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Bay Area group offers free homework help
Haley Hinds reports.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Sophia Rose Kuhlman, 14, struggles with math in school. Her 17-year-old tutor, David Ames, may not be that much older than her, but he's helped her overcome that hurdle.
"It's like brought my grade up. It's helped me do more math and fractions and stuff like that," said Kuhlman
Ames is one of the teen tutors with the Dunedin Library's free program called "Homework Help."
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"I just help people who come in, any year, basically any questions they may have," said Ames.
The teens with the library's free program are Dunedin Youth volunteers and provide homework help to elementary, middle and high school-aged students, according to Kastanis with the Dunedin Library. She said they come in first-come-first-serve.
"It was an easy way for me to find some way the volunteers could earn their hours and help the community at the same time," said Kastanis.
Having the tutors close in age with their pupils has been an asset.
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"Parents come in and say 'they won't listen to me.' 'You're not cool.' The teens are cool. The younger kids are aspiring to be as cool as the teenager, so the younger kids are getting benefit," said Kastanis.
"Everyone's really nice here, and they understand what you're not understanding, because they just learned it," said Kuhlman.
Ames said it's not only helping him with his own academic future, but he's also getting a lot out of it personally.
"I think Homework Help is a very fun thing to do," Ames said. "You can engage with the community a lot, and you get to help people. It makes you a more sociable person."
Homework Help is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5 p.m., unless otherwise posted. It's also offered on Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.dunedingov.com/city-departments/library/kids-teens or contact Youth Services at (727) 298-3080 x1732.