College tutors bring America
Reads program to life
Developing
literacy skills is difficult enough without trying to be proficient
in two languages, but a growing number of American schools are seeing
young students who face just such a challenge. America Reads is a national
program that calls on all Americans to help ensure that every American
child can read well and independently by the end of third grade. It
is a child-focused program that works in-school to provide children
with tutors and other assistance in developing and refining literacy
skills.
In
the Twin Cities, America Reads volunteer tutors come from eight universities
to work with St. Paul and Minneapolis students in grades K-4, developing
pre-reading skills, reading and writing skills and other non-literacy
goals. The program also operates throughout greater Minnesota, using
volunteers from outstate colleges.
Julie
Barkley, a University of Minnesota freshman from Eden Prairie, spends
two afternoons a week at Jackson Elementary School in St. Paul, reading
with first-and second-graders and assisting teachers. Most of the time,
she listens to the students read from their texts or from a library
book of their choice.
Barkley
was initially surprised to see that almost all of her students came
from non-English speaking homes, primarily Hmong (America Reads specifically
targets non-English speaking students, including Somali, Hispanic and
Vietnamese). Because of the scarce English they have heard growing up,
"a lot of the kids struggle with the little things (in English),"
Barkley said. "Many of them don't get a lot of time working with
their parents, and some donĚt get to read at home," so the program
"really makes a difference," she observed.
To
encourage both students and their families, Jackson Elementary holds
a Family Reading Night each autumn. Parents, students and teachers gather
to talk about reading and the goals for the year. While children pick
out a free book to take home, teachers hold workshops for parents, sharing
tips, such as asking children about what they've just read, and stopping
before the end to let the child finish a book on her own.
It
all makes a difference, according to Barkley. While there isn't a big
change in the first few weeks, most of the children she's tutored show
improvement in both their reading skills and their interest before the
first quarter of the school year is over, and that is encouraging, too.
"The
teachers really care, and I see how badly these students want to learn
to read. And not just read, but to be encouraged, because if they aren't
encouraged they aren't going to learn," Barkley said.
