Tutoring in viral times

Greetings from Florida, once again.

I've received quite a few inquiries from tutors wondering how to proceed given all that's happening with COVID-19.

At this time, the national goal is to "flatten the curve," which means finding ways to prevent the spread of the virus or having more cases come up. The latest research is showing that there are a lot of asymptomatic people who are carrying and spreading the virus unknowingly. Furthermore, it is now estimated that the incubation period may be as long as a month in some people.

There are a lot of unknowns in play as this is a "novel" virus--meaning no one has experienced this strain before, so anyone can get it and no one has inherent immunity.

Given all of that information, I recommend that you follow all of the guidelines that Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment announced last week. In addition, keep in mind that your student's children are home, and although you might be able to control your own exposure and hand washing, you have no way to know what kind of exposure is happening with your students.

Do not feel guilty suspending tutoring! I'm in a super-stressful situation right now, but a few days ago, someone reminded me that "you don't need to set yourself on fire to keep somebody else warm." Something that is very much a known in this whole thing is that social distancing and self-isolating are effective measures. If you wish to go ahead and continue seeing your student, that is your prerogative (but maybe sit six feet apart!), however, the scientists in charge of mapping out the best defense to COVID-19 do not recommend that any of us spend time with other people at this time, if possible.

Please take care of yourselves, wash your hands, don't touch your face (OMG, I touch my face so much--I never realized!), don't hoard all the toilet paper, check in on friends and neighbors who are vulnerable, and maybe use this time to plan lots of great lessons and language-learning activities to use when you resume tutoring. Mostly, please take whatever precautions you can so you stay as safe as possible.

I hope we're all back to our normal routines sooner rather than later, but beating the spread of this virus is going to take a massive cooperative community effort.

Please take care, everyone!

February tutoring hours coming due!

Greetings, in-home tutors!

You're getting this message early this month because I will be away when the month ends. In fact, I will be away starting tomorrow, February 26, and returning on March 9. I will not be checking email or voicemail. Since no one is cross-trained in my job, alas, your questions will need to wait until I'm back in the office. Full disclosure, I will be here on Monday, March 1 for something that's scheduled, but it's unlikely I'll be available for more than about an hour that day.

So, click here to go to the link to report your hours!

Or here:

https://forms.gle/ubpBCL8qGUC3mw1p6

Know anyone who wants to be an in-home tutor?

The next training for incoming tutors will be on Saturday, March 21. I have a particular need for people who are willing to go to Thornton, Northglenn, Commerce City, and Green Valley Ranch. If you know of any good candidates, please have them visit www.refugee-esl.org for information about the program and to download a volunteer application.

I need a very special (female) volunteer

For over a year now, I've had a woman on the waiting list for an in-home tutor who presents a unique and challenging situation. I can't say much here, but here is what I can tell you: She's a 50-year-old Arabic speaker who lives in Aurora near S. Buckley Rd. and E. Yale Ave. This student needs to meet somewhere outside of the home she shares. She is open to having a volunteer drive her to or just meet her at a nearby location such as Starbucks (close by on Hampden). The student has experienced a tremendous amount of trauma that has affected her physical and mental health, so anyone tutoring her would need to be exceptionally compassionate, patient, and flexible. The woman does speak some English. If you're interested in tutoring this student, please email me to let me know. The tutor must be female.

Public Charge Rule

You may have heard about the new Public Charge Rule enacted by the Trump administration. It's important to know that the rule does not apply to refugees. In short, the rule says that an immigrant who accesses government benefits such as SNAP (food stamps) or TANF will be ineligible to get a green card or citizenship later. It appears that the goal is to limit immigration to wealthier immigrants. On yesterday's AllThings Considered, there was a good story that explained what the Public Charge Rule is and is not. You can find that here: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/24/808995286/immigrants-react-as-public-charge-rule-goes-into-effect

News you might want to share

Mile High Youth Corp’s YouthBuild program is currently recruiting for an April 13 start date. Interested candidates will have the opportunity to pursue their high school equivalency diploma, training and on-the-job learning in healthcare or construction, career and post-secondary readiness activities, leadership development and community service opportunities, and placement support and follow-up—all while receiving a bi-weekly stipend. Please see attached flyer.

Candidates may call or text 303-437-0926 for more information or APPLY HERE.

Also for young people:

Denver Human Services has partnered with History Colorado to provide 15 students (who receive SNAP/foodstamp benefits) the opportunity to attend Kapow! Superhero Spring Break Camp at History Colorado. Please see attached flyer for additional details. Scholarships are available to families that participate in the SNAP program within Denver County. The deadline to apply is this Friday, 2/28. Registration will be on a first come first serve basis. Below is the link for the application, along with the Promo Code to be eligible for free registration.

Here is the link to the Camp page: 

https://www.historycolorado.org/event/kapow-superhero-spring-break-camp/2020/03/30 

This link will take you directly to the Reservation Form: 

http://h-co.org/kapow 

Please have your families use the Promo Code DENGOV when filling out the form.  

If you have any questions or if families need assistance completing the form,  please contact  Victoria.aguilar@denvergov.org

Thank You America Award

The Office of International and Immigrant Affairs and the Aurora Immigrant and Refugee Commission are excited to announce the Thank You America Award. 

The award will recognize inspiring leaders, volunteers, business, or elected officials who have demonstrated great support and have been instrumental in the welcoming process of immigrants to the city of Aurora. 

Attached is the flyer and application. Deadline to nominate will be March 6th.