Actually, I can’t think of a time when I didn’t enjoy my hours at VU homework assistance, but two things last night brought especially big smiles to my face. One of our students who came to us when school started very unprepared to learn at the first grade level has captured our hearts with her sweet personality. We have all become invested in her success but were often at a loss about how to help her. So we all stayed patient and adjusted to her needs. Fortunately, she has come regularly, so between us and school, there’s been a cumulative effect. Last night, I noted some real progress in her reading; it seems things have started to click. There’s a long way to go, but her smile when she made the connections between like, bike, and Mike and many more words in her Dr. Seuss book indicates that she is on her way.
The second joyful moment actually made me chuckle to myself. I overheard another young lady who started last year as a reluctant and hesistant reader, zipping right along through a more than age-appropriate book. She was truly enjoying herself, and it was wondeful to see her progress, but I was particularly tickled to hear the vestiges of myself and the other volunteers who have read to her as she used emphasis and inflection and even did some voices for the characters.
We have such a privilege in working with these young people.