HATFIELD – Picture your most difficult class at school. Now, imagine taking the final exam in a bewildering foreign language. This feeling is a dose of reality for some ESL students in the Hatfield Village neighborhood, who are forced to cling to underdeveloped English skills as they muddle through math homework with little or no support. Luckily, a group of innovative teachers was able to find a solution.

“Our main purpose of starting [a homework] club is because many of our English learner students are struggling in math – math is very language heavy. Also, some of our students do not have homework support at home and therefore, cannot practice their skills,” explained Kristin Braun, an English as a Second Language teacher at Hatfield Elementary School. She added, “By having the homework club, students can work through math problems with teachers to practice the skills they must master.”

The club will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays at Hatfield Village Community Center from 4:30-5:15pm, and they’re looking for volunteers to assist the 1st-6th graders with elementary-level math homework. Reading word problems, practicing flashcards, even counting – every bit of practice makes an immense difference in the academic progress of these students.

Because the club is run by Hatfield Elementary School, students in the North Penn School District aren’t required to obtain security clearances. Prospective volunteers don’t need to commit to a regular shift, either; the full schedule of dates is posted below, and signing up can be done through email as late as the morning of a session. Volunteers are also responsible for their own transportation, and they should bring any service hour forms requiring a signature.

Interested? Email Miss Braun ([email protected]) to sign up.

2018

November

Mon/Wed: 26 and 28

December

Mon/Wed: 3, 5

Mon/Wed: 10, 12

2019

January

Mon/Wed: 7,9

Mon/Wed: 14,16

Wed: 23

Mon/Wed: 28,30

February

Mon/Wed: 4,6

Mon/Wed: 11,13

Wed: 20

Mon/Wed 25,27

March

Mon/Wed: 4, 6

Mon/Wed: 11,13

Mon/Wed: 18,20

Mon/Wed: 25,27

April

Mon/Wed: 1,3

Mon/Wed: 8,10

Mon: 15

Wed: 24

Mon: 29

May

Wed: 1

Mon/Wed: 6, 8

Mon/Wed: 13, 15

Mon/Wed: 20, 22

Wed: 29