It’s pretty humbling to watch them every day, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it. But in that context, our tutors are doing some pretty remarkable work giving kids some daily stability and the boost they need to succeed in school. Some of our students have very unstable lives. I know that every one of our tutors has similar stories to tell: the student they advocate for the student they connect with the student who might be lost if not for the patient guidance and support they get from their tutor every day. I don’t have any doubts at all about where she would be right now if it weren’t for Kelsey. She’s kicking her pink shoes against her chair leg while she’s reading, and the flashing lights on her shoes are blinking nonstop while she sounds out each word on the page.Īnd I just saw her trying to read the words on her carton of milk.Īnd she really wanted me to see all of the stickers she has collected in her sticker book. (There is a pink one that is her favorite.)Īnd in September she didn’t know a single letter. ![]() It’s hard to see the challenges this student is trying to overcome because right now she’s just a happy little kid who is just starting to sound out words for the first time. Kelsey has 100% of her attention focused on learning to read. She has a nasty cough and a runny nose, but she’s here and she’s working. Today the child was late again, so she is eating breakfast and working with Kelsey at the same time. She lives at the extreme edge of instability, but Kelsey is an adamant advocate for this child. A few months ago, she didn’t know any letters at all, and she wasn’t coming to school enough to make much progress. But Kelsey really wanted to keep her in the program. She has disappeared for days on end, and rarely comes to school on time. If 12% of our students have already experienced a mid-year school transition, it will probably be over 20% by the end of the year.Īs I write this, I’m watching one of our tutors, Kelsey, work with a little girl who has been homeless all year. I have found that it is probably a higher rate. In past years, I was estimating that about 15% of our students were changing schools during the school year, and another 10% were changing schools over the summer. A few of them had already changed schools twice. From September through December, 12% of the K-2 students in our schools have either newly enrolled or withdrawn. New friends, new routines, new teacher, new curriculum…it takes a young child a few months to adjust. I’ve seen evidence that changing schools corresponds to about three months of lost progress on assessments. There is quite a bit of research that indicates that one of the most important elements of child development is stability - both in housing and education.Īll things being equal, students who attend the same school consistently are much more successful than students who change schools often. In this blog, Sebastian talks about a lesser-known challenge, a determined tutor, and an inspiring student.īy Sebastian Wren, Literacy First Senior Program Coordinator Over his years of working in elementary education, he has seen firsthand the persistent challenges faced by students in high-poverty schools. The online coaching will make a huge difference for our most at-risk youth and those struggling with creative writing.Sebastian is one of Literacy First’s five extraordinary tutor supervisors. iWriter is a platform that connects freelance writers with clients that need content written for their website or other medium. ![]() We’ll invest your donation in our new, online learning management system for individual students and classrooms. ![]() ![]() The COVID learning loss is real, and we’re doing everything we can to keep students engaged and excited about writing and sharing their work, but we need your help. We’re finding that our online writing center is more important than ever and students, teachers, and parents are relying on iWRITE’s lessons and activities. In the meantime, we’d like to tell you what we’re up to and how you can help.Ĭanceling Bubbles and Bingo doesn’t mean iWRITE’s mission doesn’t need support! In fact, we will immediately face a $25,000 budget deficit. Therefore, we made the tough decision to yet again cancel this year’s Bubbles and Bingo Luncheon. We were too! The problem is, COVID-19 is still throwing a wrench into our plans.Īfter surveying past attendees and sponsors in January, we have found that most are simply not comfortable with in-person events just yet, and we completely respect that. We know that you were excited about finally getting back to Bubbles and Bingo this April.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |