YRead tutor does double-duty with Pryor kids

Two years ago, 8-year-old Willie (Tre) Pryor III was having lots of trouble learning to read. Then, his parents found out about the St. Louis YRead tutoring program.

Chasity Pryor

First-time tutor Joan Crawford agreed to help Tre as well as 10-year-old Chasity Pryor, Tre's older sister. She also was reading below her grade level. Tre was two years below grade in reading ability.

Now, with the start of school, both Tre and Chasity are reading at or above grade level as their 2005-6 school year starts. They now attend Lusher Elementary School in the Hazelwood District in north St. Louis County.

Tre is in 3rd grade while Chasity is 5th grader . (Tre's nickname, which is pronounced "trey," comes from the fact he's Willie Pryor the Third.)

Tre Pryor

Tre said it's lots more fun to go to school now. His reading test scores are better and he said his teachers have noticed improvement in his vocabulary and comprehension.

He said his ability to read better helps in all his classes, even math.

But, two years ago, his teachers were telling Tre's parents, Willie II and Kim Pryor, that he needed to improve his reading or he couldn't be promoted in school.

They recommended the Pryors call YRead, a tutoring program sponsored by the St. Louis YMCA. Their tutors specialize in working with kids 7 to 14.

At first, YRead couldn't locate a tutor in the Pryors' north St. Louis County area.

So, Mr. Pryor and his wife tried to help at home. But, they knew they needed something better.

YRead volunteer tutors receive special training and good teaching materials. But, a key is the tutor and kids meet for a whole year of twice-a-week, one-on-one tutoring sessions.

Both the tutor and the parents sign a contract committing themselves to this schedule.

Finally, YRead officials called back to say they had a tutor but it would require a long trip for the Pryors twice a week. The tutor Joan Crawford lived in Normandy and she would meet them at the Natural Bridge Branch of the St. Louis County Library.

But, in this case, the Pryors got a bonus. Ms. Crawford agreed to tutor both Tre and Chasity in one-after-the-other tutoring sessions.

Each tutoring session is one hour long. Ms. Crawford would be with Tre from 4:30 to 5:30 and Chasity from 5:30 to 6:30. They met on Mondays and Wednesdays.

At first, the tutoring sessions were in the Natural Bridge Branch of the St. Louis County Library system. That was close to where Ms. Crawford lived but was a long drive for the Pryors. Ms. Crawford is a retired nurse and her husband worked at the Natural Bridge library branch.

Mr. Pryor said, "When it got to be winter, she (Ms. Crawford) suggested they move the sessions to the Florissant Valley branch library." That was about midway between the two homes.

Chasity said the tutoring sessions usually started with her reading to Ms. Crawford. After finishing a chapter, she and her tutor would have a discussion of the meaning of what she'd just read.

After that, there were work sheets that helped the kids develop their vocabulary and also improve reading comprehension.

Chasity said comprehension-or knowing what words meant-"was a problem" for her.

She said her improved reading skills helped in both history and math. She said, "I could understand better."

Chasity said she likes to read fiction. Her favorites are books about "different cultures." She said she especially likes books about China.

Tre said he and his sister also had to write a summary of what their reading was about. He said, "This was hard at first, but it got easier."

Chasity and Tre said their tutoring experience was more than just work. They had some fun too. Chasity said Ms. Crawford took them "out to eat on our birthdays."

Then, when the kids finished their year-long tutoring sessions, they got Ms. Crawford a present. They gave her a number of candles as the present. "We got them in her favorite color, which was purple," she added.

For the kids, the payoff was better performance in school. Mr. Pryor said, "Chasity was on the honor roll for the whole year. Tre always got good marks and comments on his report card."

If you or your parents would like to learn more about the YRead tutoring program, you can call Kathy Adkisson at (314) 353-4960 or e-mail her at literacy@ymcastlouis.org.