THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503100216
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The instructors are 13 years old - triplets returning to their elementary school as volunteer reading teachers.
Twice a week, Courtney, Candace and Christina Prevatte head to David Parker's fourth-grade class at Kilby Shores Elementary School. This follows their day as sixth-graders at Forest Glen Middle School.
The teens, who live two blocks from Kilby Shores, alternate between bicycling to their volunteer tasks and being driven by their 17-year-old stepsister, Lisa Carr, a Lakeland High School senior.
Parker is a neighbor, and that is how the after-school tutoring started.
``We used to rollerblade here and visit him after school, and we talked about how we got good grades,'' Courtney said. ``He asked us if we'd like to tutor. He told us a lot of things about teaching.''
The triplets have been especially effective in working with children who need help with reading.
``When my person started reading, she was slow at first - couldn't understand words,'' Courtney said. ``Now, she reads about as good as me.''
Each triplet refers to the child with whom she works as ``my person.''
Christina knew what she had to do to help her person. ``She tried to read fast and get it done. I told her to slow down. Now, she's reading fast but better.''
Candace said her person was, at first, ``hard to teach. Now, she's getting better.''
The one-on-one tutoring began in December in an interesting way.
``There were the three kids, and each one walked to one of us, the one they wanted,'' Candace said.
The girls, in helping other children, also are helping themselves.
``They really enjoy it, and they seem more motivated,'' said their mother, Beth Carr, who works with the Suffolk Department of Utilities. Her husband, Paul, works with Virginia Power. The family attends Bethlehem Christian Church.
In addition to the tutoring, which eventually might include some math, Parker said the girls also help by writing some of his lessons on the board. ``I love having them here,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
The Prevatte triplets, Courtney, left, Christina and Candace, tutor
fourth-graders after school at Kilby Shores Elementary School.
by CNB