Autumn is the season for apples, pumpkins and – report cards.
For some, those first grades are an early indication a child is struggling in school. That makes fall a busy time at Tutoring Club at 2423 Colony Crossing Place.
Tommy Threewitts, owner/director of Midlothian’s and Glen Allen’s Tutoring Club franchises, says October is when he hears from parents about NTIs – not-turned-in assignments. That’s a problem addressed by the Student Success Program, a mix of supervised study halls, academic support, and individualized tutoring.
As part of the program, Tutoring Club staff monitor the student’s school portal to hold the child accountable for assignments. “We take it out of the hands of the parents,” says Tommy. “It works very well.”
As skills gaps are identified, students can be assigned a tutor and a tested curricula. “Every single one of our kids is on an individualized curriculum,” Tommy says.
Tutors are generally retired teachers and teachers tutoring as a side gig. Swift Creek Elementary’s Emily Spangler works with one to three students at a time. “The Tutoring Club curriculum is fantastic,” she says. “It makes sure kids are getting all their skills. And Tommy really works hard to find the right tutor for each child.”
Monacan High senior Christian McCrea is being tutored in writing. "My grades in English have increased thanks to Tutoring Club," Christian says. "I have nothing but good things to say about the tutors. They're kind and friendly, let you talk about your day, and keep you focused on the lesson."
Karishma Patel put her 11-year-old twins, now in Chesterfield’s gifted program, into Tutoring Club two years ago. Both are now in 6th grade doing 7th and 8th grade math, and she can “see the difference” in their writing. “They’re focusing on basics,” she says. “The idea is to give them one-on-one attention that's hard to get in the classroom, and to correct their mistakes."
Older students may be tutored by university students, who have recent experience with upper-level math, college writing requirements, and SAT prep, and who have good rapport with teenagers, Tommy says.
Tommy acquired the Glen Allen Tutoring Club in 2016 and opened in Midlothian in 2020 after 30 years in sales. “I wanted something that would focus on community,” he says. “I didn’t want to sell another widget.”
He found his fit in Tutoring Club, whose prevailing approach is “do right by the kids.” During COVID, Tutoring Clubs closed briefly and reopened with an online portal. “Tutoring Club got this up and running in a matter of weeks – it astonished me,” says Tommy, a graduate of Virginia Tech.
On weekends, Tommy relaxes on his family’s 600-acre cotton and soybean farm in Surry County, where he was raised by a schoolteacher mother who emphasized education. “She was always getting educated more,” says Tommy. “We’d sit on opposite ends of the dining room table and get our work done.”
He enjoys cutting timber, “bush-hogging” (mowing with a tractor), and maintaining an array of gardens including an herb bed, a water garden and a pollinator patch, which attracts three dozen hummingbirds. “To me, this is relaxing,” he says.
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