It was such a treat this summer to meet with my virtual tutoring student in real life at Camp CMS at Oakhurst STEAM Academy. Bolting out of her class, her genuine look of surprise and happiness to see me there at school was priceless.
It was our conversation at our last summer tutoring session that made me realize I was doing more than just helping her with reading.
We were sitting at a metal picnic table in the grassy common area outside when we neared the end of our lesson and I set out several book titles. She selected a non-fiction book about space. As I started to read about the solar system we turned to a photo illustration of an astronaut. We both marveled at how cool that looked and then she declared, “I’d like to be an astronaut. Do YOU think I could be an astronaut?” I beamed a big smile beneath my mask, and quickly assured her that, “Yes, I do think you could be an astronaut!”
At that moment I knew I wasn’t just in a courtyard helping identify sounds but I was there to encourage the loftiest of goals: seriously, what’s cooler sounding than a trip to outer space? I was thrilled that a picture in a book and a stellar idea of adventure was motivation for a future career for a rising second-grader! It was motivating for me to start thinking of ways I could add planets and rockets to future lessons, and pondering how to connect my student with Charlotte’s own retired astronaut Joan Higginbotham.
I am excited for my new mission: help my student not only learn reading, but aspire to literally reach the stars, and beyond.
-Margo Posnanski
ALP Tutor & Learning and Development Designer
There are more young, aspiring future astronauts in CLT that need an ALP tutor to get on track for literacy success!
Click here to learn about becoming an ALP tutor.