Helping a child discover the joy of reading
On Day One, I found myself matched by chance with a second-grade boy who sported a flaming red-orange mohawk. And I was the only tutor with blue and purple hair. That got his attention. I said “We must be the most colorful Reading Partners ever!”
The boy’s demeanor (his usual, it turned out) was of someone who’s consumed a whole pot of coffee. He nearly vibrated with mental and physical energy. He informed me early on that he hated reading. What he liked to do was stuff like dig. Digdigdig, he said, jumping up to illustrate the action. After a brief exchange about the deep hole in his backyard (his mother made him fill it in again) we got started with the Reading Partners tutoring material.
“I think you’ll change your mind about reading,” I told him. “No! Never!”
Here’s the video I made about the Reading partners program and why we don’t want it to end in our school:
Many conversations started by the reading topics spun off into the funniest things. We discussed lizards, pugs, crocodilian doctors, castle moats, skeletons, Diego Rivera’s murals, electrical blackouts, dead rats, and once an overly revealing photo of a monkey (“You can see his private parts!”) Although his mind bounced all over the place, I learned to keep steering him back to the lessons and the story. Every new word was accompanied by expressionistic drawings — not a part of the curriculum but I allowed it, amusing both of us.
On the last official day months later, we made bookmarks and filled out sheets making our goodbyes to each other. Asked to state how many books he’ll read over the summer, he wrote “40” (and his signature exclamation point: upside-down lollipop).
That’s a drawing of us — me prompting READ!! and OK and him waving a recent book about CRABS. (His mohawk had gotten buzzed). His bookmark to me said “You are KiND” and “CooL.”
Last week at the End-of-Year Party for all 40 kids, this boy suddenly jumped up to give me the hardest, longest hug. And he’s not a clingy kinda kid.
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I have no children and I’m not a motherly type person. Nor do I even like to babysit, nor do I have any teaching credentials.
But this is meaningful. It goes beyond measurable reading skills per dollar invested — what the Principal had to use to make his difficult budget decision. Many of these poor readers have sketchy family situations. Rapport with the tutors means a lot to them.
There were a lot of serious and forlorn little faces at end of the party, despite the treats and games. It was hard to say goodbye.
So that’s why I’m invested in this fundraiser.
www.gofundme.com/…
I’d love to hear your experiences.
