation, or policy to cover every situation and this policy statement does not attempt to
do so. Every effort has been made to state policies as clearly and completely as possible. This
commitment will continue throughout any future revisions of these policies. Policies in this handbook are
subject to change from time-to-time as the needs of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls require. The President
has the general responsibility of keeping volunteer personnel policy current and of providing reasonable
interpretation of such policies. He is assisted in this responsibility by the Director of Human Resources
and the Director of Volunteer Programs who will attempt to keep volunteers aware of relevant changes.
However, some changes may be made with immediacy to meet unforeseen circumstances.
Questions about volunteer policies and procedures should be referred to the Director of Volunteer
Programs.
VOLUNTEER JOB DESCRIPTION
Every volunteer receives a job description as part of an orientation to the home and the specific position.
This job description outlines what is expected of the volunteer in the job and what the volunteer can
expect from the agency. Your job description along with this handbook comprise a summary of your
rights and obligations as a volunteer at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. If you have not received a job
description, one can be requested from the office of the Director of Volunteer Programs.
where our youth learn and grow. Since this environment is the chief vehicle for the residents'
healthy development, it is imperative that every volunteer understand his or her responsibility to
provide a good example to our young people at all times.
Attendance-Please be prompt and reliable in honoring your commitment. If you are unable to
make a scheduled session, it is imperative that the program staff is notified in advance of the
absence. Remember, as a coach and role model, you are leading by example.
Role Boundaries-Your role as a tutor is to provide academic support to the young person to
whom you are assigned within the structure of the tutoring program. All other responsibilities
around the care of our youth fall to the staff of Mercy Home. It is important that you uphold the
decisions of program staff. Undermining staff authority in any way, making contact with any of
Mercy's young men or women outside sanctioned tutoring times, exchanging telephone numbers
and giving gifts or money are considered inappropriate and are grounds for dismissal of a
volunteer from the tutoring program.
Appearance/Conduct-Please use your best judgment when preparing to come to Mercy Home to
tutor. As a role model, it is expected that your personal appearance should not cause a distraction
or interfere with the accomplishment of the tutoring objective. Because many of our young people
face specific challenges regarding alcohol and drugs, inebriation of any kind or the smell of
alcohol on a volunteer would be considered inappropriate.
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION, TRAINING, AND SCREENING
Youth Behavior-Please understand that you will be tutoring at risk youth with behavior and
emotional problems. There may be occasions when youth may refuse tutoring, be in a bad mood,
or present behavior problems during tutoring sessions. Please ask for staff assistance if youth’s
behavior becomes inappropriate or unmanageable. Tutoring sessions may be terminated, or you
may be given a new tutee for that session.
All volunteers have the right to an orientation. Additional training opportunities may arise throughout the
year to enhance the volunteer's tutoring skills. In addition, some volunteer positions require applicants to
undergo a screening process. Questions about screening procedures should be referred to the Director of
Volunteer Programs.
Confidentiality-In your role as a volunteer tutor at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls you may have
access to some information about our youth that is considered confidential. We ask that you
please respect the privacy of our youth by maintaining the confidentiality of all such information.
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STANDARDS FOR VOLUNTEERS
All Mercy Home employees and volunteers contribute to the development of the therapeutic community