What makes a good educator? Is it the passion needed in order to impact a life or is it the simple idea of being patient with the process of doing so? Jessica Hoffmaster is a woman who holds all the traits of being a good educator. Her passion and drive to make a change in a child’s life are strong and indestructible. She is patient, kind, caring and most importantly; inspiring.
“What our program does is it matches tutors,”
Hoffmaster is a Literacy Coordinator for the Michigan City Public Library. The program is comprised of volunteers who wish to help out students struggling in academic areas of school. Hoffmaster pairs up students with tutors based on age and struggling areas in academics. She and the other tutors work with students varying from first to twelfth grade with classes such as reading and math.
“It’s very close to my heart,” Hoffmaster stated, “I got my master’s degree specifically for this program because I want to help children read.”
Education is in trouble. Teachers are having a hard time trying to catch up with all the demands asked of them. Hoffmaster and her team at the library are working as a second line of defense for students who are having trouble in their classes. Tutors are needed because it’s hard for teachers to be able to do everything all the time.
With that in mind, Hoffmaster is trying to work with the schools and create a liaison program between the two. This way, teachers can have some help keeping up with everything they are demanded with, and students can get extra and personal help along the way. With permission from the parents, the liaison program would be a fantastic way to get kids more help in order to succeed.
“It’s really fantastic to see growth in a child,” Hoffmaster explained, “the student then feels powerful and successful.”
Working with kids has been a passion for a very long time. She began working with disabled children. The job came with a lot of rewards such as seeing them grow and be more comfortable in their surroundings. Hoffmaster then went back to school to get her master’s degree so she could work more closely with the literacy program at the library.
Having her personal experiences, she is trying to help her kids involved with the program like she is. She wants her kids to volunteer their time. Two of her kids have begun volunteering their time to tutor and support kids who need it.
“The way I see it is that if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem," said Hoffman
She encourages all to go out and help the community grow. There are dozens of kids who need help, some could even be right next door. Kids with a good support system have the ability to thrive in the world.
People who are readily available to support and take the time with students are needed. Patience is key, Hoffmaster has worked with a student for a year before they finally started making progress. Throughout the entirety of the year, she was patient and caring which paid off in the end.