For my community involvement project, I volunteered at Memminger Elementary School for a program called “Reading Partners.” The program focuses on helping children build strong literacy skills to carry with them into their academic careers. It requires the tutor to read to the student that has been assigned and in turn the student reads to the tutor. The program assists in teaching the students valuable reading skills. Being able to read is critical to a child’s educational success. The program works with more than 100 schools within seven states. The program is geared toward students of low-income families. The statistics for children’s literacy in the United States are astonishing. “In 2011, just thirty-four percent of the nation’s fourth graders in public school could read proficiently” (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The program itself has had exponential success. Principals and teacher have reported that “Reading Partners” has helped increase students’ reading levels. During my time at the program I accumulated twelve volunteer hours. When I found out that I had to do seven hours of volunteer work I immediately knew that I wanted it to involve children. I attended the volunteer fair that was held earlier in the semester and signed up for programs such as Louie’s Kids and Wings for Kids. Unfortunately I could not volunteer for either of these programs because they were not in walking distance of the college and I did not have transportation. A couple weeks after that I saw a flyer advertising for “Reading Partners.” I attended an informational event that they held and signed up to volunteer at Memminger Elementary, which is about two blocks from the college. At the end of September I was assigned to a fo... ... middle of paper ... ...ing so small, it does make me realize how hard it is to make people aware of the problems in our communities. It is a challenge to get people involved because people always want to know what is in it for them. Children need to be read to, sung to, and played with all the time. Parents should be their child’s first teacher and provider. The earlier this starts, the closer that child is to receiving a diploma. I am grateful for the opportunity to have volunteered at the elementary school. It opened my eyes to a few of the problems in our communities. I was able to make others aware of those problems through volunteering and being proactive. I am going to continue with the program for as long as I am able to do so. If only we had millions of these programs across the globe, many other children would be able to benefit and develop the skills to succeed educationally.
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Show More...e school, such as; Pelotonia, Light the Night for leukemia and lymphoma, Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, etc… For many of these organizations I have volunteered more than once. Volunteering at Light the Night has a story. For my 16th Birthday party, I wanted to have my friends and I volunteer in the day while having fun at night. So I had 7 boys and girls, along with me, volunteer for Light the Night, organized by me. The party was a huge success and a lot of fun. I look forward to organizing more volunteer opportunities for my friends and I.
“A nation that does not read much does not know much. And a nation that does not know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect the entire nation...the literate and illiterate.” This quote by Jim Trelease accurately describes the state of our society today. The ability to read is so vital to our past, present, and future. However, though we have raised our standards, demanded higher test scores, and increased the pressure on our educators, there is little to show for it. Jim Trelease shares the statistic in his book, The Read-Aloud Handbook, that despite our desperate efforts, there has only been a one-point improvement in reading scores between
Gomez, L. M., & Gomez, K. (2007). Reading for learning: Literacy supports for 21st-century work. Phi
The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 32 million adults cannot read. In New York City 25 percent of adults lack basic literacy skills, the number is even higher in some of the surrounding boroughs. When parents are illiterate it has a negative impact on quality of life, puts stress on the children they rely on for communication and inhibits the child’s educational success. Higher education correlates with greater income, better health, the improbability of committing crimes, likelihood to vote and contributes to the success of future generations. The majority of Literacy Partner’s parents improved a grade level or more during the 2014-2015 program year. Of Literacy Partners students taking the GED, seventy-six percent
With the help of the Me To We team at Queen Street Public School, I volunteered at a local food bank. The experience was quite educational and fascinating. We encouraged staff and students to donate non-perishable food items for the "We Scare Hunger" campaign. This was definitely a highlight of my grade five year because I felt very humble and warm-hearted by doing a simple act of kindness. In addition, I was chosen to participate in the "Intergenerational" program. This was created so that grade five students can learn more from the elders of the Burton Manor senior home. We had the privilege to learn about their history and interact with them through several educational and fun activities. If accepted, I will indeed join several clubs and teams to contribute my time and talents to make the school an exciting learning
At least 40 million American adults need stronger literacy skills to take advantage of more lifelong learning opportunities (Knowles 12). Low literacy limits life chances, regardless of how it is defined or measured. According to The Random House Dictionary literacy is defined as “the quality or state of being literate, esp. the ability to read and write.” Another breakdown of the word, from the same source is “possession of education.” Basic skills and literacy abilities are widely viewed as necessities for lifelong learning and the development of success among individuals, families, communities, and even nations. Better knowledge about literacy is an essential condition for improving it. Helping children improve their literacy skills can help them develop the capacity for lifelong learning, keep pace with changing educational expectations and rapid technological change, and achieve their life goals. Today in society there are many adults with poor literacy skills who lack the foundation they need to find and keep decent jobs, to support their children’s education and help them mold a literate future. I have taken one small step towards this problem by tutoring at two schools. The more time people put towards helping the youth of America is the more literate our population can become. Every small action can help, even if it is just tutoring at local middle and junior high schools.
Literacy programs should be an integral component of every community. Not only do these programs serve adults and foreigners, but they also serve those that live with the problems of poverty throughout their daily lives. In 2000-2001, 15.7% of students missed 21 or more days during the school year. Students who miss many days of school because of illnesses beyond their control often fall behind in their studies. Many literacy programs help these students excel in what otherwise would have been a deficiency in their learning.
In the study performed by Cairney and Munsie, Parent participation in literacy learning, the relationship between parents, teachers, and the community was explored in regard to their children’s literacy development. Researchers believe that parental involvement has become a term that means different things to different people, and makes expectations between parents and teachers difficult to maintain. Cairney and Munsie believe that by using the Talk to a Literacy Learner program (TTALL) they can break down the barriers between home and school “to enable both teachers and parents to understand the way each defines, values, and uses literacy as part of cultural practices.” (Cairney & Munsie, 1995) The authors of this study aim to bring parents to a place where they are more intimately involved in the literacy development of their children, and establish a stronger relationship with the schools. Through this they wish to change the nature of interactions adults have with their children as they’re learning to read and write, introduce parents to new literacy practices related to schooling, and increase involvement within the community.
These theories, methods, assessments along with the evidence of success in reading at home make it clear that it is extremely important we try our hardest to support literacy in every child. All students can learn. It’s just a matter of making materials interesting and relevant to them, challenging them (but not to hard), and supporting them along the way.
I went out to collect cans for the food shelter, I helped out at the bowling special olympics, and in December I volunteered to help set up a 5k races Autism, and the thing I took out of my volunteering experiences so far is that everyone has a story and to take the time to listen to others and connect with the world around you. In my experiences you can learn more serving people for an hour than you can learn in a week of classes. My only regret in my freshman year of college is that I didn’t figure out this sooner than I did.
I started volunteering at the food bank and the soup kitchen in grade 9, with a nudge from my friend. During my time as a volunteer, I would ask for donations and collect any non-perishable food items. Later I would go to the Soup Kitchen, to help cook some of these items and serve them to those in need. My volunteering experience allowed me to experience the environment and face situations that I otherwise would not. It opened my eyes to the harsh reality and lifestyle that many individuals in our society face today. My time at the food bank and Soup Kitchen helped me understand the importance of giving, ...
Although there are many programs in place with missions that include an aim to raise the rate of literacy in America, the number of effective programs is relatively slim. There are various challenges to educational and literacy development. In low-income communities the most prevalent obstacles to combating illiteracy are “the negative image on part of the educated and gainfully employed towards low-income communities” (Wadden & Fagan, n.d.). This creates a lack of understanding of the community which stems from baggage from school experiences, limited funds, single parent responsibilities, and a lack of identity with the more privileged community.
It is a “reading world” we live in and students should be guaranteed every opportunity to succeed in this information driven society. Children today are overwhelmed with more reading material than ever before on billboard, television, the Internet and at school, causing reading to become a relevant and essential need in the life of every child (Lumpkin 1972). Being able to read has become the core of our information driven society. Yet, reading difficulties continue to plague the foundation of our education system creating a problem that only seems to be escalating. Hasselbring affirms that reading difficulties are a serious concern to our nation’s students claiming that, “as many as 20 percent of 17 year olds... [are] functionally illiterate and 44 percent of all high school students…[are] described as semi-illiterate”(2004). This is a harsh reality to face – a reality that stems from difficulties developed at the elementary level where reading complications arise and usually go unchecked. These reading difficulties are carri...
Most administrators and educators, if asked what is the area that needs the most improvement in schools today, would answer reading. Children seem to battle with reading at almost every grade level. As reported by Trelease (2006) students do not read very much. In one reported study, 90% of the students studied devoted only 1 percent of their free time to reading and 30% to watching television. Fifty percent of the students read for an average of four minutes or less per day, 30% read two minutes per day, and 10% read nothing at all (p. 1). These statistics only serve to worsen the fear of students low reading abilities. Educators have developed a myriad of programs to improve students’ comprehension, retention, and higher level thinking skills. These skills are especially important in the improvement of scores on the state mandated assessments.
How can literacy programs become less like school and more appealing to adults, especially to nonparticipants? Two areas that hold potential for answering this question are discussed here. The first is connected to program content and the second revolves around greater consideration of the differences among students.