MSUM students tutor Micah’s Mission guests after school

Minnesota State University Moorhead students Katelyn Kennedy, left, and Logan Bitker are working with Micah’s Mission guests after school to help young learners get ahead.

Minnesota State University Moorhead students are helping guests at Micah’s Mission Shelter and Community Center get ahead thanks to a new program.

Juniors and seniors in the university’s education program are tutoring children ages 3 to 17 after school in a variety of subjects, from math to reading, and even fine motor skills for the youngest learners.

At Micah’s Mission on Monday were MSUM senior Logan Bitker and junior Katelyn Kennedy. The two aspiring teachers spent the late afternoon with preschool-aged children, burning a little energy and playing some games.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a different experience … a lot of the time we’re in classrooms, we’re observing,” Bitker said of his decision to tutor at Micah’s Mission. “For me, this is my first hands-on practicum, and I get to engage with the students; it’s a pretty awesome opportunity.”

Bitker and Kennedy are both looking forward to developing relationships with the youngsters they’re working with.

“(I am looking forward to) getting to know the kids, putting names with faces,” Kennedy said.

And looking ahead to when they’re in the classroom full-time, the two agreed that the experience with Micah’s Mission guests will prove valuable.

“Having that diverse look into child development will allow us to be better in the classroom once we get to that point,” Bitker said.

Additional MSUM education students will be working with older kids at Micah’s Mission through the upcoming weeks.

"We are so excited to build this relationship with the MSUM curriculum students in order to provide additional educational supports to our families," Shelter Director Shelley Brooks said.

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