Retiree turns tutoring kids in math into second career

Jim Lyons

In addition to having time to devote to travel, hobbies and spending time with family and friends, retirement can provide an opportunity to explore all kinds of fulfilling experiences. Jim Lyons retired October 31, 1999, after a career in graphic arts that spanned 40 years. When his daughter, Kathie Clifford, asked him for the third or fourth time, he agreed to try volunteering as a tutor at North School in Des Plaines where she is a fifth grade teacher.

In addition to volunteering himself, he is a one-man recruitment agency promoting the need for volunteers, and the benefits of helping others. He encouraged his friend, John Nowak, to join him as well as two friends, Bob Szumal and Al Leksander, from the Elks Club in Des Plaines who are also tutoring at North School. Also, he never misses an opportunity to encourage people who live in the same senior community as he does to get involved in volunteer work in their area.

"I work one-on-one or on a two-to-one basis with the students," Lyons said. "They are well-mannered, they pay attention, and I have developed a close relationship with them. In the beginning, when we lived in Des Plaines I volunteered two days a week and tutored the children in reading and math, but after we moved to Grayslake it is a 52 mile commute so had to cut-back to one day, so concentrate on helping the students that need help with math I get tremendous satisfaction from what I do, and know that I receive far more than I give. At the end of every school year my daughter and the children host a party for the volunteers and the children provide entertainment, serve refreshments, and each volunteer receives a special folder as a memento of the time they spent together. We try to keep it a secret that I am their teacher's father until the end of the year, but sometimes children who have had Mrs. Clifford as their teacher, leak our secret to their younger siblings."

The students that he has worked with have blossomed, and consistently show an improvement in their math grades because of the individual coaching and attention that they receive from Lyons. He has succeeded in making a difference in the lives of these students, and has helped them to grasp essential fundamental skills that will be invaluable to them as they continue their education.

He really missed his calling; he should have been a teacher, said his daughter, Kathie Clifford. The kids really love going with him, and he explains what they are doing, and how it relates to their everyday lives. He treats the students with respect, and in turn, they respect him. I am truly blessed to have my Dad and the other volunteers working in my classroom. He was my first math teacher, and now he has tutored three of his granddaughters.

Lyons and his wife, Chris, have been married 47 years, and they have three sons, three daughters, and 17 grandchildren. Currently, they live in Grayslake, but are former residents of Des Plaines. Lyons, a member of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, enjoys golf and art in his spare time, but he and Chris' primary focus is on their family and attending the grandchildren's many activities.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is part of a national movement to transform America through involvement of its citizens. For information on the types of volunteer opportunities available in your area, call RSVP at (847) 228-1006 (ages 55 of age or better); The Volunteer Center (847) 228-1320 (all ages, including students, corporations and groups) or visit their website: www.volunteerinfo.net.