Ashley Robinson remembers the day she returned to her volunteer tutoring after winter break. The little girl she had been working with rushed toward her and wrapped her arms around her, telling her how much she missed her. She was excited to read with Robinson and was proud that she hadn't forgotten how to read over break.
"She is the sweetest little girl," Robinson said. "She'd give me a hug everyday."
Robinson, a nursing major at Southeast Missouri State University, is one of the students who volunteers to tutor children in one of the five elementary schools around Cape Girardeau through the Read to Succeed program. She works with her student four days a week, Monday through Thursday.
"It's so rewarding for me as a tutor because you get to see them struggle at the beginning but progress, and soon they're flying through the books and can't wait to get their next certification," Robinson said.
The tutors reward the children when they complete a set, or level, of reading books.
"We give them a certificate, a bookmark and a pencil so they can be proud of their achievement," Robinson said. "And we announce it to all the kids in the room where we're tutoring, and they all clap for them so they can feel proud of themselves for accomplishing a set."
Each session is usually 30 minutes long. The children read through sets of books, with each set having about 30 books. The tutors read through each book twice with their children to ensure that the children are learning to read and understand.
The "looking back" section is a series of questions that appears at the end of some books. The "looking back" section tests children's knowledge of what they just read, and the children read to another tutor or coordinator to make sure the children aren't cheating and are learning to read. The "coming attraction" section gives children a chance to see some words or sounds they will learn in the next book or set.
The sets get more challenging as the children progress.
The children get to play games after they complete a book, such as tic-tac-toe, where they have to spell out words. The tutors also play games like Hangman with the children.
"Some of the kids love reading. They like to hurry up and get through the books because of the games," said Danielle Means, a volunteer and junior pre-business major at Southeast. "Others are stubborn and don't want to read with you at first. The more you go, the more they open up."
Robinson got involved in Read to Succeed after a friend told her about the program. She was already involved in her church preschool choir in Jackson, Mo., and knew she wanted to participate since she already was interested in teaching kids.
"I like trying to have an impact on children's lives and trying to see them grow and learn more," Robinson said.
Read to Succeed started a couple years ago at two elementary schools, said Monique Johnson, the program director of Read to Succeed, which is a program through the United Way of Southeast Missouri.
Johnson said the program grew with a grant from Grace Women's Council and an Americorp grant.
"It expanded to all five schools this year," Johnson said.
Volunteers tutor at all five elementary schools in Cape Girardeau, which are Jefferson, Clippard, Alma Schrader, Blanchard and Franklin.
"It's a structured academic program," Johnson said. "There are eight sets of books. Set four or five is usually where we get to because we only work with kindergarten and first grade."
Johnson said she meets with interested candidates, who also have to go through a criminal abuse background before they can begin tutoring, which is required by the elementary schools. She looks for volunteers who will be able to commit for the whole semester, from January to April, at least once a week, but volunteers can tutor more.
Means got involved because her mother volunteers and told her about the program. After Means met with Johnson, she knew she had to get involved. Her favorite memory is of Toby, a little boy at Blanchard. Means said he had trouble pronouncing one certain word, and she worked with him every time they came across the word.
"I said, 'You know the word sound it out, you can do it.' I don't know how many sessions it took him, but he sounded it out, and not just that one time, but every time we came across that word," Means said. "The day he actually was able to read the word, he was just so happy his eyes lit up. He was so proud of himself, and you could tell how genuinely happy he was to sound out the word."
Students can get involved with the Read to Succeed program by contacting Johnson at 573-334-9634.
