The following was written by Hannah Beckett, an Integrated Studies senior, from Miami Hamilton about her experience so far at the Boys & Girls Club on East Avenue in Hamilton, OH.
I have really enjoyed my experience tutoring at the Boys and Girls club so far! I was nervous the first day, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am normally working with younger children and wasn’t sure how I would do with older ones. There were several kids with Ms. Deb in the reading room. I was paired with one little girl going into first grade. We read together and afterwards I helped her with AR (Accelerated Reader) quizzes on the computer. At first I read with her, and by the end she was reading by herself. She progressively got better scores as she took each quiz. Seeing this grade accumulation made me really proud of her. After any child takes a quiz they can pick a snack from the snack bin. This is a great incentive for many of them. If they read so many books throughout the summer they will earn a swim party in the pool!
The Boys and Girls Club is serving a diverse lower income community. It only costs a quarter a day for the children to get in. The club has a swimming pool, pool tables, televisions, video games, books, and much more. I think it is a great place for these children to spend the day with friends. The Club is helping the community by giving parents a safe place to send their children. I have loved my experience so far and haven’t had any complaints. I love working with children, especially in a setting where I feel that I can really make a difference.
I have worked with lower income children before. I was a preschool teacher at Youthland Academy and tutored at Head Start and Richard Allen Academy. This experience is what I expected it to be. I am hoping to add to my experiences and be a help to these children. Having a constant that is there once a week will help to build a relationship. I can apply this learning experience to my own classroom and students now and in the future.
I am excited to see what the rest of the summer brings. I would love to continue to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club when I could during the school year. I want people to know how important it is to help shape and grow young minds. It doesn’t take much to be there and show the children that you care. I hope I can help the kids I am with this summer improve their reading skills and be ready to take on the new school year.
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