Michigan's AmeriCorps Member Council - Posting #26

Hello everyone, it’s Colette again with readetroit! I had a great time in Flint serving at the 2009 Russ Mawby Signature Service Project. Our team was wonderful and we got things done at Memorial Park. Jim (aka “The Master Gardener”) was our volunteer site leader and was fantastic as he lead us through a horticultural experience of rotor tilling and planting trees, flowers, and shrubs. I even gained tips on how to be become a better gardener. It was nice the community came out to help as well, cheering us on for our efforts. It was truly an experience I will never forget. I am constantly learning there is value in everything and everyone!

It is hard to believe I have been an AmeriCorps member for almost eight months and I am nearing the end of my service. I would like to reflect on my experience at Heilmann Park Elementary School in Detroit. I have enjoyed serving under the direction of a great administration and a special thanks goes to Ms. Yvette Little for welcoming the Communities In Schools tutors into Heilmann Park Elementary. I have had the pleasure of serving the students in a tutor/mentor capacity, as well as implementing the Book Club: You Read 2 Me, I’ll Read 2 You, which could not have been a success without the help of my fellow AmeriCorps members Gwendolyn Howard, Ericka Jones, and Regina Thompson.

In this blog posting I would like to focus on one of my students, Alexis, whom I have had the pleasure of tutoring. I started helping her in the early part of January 2009. Alexis came to me as a shy girl, as I could barely hear her talking and she read in a low, unconfident voice. I made a practice of asking the children how they were feeling each day. If they were returning to school from the weekend, I would always ask how their weekend was or if they did anything exciting. I could never really get much of an answer from Alexis, except a few one liners and a nice smile.

Alexis was struggling with spelling and reading. Her teacher, Mrs. Blair, allowed me to administer her pre-spelling test and the actual spelling test on Fridays. Alexis went from 10 words to 20 words in no time. Each week I could see her confidence growing, and she also began to ask and answer questions.

I also asked the children to stand and walk as they were reading. I believe this gives them the confidence, as well as developing their reading and public speaking skills, by having them stand and read in front of their peers. Alexis did not feel comfortable at all doing this. But it was also my way of making the children read loud and with clarity.

I watched Alexis bloom like a flower does in the springtime. It has been truly wonderful watching her transform into an excited and confident learner. Alexis’s teacher asked me how the tutoring sessions were going. I informed her there were several students I was proud of and I noticed a change in their attitudes towards learning. Alexis was one of those students. When her teacher informed me she had reached Super Star status, I was thrilled! I couldn’t think of anyone that deserved to be a Super Star more than Alexis. The requirements to achieve Super Star status at Heilmann Park Elementary School are as follows: academic achievement, perfect attendance, and outstanding citizenship.

Congratulations, Alexis! I am honored to have been your tutor for a short time. I’m sure you will continue to get things done as you continue on to Middle School!