Washington Reading Corps: Impacts of National Service and the ...

work!” the reading specialists told us. “The AmeriCorps members are in the trenches all day;they have a connection with the teachers that volunteers don't have.”Danelle was out sick the day of our visit, but staff members spoke of her dedication to thestudents and said students have strongly bonded with her. They also praised the work Amy hasdone this year. Amy and her husband recently moved to Portland from Wisconsin. She hadbeen an accountant but wanted to make a career change and work with children. She found outabout the AmeriCorps position with the Reading Corps on the Internet. Next year she will moveto Minneapolis, where she plans to go back to school, using her national service educationaward.At Harney, Amy has spearheaded the “Lunch Bunch” (some students call her the “Lunch BunchTeacher”) and has been very active in pushing literacy events. She tutors a set group ofstudents, three from each class, and said she loves working one-on-one or in small groups withthese students.One of the successes that Amy reports is that even older students who were initially reluctantabout being tutored are now comfortable. She sees that the students' confidence is growing. Asan example, she told of a very shy first-grader who was reluctant to walk down the hall byhimself. Amy worked with him and found he had a special interest in using flashcards. Over timehe has gained so much confidence that he stands in front of his whole classroom presenting theflashcards. Another boy in fifth grade was considered very unmotivated by his teachers. Amyfound a game that this student loves to play. She integrated book reading into their timetogether. Now teachers are noticing improvement in the boy's motivation to learn. Theyattribute it to the one-on-one attention he is receiving.Marlene noted that Danelle and Amy have been an integral part of the Reading Corps. She saidthat Amy and Danelle are seen as part of the staff, lending a sense of stability to the programthat volunteers can’t, since they might come and go fairly easily. The members offer consistencyand dedication, working side by side with the staff. Amy said she is thanked each day by stafffor her work at the school.TutorsVolunteers from the community are heralded as another great strength toward the program'ssuccess. "We couldn't be doing the program without volunteers," said Marlene and Amy.Before the Reading Corps was in place, Harney had 8-10 volunteers. Last year it had 63 tutorsworking with Reading Corps students and this year 59 volunteers are involved so far, many ofthem returning tutors from last year. These tutors include parents, Foster Grandparents, RSVPvolunteers, high school students, and Clark College students.One of the Foster Grandparents, Bernice, spends an hour a day tutoring children in the WRC,in addition to her mentoring duties as a Foster Grandparent. "I enjoy it!" she said with a big18