Tutors Motivate, Inspire Learning

September 24, 2025

When Judah came to Mercy Home last year, he struggled academically.  He didn’t fail to understand the material; he just lacked the motivation to study.  

“I had Cs and Ds,” he said. “I don’t think I had any As or Bs. Before I came to Mercy Home, I wasn’t going to school. I was struggling with everything because I didn’t want to try.” 

But through Mercy Home’s educational programming, Judah was provided a volunteer tutor. Brad Block, an Atlanta native who has lived in Chicago for the past 35 years, was paired with Judah and taught him that he shouldn’t just memorize the material but actually learn it. By the end of the year, Judah finished with all As and one B.  

“When you have the connection with someone who makes you want to do well, it makes a difference,” Judah said.  

Tutoring sessions take place every Monday through Thursday after school at Mercy Home. At the beginning of the school year, Senior Coordinator for Tutoring and After School Programs Veronica Quintero pairs each young person with a tutor who is best suited to support the specific academic needs of the youth.  

Once the young person is matched with a tutor, they work as a pair throughout the entire year. In the first session, they get to know one another and meet weekly after that. Some youth have two or three tutors that they meet with every week, depending on need. 

“The goal is to address any foundational skills that we can bolster, build confidence and to guide the children to achieving their dreams and exploring their interests,” Quintero said. “I always ask the tutors to share what they considered when they were looking at colleges and things that they considered when they were choosing a career.”

Even our young people who are no longer in school still have access to a tutor. Tutors help some of the older youth to prepare for entrance exams to trade programs and apprenticeships while others help youth practice standardized test taking.  

“There is always more to learn no matter what your goals are,” Quintero said. “It also increases the amount of people who are there to support the youth and encourage and guide them on the path to their dream. That can never hurt.” 

During the summer, Quintero sent out a tutoring application looking for potential volunteers. The keys to being a successful tutor, she said, are being patient and curious rather than reactive with the young people.  

“We’re lucky to have a lot of tutors who do have a lot of experience working with neurodiverse youth or youth with trauma,” Quintero said. “They have to be open-minded and understanding where our youth come from. Every behavior is just a communication. They have been really patient with youth not coming to their tutoring after having rough days or tough family therapy sessions.” 

For the third straight year, Block applied to be a Mercy Home tutor. He had always wanted to find a way to volunteer with Mercy Home and found that this could be a nice opportunity to interact with the young people.  

“It’s fun,” Block said. “It’s interesting to meet these kids and see what they’re doing. If I can help people, that’s great too. People are very appreciative, but it’s not a big burden.” 

One of the more rewarding parts of tutoring for Quintero is seeing the young people in the literacy intervention program. Those sessions teach the young people how to decode words that they struggle to decode.  

“When you see them get more confident, you see a lot of emotional burden lifted when they have less of a secret to hide,” Quintero said. “In tutoring, they don’t have to worry that other people will catch on that they’re struggling to read.”

As the new school years kicks into gear, the young people will forge new relationships with their tutors.  

“The youth’s buy-in to tutoring was really phenomenal these past couple years,” Quintero said. ”The tutor is the one adult that they don’t share with others. It’s their dedicated person that comes in for only them. They form pretty nice bonds.”

Mercy Home is grateful to our tutors who volunteer their time to encourage our young people to excel and achieve their goals.