(Peru, NE) Ten Peru State College students are currently serving as tutors for the Nebraska SMART (Success Made Accessible Through Rural Tutoring) tutoring program through the Nebraska State College System.
One of these SMART tutors is 2021 Bellevue East graduate Kylee Fischer. Fischer is a junior at Peru State College. Fischer said that she loved going to school but never knew she wanted to be a teacher until she experienced serving as a teacher’s aide for one of her teachers, Karin Donner. “After learning more about lesson planning, I was inspired to follow in her footsteps and become a teacher, Fischer said. “I found helping to print off papers and staying organized to be particularly fulfilling.”
Nebraska SMART is a free virtual tutoring program for students in grades K-12 in Nebraska Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13. Teacher education candidates from Peru State, Chadron State, and Wayne State remotely tutor students from ESUs 1, 4, and 13 through an online tutoring platform. The program is administered across the Nebraska State College System and supports students’ homework needs in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies for all students in grades K-12. Tutoring is offered from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the Spring 2024 semester through May 3 and will resume availability in the fall semester.
Fischer talked about her experience with the Nebraska SMART program. “Nebraska SMART is an amazing program for students residing in rural communities. It offers an excellent resource for students as some schools may not have access to additional tutors outside of contract hours, said Fischer. “The program is free once you sign up! In the last two months, I had the privilege of tutoring several students who displayed a positive outlook, and strong work ethic and helped me improve as an aspiring educator.”
Tutors at Peru State College are full-time students in the teacher education program who have undergone background checks and specific training in methods courses.
The Nebraska Department of Education has recently granted funds to the Nebraska State College System to develop a program that offers tutoring services to K-12 students in Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13. Chadron State, Peru State, and Wayne State College will each have up to 10 tutors and a faculty coordinator to oversee the program.
- Addison Schneider (Humphrey, NE)
- Allie Schneider (Humphrey, NE)
- Savannah Engelken (Seneca, KS)
- Layla McIntyre (Papillion, NE)
- Shawn Shackelford (Omaha, NE)
- Jordan Alves (Omaha, NE)
- Rachel Wertenberger (Sabetha, KS)
- Sidney Johansen (Powhattan, KS)
- Kylee Fischer (Bellevue, NE)
- Taylor Hendricks (Omaha, NE)
- Director: Julie Dickerson
- Peru State Liaison: Dr. Gina Bittner, Professor – School of Education
Students in Nebraska, from Kindergarten to 12th grade, who are under Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13, can get online tutoring for free. The tutoring is provided by qualified tutors in specific subject areas. Students can either schedule an appointment with a tutor or log in to connect with the next available tutor in the queue. To get help, students should provide their homework or specify the topics they want to cover.
Parents must register their children to receive tutoring services. Once registered, students or their parents can schedule a tutoring session at least 24 hours in advance. Additionally, students can join on-demand tutoring to be connected with the next available tutor. Parents can register their student(s) at https://nebraskasmart.tutorwithpearl.com/self-onboarding. Students can connect with the next available tutor at https://nebraskasmart.tutorwithpearl.com and schedule a tutoring session at https://nebraskasmart.tutorwithpearl.com.
