Become a volunteer tutor at Second Start...

Second Start is a participatory learner-centered literacy program. We seek tutors who have patience and are willing to view teaching as a two-way experience, understanding that we are all learners.

Requirements for becoming a tutor
What Second Start offers tutors
Frequently Asked Questions
Volunteering and Health
Sign up online
Tutor Training Schedule

Requirements to be a volunteer tutor...

•  attend 18 hours of tutor training
•  be 18 years of age or older
•  speak English clearly enough to communicate with learners and staff
•  devote at least two hours a week to tutoring a student for a minimum of nine months
•  provide monthly tutor reports

What Second Start offers tutors...       top

•  eighteen hours of free training
•  regular in-service workshops
•  books, materials, audiotapes, videotapes, and computer software to help you teach
•  staff support and expertise
•  a large computer learning center
•  an extensive Tutor Library

Frequently Asked Questions      top

What is Second Start?
What services do you provide?
Who can become a tutor?
Will I be paid for tutoring?
When do you offer tutor training and where?
How long is the training?
When is the training?
What do you teach in training?
How can I sign up for training?
How will I be matched with a learner?
Where can my learner and I meet?
What if my learner asks me to come to his/her house?
Who are your learners?
How will I be able to teach someone to read?
How will I know what my learner needs to learn?
What kind of support is available from Second Start?
Does this cost tutors anything?
Am I required to turn in reports?
Is there anything else I should know?
How can I get in touch with you?
Can I sign up online?

What is Second Start?      top

Second Start is a free, confidential literacy program serving English speaking adults 16 years or older and not currently enrolled in high school. We are a service of the Oakland Public Library.

What services do you provide?     top

We offer one-on-one tutoring; small group study; reading, writing, spelling, and math classes; a comprehensive computer lab; and a Families for Literacy program.

Who can become a tutor?      top

Anyone age 18 or older who reads and speaks English, can communicate clearly, completes tutor training, and makes at least a nine-month commitment to the program.

Will I be paid for tutoring?       top

No. This is a volunteer opportunity.

When do you offer tutor training and where?      top

Tutor training is offered 5 times a year at our Oakland literacy center.

How long is the training?      top

You are required to attend 18 hours of training.

When is the training?      top

See the tutor training schedule.

What do you teach in training?      top

We provide tutors with the information, materials, and skills practice they will need to teach a multi-sensory phonemic-awareness program and a multi-sensory phonetics program. We also provide examples and practice in ways to make the lesson more learner-specific. Most importantly, we inform the tutor that a successful tutoring experience involves mutual respect, the ability to listen, patience, imagination, and a two-way dialog along with the "book work."

How can I sign up for training?      top

Call our office at (510) 238-3432 and put your name on our tutor training list, or sign up online. A confirmation letter will be sent before the scheduled training date.

How will I be matched with a learner?      top

Your application form will ask what days, what time of day, and where you can meet with a learner. The learner’s form will ask the same questions. You will be matched on the basis of time, day, and place you can meet.

Where can my learner and I meet?      top

We have several private tutoring rooms at Second Start. We also suggest that you tutor at the Main Library or any of the branches.

What if my learner asks me to come to his/her house?      top

Please say "no" since you don’t know this person, and we may only have met him/her once at the intake session. Tell him/her that Second Start has asked you to meet at a public library.

Who are your learners?      top

Our program works with adults 16 and older who read and write below the eighth-grade level. Some of our learners are total non-readers; some have never been to school. Our learners display great courage and spirit in coming to a learning situation even after many have had successful work and family lives. Others are at a point where they want to change their lives for themselves or for their families and know that learning to read and write will help them do that. There’s no one typical learner; all have the desire to learn.

How will I be able to teach someone to read?      top

At tutor training, we will give you experience in teaching phonemic awareness, a necessary first step to successful reading acquisition. We will also work with a multi-sensory phonics-based program, The Laubach Way to Reading.

How will I know what my learner needs to learn?      top

Your learner’s assessment form, which you will see during tutor training, will give you an indication of your learner’s skill level, strengths, needs and suggestions for curriculum materials you can use.

What kind of support is available from Second Start?      top

Lesson planning is scheduled as a part of tutor training. You can call or e-mail staff at any time for advice. You can also make an appointment to come in to talk to staff about materials or discuss the progress you and your learner are making or the challenges you are facing.

You will be notified of our Tutor Chats. Tutor Chats offer the opportunity for you to share ideas and experiences with other tutors and staff in a casual, relaxed setting.

You will receive our newsletter.

You will be invited to our annual events.

Does this cost tutors anything?      top

Training, Tutor Chats, and most events are free. We ask you to buy your own teacher’s manual. If you don’t wish to purchase a manual, you can check out the materials you need and return them when you are done. We ask learners to buy their workbooks as well. If they are unable to purchase the books, we can provide them with a materials scholarship.

Am I required to turn in reports?      top

Yes, a monthly tutor report. Our program receives funding from a variety of granting agencies which require us to report the number of students served, tutoring hours, etc. We depend on your reports for crucial information. The monthly report can be filled out on line and sent to us via e-mail.

Is there anything else I should know?      top

Yes. Tutoring is a commitment of your time and energy and requires patience and understanding. You may spend more hours a week with your learner than with your best friend. Tutoring can be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done. We want to help you make it so and encourage you to contact us when you have questions, want to talk, need advice, have suggestions for us, or any other reason.

How can I get in touch with you?      top

Please call us at (510) 238-3432 or send an e-mail to njones@oaklandlibrary.org.

Can I sign up online?      top

Use our online form to let us know you'd like to sign up for one of our trainings.

"My student is about 60, he’s raised a family, owns his own home, and has stayed employed all the time. I was in awe of this guy. He has courage. He started at the beginning, Skill Book 1. He’s come a long ways. It’s been gratifying to do this."  — Second Start tutor