Why is this partnership important to Project 658?
Augustine Literacy Project has been a crucial partner for Project 658’s After School as they provide the literacy curriculum for most of our students! Once our students graduate from the beginner level, they can move into the curriculum ALP provides. Their partnership provides a top literacy curriculum that works!
How has this partnership impacted Project 658’s ability to support the community?
Most of the community that Project 658 serves are refugee and immigrant families. For years, Project 658 has provided ESL classes for adults, but within the last few years the need for ESL tutoring for children has increased. 1 in 4 students in the public school system are an English Learner. As Project 658 looked to create an ESL program for elementary-aged students, ALP has been an important partner in providing this specific age group of EL’s a literacy curriculum that will work for them after they have learned the basic English alphabet and phonemes.
What benefits have you seen for students? What changes have you noticed in the students’ confidence or attitude toward reading since this partnership began?
Within the last year, I have seen our students, who are all within two years of coming to America, go from not knowing but a couple of letters in the English alphabet to being able to read early beginner books by three months of being in the ALP curriculum. I see these students go from not being confident at all to read to their tutors to reading a whole beginner book to them by the end of the year.
What feedback have you received from your volunteers about their experience as tutors?
My tutors have loved how easy it is to tutor a student in literacy using the ALP curriculum even when they may not have any background in teaching or working with ESL students. ALP makes it so easy by providing a script for each lesson and exactly what the tutor needs to have a successful tutor session.
What’s been your favorite “feel-good” moment from working with ALP?
I have always loved watching my students’ faces as they read a whole sentence for themselves or get a difficult word correct as they read the small story at the end of each lesson. I also LOVE it when tutors will bring their students up to me so that they can tell me what an amazing job their student did or show me their work that they did on that day. Both the smile of the tutor and student are worth the work. It then gives me a chance to tell that student how proud I am of them and the tutor how thankful I am for them.
Have any of your volunteers shared funny or touching stories about their time as tutors?
One day, one of our students was just not having it. She wanted nothing to do with being tutored that day. So, instead of “tutoring” her, her tutor had the idea for her to tutor her other student. So, C, a first grader, ended up tutoring J, a Kindergartener, with the help from their tutor. Both students loved the time, and C has never had a day like that again. Till this day, she talks about how she “tutored” one of her peers.
Have you seen any surprising or unexpected outcomes from the volunteers becoming literacy tutors?
One of our tutors was someone who signed up to become a tutor because she saw a need. She really wanted to volunteer as a childcare worker for our adult ESL program but was convinced to become an After School tutor. In the end, she ended up being one of my most valuable and consistent tutors in the program. Not only did the students learn from her, but I think she learned a lot from them, and she learned more about herself and grew in confidence in the process. I will forever be grateful for her willingness to step into uncertainty and a challenge!
What do you think makes our two organizations a great match?
Though the population of targeted students may differ from the typical ALP niche, I think both organizations have really worked hard to make the other work for each other. I have seen the benefits of using the ALP curriculum with our students even though they may be out of that niche. ALP has worked so well with us in being flexible with the community we serve. Project 658 then serves as a population of students in which ALP is learning how to meet the needs of. And they want to! Even within the last year, ALP has created a curriculum for the Emergent Reader because they saw the need of these certain students.
What do you think keeps the volunteers excited about tutoring each week?
The relationships that they build with their students. I have seen tutors and students so excited to be able to have the 1 on 1 time with their specific person. Most of our kids do not receive that undivided attention anywhere in their lives except for those 2 hours a week. I really think that time is so special for both student and tutor in just showing they care for that student and are there for them.
What’s the most rewarding part of seeing your volunteers become literacy tutors?
Watching them become confident in tutoring as they learn how their student learns. The first few weeks for every tutor are always a learning curve. Especially, learning the behaviors of their students. Every student is sooo different! But, at some point, every tutor learns how to meet the specific needs of their students because they have put time and effort into learning about them. I think the majority of my volunteers truly end up staying for as long as they do because they end up deeply caring for the students they are working with week after week. I am only 1 person and cannot form a relationship at that level with all my students, but if I had a volunteer for every student to be able to have those relationships then that would be the most rewarding.
How do you think your volunteers are impacted by tutoring?
I think they see how each student is more than an English Learner. They see how smart and hardworking each student is; especially after being in school for 8 hours before they come to us! For many tutors, tutoring becomes something they look forward to in their week because working with the students is so life-giving!
Do you have any advice for people interested in being ALP Tutors?
Just try it. Even if you are on the fence about it, just attend a training. I promise it is easier than you think and the reward of working even with 1 student a week is worth it. You won’t regret it.
Bella Miller
After School Literacy Program
Project 658