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Beulah Park's Reading Power room is bursting with energy!
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Daisy is excited and happy as she hops through the room. Wearing bright pink glasses and a lot of personality, she barely sits in the chair next to her tutor, Judy Peacy, as they work through the tutoring curriculum.
"What is this FAST word?" Judy asks.
"EVEN," says Daisy.
She writes it three times on a personal white board. "I can write nice," Daisy says.
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Daisy and her tutor, Zion resident Judy Peacy
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They read a book for the fourth time. All around them, the room is busy and a productive work hum fills the air. There are eight tutoring stations in operation simultaneously at Beulah Park, yet all students and tutors are focusing intently on their work.
As Daisy wiggles and rocks in her chair, Judy continues to move her efficiently through the lesson. They use strategies to decode the word
"snapping." During journal time, Daisy writes a sentence about the book she has just read.
Daisy's tutor, Judy Peacy, has lived just blocks from Beulah Park Elementary School in Zion for 48 years. She spent many years in the school with her own children, and is now there twice per week to tutor children for Reading Power.
"I've been tutoring for four years now," Judy says. "I love kids and reading with them, but I wasn't sure I was qualified because I only have a high school diploma. But as long as you have patience and can read, you can be a tutor."
Daisy struggles with a new word, "thought." Judy coaches her through it, explaining, "There are three tricky things in this word." And the conversation continues.
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Brandon and Tutor Angela Nilius
enjoy a laugh.
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At the next table over, Brandon twirls his braids in concentration. He and his tutor, Angela Nilius, discuss types of creatures that might enjoy going in a bathtub. Brandon writes, "The turtle walked to the bathtub" in his journal.
Like so many Reading Power tutors, Angela looks for ways to connect with her student. "Brandon does not like to be wrong and often gets frustrated," she explains. "He's also very artistic, so sometimes we write using colored pencils."
Angela began tutoring a year ago after retiring from Abbott as a Project Leader of Infectious Diseases. Encouraged by her mentor and Reading Power CEO Kathy McFarland, she volunteered to become a tutor and hasn't looked back.
"It becomes pretty obvious who has support at home and who doesn't," Angela says. "We only have these children for 35 minutes, but we can make a lot of progress in that time."
As the lesson winds down, Angela encourages Brandon as he reads new material for the first time.
"It's such a high when the lightbulb goes on for children; they're so transparent in that way," she says. "I just love tutoring because it is a tangible way to contribute, and is so much better than just writing a check." (Editor's note: checks are necessary too!)
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Prior to winter break, Reading Power staff and tutors hosted holiday parties in each of our Reading Power classrooms featuring special snacks, crafts, and activities for the children they have come to know so well.
