With all the conversation around education in Mississippi and the hard time state officials are having with Common Core, there are teachers and individuals in the community working tirelessly to make sure that the children are getting the education they need individually.

One of those people is Shayla Tate who when she’s not in front of a classroom is at the side of a child tutoring as part of her business as The Traveling Tutor.

“It really started when a friend referred me on Facebook,” Tate said. “Then the rest came from socializing.”

Tate who’s been a teacher for nine years has been a tutor for three years while teaching at the vocational center in the McComb School District. Like most business people Tate saw a need and realized she had the resources to supply a solution. She said with her expertise she wanted to help the African-American community. She now tutors clients in the Lincoln and Pike county areas.

“Kids can learn better one-on-one,” Tate said. “That one hour a week can make a huge difference.”

Tate said tutoring allows her to be able to give a child more attention, pinpoint their learning style, chronicle their learning style and incorporate their learning style in the way she teaches them information.

She said that whether in or outside the classroom a continued traditional approach to education is no longer the best way.

“They’ve been exposed to computers,” Tate said explaining how flashing and passing images contribute to a more widespread changing learning style among the children she teaches and tutors.

“They’re more hands-on. If you don’t give them that opportunity, they don’t learn what they could have learned if they were more actively engaged,” Tate said.

Lasheena Taylor has a son in fourth grade who was having initial troubles with the math curriculum of Common Core when she contacted The Traveling Tutor.

“She actually took out the time and showed him new ways,” Taylor said. “I would recommend her to anyone as long as she keeps coming here.”

Taylor said her son passed his nine-weeks tests with which she credits Tate’s work and involvement.

During one of her tutoring sessions Tate said she and her students cover homework, which she lets them work on independently.

“I’ve learned to let the students do as much as they want to do,” Tate said. “They can do what we think they can’t do.”

From there, Tate then swoops in to fill in any gaps in understanding the children may have by finding visual supplements to connect the student with what their learning.

She said she believes in the sentiment that the more senses you incorporate into learning the more it’ll stick with you.

Tate received her undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in education from William Carey University. She said she’s working toward her dream to be National Board Certified. The Traveling Tutor can be contacted by phone, at 601-324-1084, by email: shayladtate@gmail.com and on Facebook.