Paul Troutman hunched over his U.S. history book Tuesday afternoon, quietly reading to himself. He also fired questions at two MSU students huddled around him.

Troutman, a freshman at East Lansing High School, scanned the pages until a phrase stumped him, causing his brow to furrow.

"What's wholesale?" he said, while pointing at a bolded word in his book.

"It's the price that stores can buy their products for," said Robyn Gross, an interdisciplinary social sciences and secondary education senior.

Troutman's eyes widened as he lifted his head from the book.

"So stores charge us more?" the 14-year-old said.

Gross smiled and nodded as Troutman continued to read until another word caused him to stumble.

Gross and three other MSU students served as temporary tutors Tuesday at the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbott Road.

Members of the Student Michigan Education Association offer homework help for children in grades K-12 every Tuesday from 3-5 p.m.

This is the first year the 30-member association has offered the tutoring, and Gross said it intends to continue the help all school year. Roughly four to seven students participate each session.

"We were looking for a program that involves everybody," she said. "So you get some of the older kids and some of the younger kids. It suits everybody's needs whether they are going towards secondary or elementary education."

East Lansing librarian Julie Pierce helped organize the program with Gross.

"It gets the students involved, and it's not just a one-time affair," she said. "Plus, it's free for parents. I'm a parent myself, and I know how frustrating it is when you can't get the kids to do their homework. But sometimes someone else can."

Gross said they offer one-on-one help with any subject.

"It's a good opportunity for kids to come and do homework and get help if they need it or just come for two hours, sit and designate time management," she said.

For more information, call (517)351-2420.