Being a part of something positive!!

The following was written by Alex Bear, junior Language Arts Education major, about his experience volunteering at Boys and Girls Club on East Ave. with their Accelerated Reader program. 

I have been working with youth at the Boys and Girls Club on East Ave this summer. I work with them during their reading time. I can honestly say that it has been a blast so far! It was a little overwhelming to see all the kids in the room; some of them can hardly read. It was hard to come up with a way to work with the most kids I can, but now, I can work with 3-4 kids.

I am learning to help kids with sounding out words and discovering the fun in reading. The kids are helping me learn management and communicating with kids in a way that they can understand and learn from. I’m surprised by how much the kids enjoy reading, they earn points from reading so many books, and then they are able to use those points for candy and other rewards.

The area that this club is located in is a high-poverty area. I live less than a mile away, and I see poverty, and children without supervision, or educational resources. This club helps combat the effects of poverty by giving the kids something creative, constructive, fun, and educational to do with their time. Being a part of something that is so positive for the children of my neighborhood and community is one of the most rewarding feelings I have felt.

I believe that poverty can be solved with education and resources like The Boys and Girls Club. I am an education major, and the skills and perspective I have seen and learned working at the Boys and Girls Club will help me be an effective teacher.