NATCHEZ &045;&045; Longer school days are something most children try to avoid, but 82 students at Frazier Primary don’t seem to know that the extra hour in the classroom is work, to them it is just fun.

The students are part of the extended day tutoring program that meets every Tuesday and Thursday for about an hour. Teachers work with the students on weak areas, mainly math and reading.

&uot;I like it. We played,&uot; kindergartner Antoya Green said. &uot;We learned and we were learning how to learn our numbers. I had fun.&uot;

The extended day isn’t new to Frazier, but this year’s funding is, Principal Lorraine Franklin said.

A $9,000 grant, split with Robert Lewis Middle School, from the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi funds two of the after school teachers and other expenses.

Four other Frazier tutors are paid through Title I funding.

As part of the grant the teachers must spend 30 minutes once a month teaching the students about the dangers of tobacco and doing work from the Reject All Tobacco program.

The rest of the time is spent on benchmark skills.

&uot;Basically we are trying to teach the kids how to study,&uot; Franklin said. &uot;The importance of getting what you need early.&uot;

Franklin said tutors encourage the children to go home and develop a homework routine, ending with having their parents check their homework before playtime.

The students in the program were chosen based on teacher recommendation and parent requests. They work with teachers who are not their regular classroom teacher and meet in a different room.

&uot;It’s flexible,&uot; Franklin said. &uot;A different teacher, different kids and hands-on-learning.&uot;

Materials provided through the grant are used to teach students fundamental skills. The lesson in Green’s kindergarten class Tuesday was on patterns. Students used colored bear figurines to make two color patterns.

The teachers who stick around for tutoring receive an additional paycheck and a whole new set of faces to learn. Franklin said the six teachers tutoring this year were the ones always willing to go the extra mile.

&uot;It’s something I wanted to do to help the children in any way I could,&uot; Tutor Lisa Johnson said. &uot;It makes you feel good when you go over something in tutoring and their classroom teacher comes up and says something. You see improvement.&uot;

The extended day program will run through April.

The portion of the grant money given to RLMS is being used for similar tutoring programs. Principal Bettye Bell said the students have the chance to come to before or after school tutoring.

Three teachers also work with the students on Allies performances, the middle school tobacco and drug prevention program.