Long-Time Volunteer Enters 14th Year as Girls’ Program Tutor

Marla Gibson is a proud grandma, was a Detroiter for 50 years, and has a passion for reading because “reading helps you succeed in every part of your life.” That’s why Marla dedicates much of her free time to tutoring students with three different organizations. Mercy Education Project is fortunate to be one of them.

Marla is in her 14th year of volunteering with MEP and drives from Farmington Hills to southwest Detroit weekly to serve as a reading tutor in the Girls’ Program. She got involved after seeing a posting at her workplace, DTE Energy, and going to an informational meeting at MEP. “When I first started, we didn’t have software, we had workbooks and printed lessons,” Marla recalls. She fondly remembers her first student, Ashley, that she had for 2 years, and another student, Dalia, that she tutored from 1st-7th grade, and then Dalia’s sister, Dulce. This year, Marla is paired with Allison whom she also tutored last year.

Marla recognized that one of her students had emotional needs as well as academic needs. After taking tests or progress checks at MEP and discovering she had made a few mistakes, the student would be very upset and down on herself, thinking one error meant total failure. That is where Marla would step in and encourage the young girl by telling her to focus on everything she got right and look at her growth.

On the flip side, Marla remembers how exciting the “a-ha” moments are – with each student, she says, there are always exciting milestones to celebrate. Those shared moments are what makes tutoring so rewarding for her.

In addition to the learning software provided to MEP tutors, tutors are encouraged to give learning their own fun spin. Marla explains how her students love the whiteboard. “The whiteboard is an awesome learning tool to keep students engaged in a lesson. Simply writing a word from a vocabulary list on the board and discussing it can lead to better results. Colorful markers and ‘playing teacher’ allows the girls to perceive the tutoring session as fun, which results in better comprehension — and it shows in student test results.”

Marla’s love of reading is also apparent as she encourages her students to complete book reports for MEP, especially during Reading Month. Marla tries to find a book that relates to the student’s interest and always takes the time to learn what TV shows, music, and general things her student enjoys.

We are grateful to have Marla as a long-time dedicated tutor!