Local non-profit stepping in to educate children with the help of college students

HOUSTON - The struggle to educate children continues during the pandemic.

With the teacher shortages and students falling behind, a local non-profit is stepping in and providing unique support with the help of college students.

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Cristy Pineda graduated from Houston ISD not too long ago, and now she’s back in the classroom at the same school district, but this time, a different title.

"I realized I would like helping students because I would do it all the time in high school as a theatre leader and a choir leader, so I was like ok let me give this a shot," said Pineda who works as a College Readiness Mentor (CRM).

She, and nearly 250 other college students, get paid to work alongside elementary school teachers through iEducate, which is a local non-profit that connects college students to students who need to learn.

"When you have 30-35 kids in a classroom, it is really hard to tailor your lessons to each specific learning style. But when you have a CRM in the classroom, we are able to break out into small groups and one-on-one lessons. We have that opportunity to individualize lessons to the student’s specific learning styles," said Jacob Perez, another CRM.

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"They are really stepping into a co-teaching role where they really are there to provide support to that teacher as well as the students," said Alexis Elafros with iEducate. "They are able to pull a group of 3-5 students and really provide that targeted learning instruction that they may not be able to receive if that college student was not there."

Mental health for children has undeniably played a big role during the pandemic. Something any student can relate to, which is a big asset in any classroom.

"Times are changing and mental health is becoming more important and now you are seeing it in kids. They need that mental support, so I thought this would be a really good thing to do, so I can help students do better and feel more confident that it is ok to ask for help.," said Pineda.

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Currently, iEducate has college students working in classrooms in Houston and Alief ISD. They will soon expand to Aldine ISD and are looking for more CRM’s.

If you are interested, click here.