Back-to-School Event Provides Tips on Tutoring Success

August 31, 2026

Author: Mark Schmeltzer

As our young people have been heading back to school, one thing they’re sure to come back with each day is homework. But thanks to the array of after-school support Mercy Home provides, our young people will always have a place to go for help.

One of the most critical academic supports we provide is nightly tutoring. Before the new school year began, Tutoring & After School Program Coordinator Veronica Quintero wanted our young people to understand the importance of participating fully in tutoring sessions.

One obstacle she saw is a common stigma around receiving this kind of help. “I wanted to explain that tutoring is not for ‘bad students,’ Quintero said. “Rather, it is a resource for many types of people.”

Quintero noted that even doctors, lawyers, and student athletes have availed themselves of tutoring at one time or another.

“Tutors tailor learning to each individual student’s learning style, support their busy schedules, and encourage lofty ambitions,” Quintero said.

To introduce our young people to the tutoring experience and what they can expect, and to generate excitement for the new school year in general, Quintero organized a fun afternoon activity at the West Loop Campus. Amid school-themed décor and words of encouragement in our cafeteria, participants learned about how to get the most out of our academic programs.

“We reviewed what preparedness looks like, what a well completed assignment notebook looks like, and what being on task looks like,” Quintero said.

She also explained the tutee incentive system where youth receive tickets for being on time, on task, prepared, and kind to themselves and others during tutoring. Tickets can be exchanged for prizes like Bluetooth headphones, LED lights, LEGO sets, and fidgets.

Youth then reviewed what they learned from the presentation using a trivia game format.

But the volume was brought way up by several fast-paced “minute-to-win-it” games where youth competed for a very special prize—the chance to choose which education team member would receive a shaving cream pie in the face! (winner for most often chosen team member went to Gabriel Avalos).

Education-themed games included “You’re the Ruler of Your Learning” where students used rulers instead of their hands to get to page 100 of a textbook, a footrace while balancing a textbook on one’s head, and a race to be the first to find a Ventra Card (CTA bus/rail pass) inside a backpack crammed with school supplies.

The games not only added an element of fun and competition to the event, but they also helped allay some of the anxiety that can accompany the new school year.

“I think the youth had a good time watching the education team encourage them through the games and take a pie to the face in the name of their educational morale,” said Quintero.

Want to help a child succeed in school? Learn how you can become a tutor at Mercy Home.