- November 23, 2024
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For Mita Tomerlin, developing a love for learning in children is a life goal.
“I really enjoy seeing kids achieve more than what they thought was possible,” she said. “To pass learning on is the greatest joy I’ve ever known.”
Tomerlin opened Kumon of Palm Coast, a branch of the international learning enrichment program, in 2010.
Although she first discovered her love for teaching while instructing lower-level math classes as a graduate student at the University of Florida, Tomerlin, who double-majored in computer science and mathematics, first pursued her original goal of becoming a software engineer. She worked for Motorola for seven-and-a-half years before switching to teaching.
Now, as the owner of the Palm Coast branch of Kumon, Tomerlin instructs children from a highly structured curriculum each day — a curriculum that raised 33% of her students above their grade levels.
But that’s not enough for Tomerlin. She hosts an annual community book drive to make reading accessible to children who wouldn’t have books otherwise. This year, she’s donating to Family Promise of Flagler, a nonprofit organization that provides families with transitional housing, and, if Kumon collects enough books, to the Flagler County Education Foundation.
“Children need to have access to books in order to develop a love for learning,” Tomerlin said. “For me, their education is a top priority.”
The drive started last week and runs until Nov. 15. Books can be donated at the Kumon center, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite 206. Call 597-2855
Although Kumon offers educational services at a cost, the center is focused on the community, Tomerlin said, because the need for early learning is important regardless of whether a child can pay or not.
Two-thirds of children who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up either on welfare or jail, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
That’s why it’s important to Tomerlin that the children of Flagler County not only learn to read, but also develop a love for reading that compels them to learn outside the classroom.
To help facilitate that, she and her chief assistant, Victoria Mathis, started a book club that’s held at Kumon but open to the public at no cost. That way, even children whose parents can't afford to enroll them in enrichment courses can still access some of the center's resources.
The club meets from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Friday of every month. At its Oct. 18 meeting, the club will discussing a series of four books by Carl Hiaasen, starting with the Florida author’s debut novel, "Hoot."
The meeting will include discussion and activities. The point, Tomerlin said, is to make reading seem less like a chore for kids. Children who wish to attend just need to read the book before the meeting. In succeeding meetings, the club will read Hiaasen’s other three novels.
“Wherever we are, we try to reach out for the community,” Tomerlin said. “It’s not always about money. Doing this costs us nothing. It’s really just our time we’re giving.”
