Endeavor Aims to Return Hope to Texas Students Learning from Home
Texas children are living through a reality that many parents and school administrators never thought possible – learning the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and more through videoconferencing. Today, the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation (TRTF) launches a new online tutoring website to help students achieve academic success, whether they are learning in a traditional classroom or from home.
“None of us have ever experienced ‘distance learning’ in our school system the way today’s children are,” said Tim Lee, Executive Director of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) and its 501(c)(3) charitable partner organization, TRTF.
“We’re already seeing an impact on their academic readiness and success, and we decided to take action. By partnering with peer-tutoring platform Knack, the TRTF Tutor Program aims to be the largest community of retired teacher tutors in Texas and the U.S.,” Lee explained.
The Foundation’s tutoring service will engage retired Texas public school teachers who have the experience, time, and dependability needed to engage with students of all ages and educational needs. Retired teachers onboard the platform will be able to earn extra income to support their retirement and general costs of living. The average TRS monthly pension is $2,000 per month, and most Texas retired teachers do not receive Social Security benefits.
School students using the platform will receive the educational support they need as they adapt to virtual learning environments that have quickly become the primary mode of education for most Texas families; and parents gain access to reduced cost, reliable tutoring services focused on empowering students to succeed.
As part of the program launch, TRTF in currently undertaking an ambitious $10 million fundraising effort to donate 250,000 hours of tutoring to Texas schools.
“These are unprecedented times. We have a responsibility to think bigger and do more than ever,” Lee said. “Just imagine the difference we can make together by connecting thousands of Texas retired teachers with our students and schools. TRTF is also calling on all interested TRS retirees to consider being a tutor on the platform. Our belief is that demand will be very high, and we want to rise up and meet the challenge,” concluded Lee.
To learn more and sign-up for the program visit www.trtf.org.
