Changing Perspectives
By Christina Clements
I started volunteering at Brooklawn Child and Family Services during the after-school tutoring program’s very first year. Brooklawn treats children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems, most often due to abuse or trauma. The after-school tutoring program helps children progress in their treatment by assessing their academic needs and helping them improve in school.
Every Wednesday, for one hour, I came to Brooklawn and worked with “Marcus” to help him improve his basic reading skills. He always picked books where he could find certain objects on the page, because he thought he would get out of reading. He then would laugh when I’d cover both pages and make him read the words first before he could find the pictures. After he’d read the paragraph, we’d race to see who could find the most objects.
Now I coordinate the tutoring program by matching volunteers with students who need help with reading and math. I tell my volunteers that I tutored as well, so I know how they feel when their student gets frustrated, but I also know how great it feels when their student finally grasps math concepts after weeks of practice, or when a student’s reading score increases. And instead of just seeing one child every week, I get to see all of them progress, not only in school, but in building relationships with volunteers.
For more information about volunteering at Brooklawn, visit our website at www.brooklawn.net or contact Missy Fountain at mfountain@brooklawn.net.
