Stoughton Area School District students now have a new educational resource that is set to change the way many think of schooling: Eyes of Hope tutoring. This program began in the winter of 2024 and offers students in grades K-12 free one-on-one tutoring with a qualified tutor. The program has no cap on the number of accepted students, and tutors are qualified to aid students in various subjects.
Holly Tellander, the program coordinator for Eyes of Hope tutoring, has been a teacher for the past 20 years. Tellander is also the owner of Avant Academics, an independent tutoring business.
“We really launched [Eyes of] Hope Tutors last year. We started meeting at the Methodist Church across the street from the high school, and it was a drop-in on Tuesday nights. Our mission is, and has been from the beginning, offering a free tutor for any student who wants one,” Tellander said.
The program currently holds 25 active students and 17 community member tutors, a big contrast to the four tutors at its launch. Still, Tellander is excited about the potential for further growth for Hope Tutoring and plans to extend the program to high school students in the near future.
“The vision for Hope Tutors, even though currently we only have adults as our tutors right now, [is] to encourage high schoolers who might be interested in getting volunteer hours or… who wanna actually build community and do something where they live,” Tellander said. “We would love to recruit more high school tutors, but also make sure that we have tutors available for any subject.”
For those still having trepidations about being matched with a tutor, it’s important to note that all tutors undergo extensive training from Tellander herself, who offers advice on engaging various topics, working with different age groups, and answering any questions students may have. Students can rest assured that any tutor they are matched with is fully qualified to teach a subject.
“Some of the people who reach out for elementary tutoring [are being paired] with people who maybe don’t have as much of an academic background, somebody who just wants to read with little kids, or somebody who would like to help them with their math homework. The adults that we have doing our high school tutoring are either current or retired engineers or have done that higher level of math. One of the values of Hope Tutors is that we are not saying that we’re experts…the most important thing that any tutor can do with a student is just model what a well-regulated nervous system does in the face of something,” Tellander explained.
Ken Chritton is a 12-year retired Design Engineer holding degrees in both mechanical engineering and law. Chritton has been a tutor for 19 months and currently works with nine students.
“I have always had an interest in becoming a tutor since I retired, and I tried doing it kind of on my own but kind of halfheartedly. [Hope Tutors] set up shop at the United Methodist Church, and I just happened to see the signs. There was about a three-hour training session with Holly, basically learning what resources were available and the fundamentals of teaching individuals. My learning has just come from life, teaching my own kids, teaching others,” Chritton said.
The program primarily focuses on and takes in students for math-related subjects, ranging from elementary math to Algebra II. Still, tutors are happy to teach a variety of subjects based on a student’s needs.
“I teach math because that’s where the biggest need is, but I teach everything from third grade so far up to Algebra II…I have a passion for math, but I also have a passion for social studies and government and science, pretty much everything,” Chritton explained.
Hope Tutoring is dedicated to spreading its presence across the community and providing a vital resource for helping students change the way they approach school and learning.
“We just continue to spread this idea that helping each other learn is one of the most positive and powerful things we can do to change the world, and that each and every one of us has some strength or some gift that if we can share it with somebody else,” Tellander said.
It’s clear that the individuals involved in the tutoring program have no shortage of passion for helping others.
“That’s really what this is all about, helping the individuals, but also creating this culture of support and learning in a non-threatening… in a non-judgmental way. I want to do something that matters,” Chritton said.

Students are free to email hope.tutors.stoughton@gmail.com with any questions.