Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Glenellen Dickinson

As we grow older some of us look for different ways to make a difference, but few make a difference like Glenellen Dickinson. Truly she is someone we can all look up to and admire.

From the San Diego Union Tribune (SDUT):

Glenellen Dickinson, 92, is a volunteer elementary school tutor making a difference in the lives of children who are struggling.

Dickinson began with the San Diego Oasis tutoring program in 2014, and, after taking a hiatus during the pandemic, is beginning again this semester with, among others, first graders at Rock Springs Elementary School in Escondido.

Dickinson travels to several elementary schools four days a week to work under the supervision of a teacher. During each visit, she spends four hours one-on-one with first-, second- and fifth-grade students needing help with reading and, occasionally, other subjects. She typically spends 15 minutes per first- and second-grader and 30 minutes per fifth-grader.”

Glenellen does not have college degree, much less a teaching degree. 

At first, Dickinson was apprehensive about the idea of tutoring young children. “I was scared as all get up,” she said. “I never tutored and did not know what to do.”

How did she gain expertise in tutoring? … from Oasis.

Again from the SDUT:

“Oasis gave her the guidance and tools she needed. She participated in two days of training on the “Oasis method” of tutoring and receives continuing instruction.

San Diego Oasis is a nonprofit organization serving people 50 and over since 1987, with a wide variety of programs in addition to tutoring.

“Envision a future,” Oasis writes in its vision statement, “where older adults/seniors are viewed as a resource, not a burden; where they are learning, teaching and encouraging each other; where they inspire youth to succeed; where purpose in life is viewed through a lens of living longer and giving back to the communities where they live.”

Toward that end, Oasis began the tutoring program more than two decades ago and estimates their tutors have helped over 12,000 students.”

If some of us actually live to the age of 92, hopefully we can be one-tenth of what Glenellen Dickinson is. A tall order indeed!

11/13/23

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