By Madison Hess, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor I wish I would have known that Thursday that I would potentially never see you again. It is true I have taken for granted the smiles, the laughs, and the passion in your eyes. Eleven students who have found a place in my heart, are going through the […]
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Blog
Zooming into a New Role
By Brittany Barcliff, 2018-2019, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor As all of Literacy First knows, life has been different lately. Our 7:30 a.m. morning rituals with our team of tutors have shifted to quiet home-bound Zoom meetings. The boisterous noise of students, each working their way through a new story or skill has hushed to the […]
Read MoreMourning the Meaning
By Rachel Clink, 2018-2020 Literacy First Tutor When I went to work on March 12th, I had no idea that it would be my last day at Ortega Elementary. I knew it would be my last day at work before spring break as I had the next day off to spend with family. That last […]
Read MoreWhat National Service Means to Me
By Josi Carder, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor AmeriCorps has forever shifted my perception on work. In high school and college, you learn that the virtues of the workforce inculcate a sense that hard work is to be a direct exchange of monetary value. We work so that we can make enough money to live a […]
Read MoreThe Last Day
By Lauren, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor At the time, I was completely unaware that Thursday, March 12th would be my last day of tutoring. As far as I knew, it was a normal weekday. I do not remember much of the school day, but I do remember choosing a t-shirt to wear to field day […]
Read MoreSlow and Steady
By Diana Cabrera, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor At the beginning of the school year, I began working with a first grader named Arielle. She knew her letter sounds and could blend them into syllables, for the most part, but when it came to reading, she would switch all sorts of letters and vowels, sometimes even […]
Read More11 a.m. on a Wednesday
By McKenna May, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday and I’m sitting at home, on my couch, trying to type with a dog on my lap. This doesn’t seem like a bad place to be. I love my dog and this couch is very comfy. If this were a weekend or […]
Read MoreGrow as You Go
By Diana Cabrera, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor Becoming a Literacy First tutor has been one of the most spontaneous events in my life. While I theoretically enjoyed working with children, I never imagined myself at a desk working on reading fluency with a young student. It was one of the best decisions I have ever […]
Read MoreMy First Student
By Bailey Barfield, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor As I get acclimated to this new normal of sheltering in place, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my service year up to this point. On the Monday when we all should have been returning to school after spring break, I found myself thinking […]
Read MoreCracking the Code
By Illan Kunik, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor During Literacy First’s pre-service training for tutors, I remember hearing incredible stories from past tutors and Supervisors about students who, as they described it, “broke the code before their eyes.” What they meant by this is that all of a sudden, whether it be during a lesson or […]
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