by Becca Thomas, Partners in Literacy Coordinator for Stedman Elementary
The first day I stood outside Miss Deb’s Brilliant Minds class and welcomed each student with a fist bump, dance move, hug and their bag of books; we were there for the kids. As a Partners in Literacy Coordinator, we meet our volunteers once a week at Stedman Elementary and give out book bags filled with just the right books for the volunteers to read with their reading buddy. We watched Ty go from wiggling himself free to snuggling in and reading with his volunteer; David transitioned from only reading non-fiction books about science to getting fully enraptured in a fictional tale, and Miss Lauren bubbled over as she discussed Ada Twist Scientist. The Partners in Literacy program is there to bring the joy of life long reading to the kids. Pretty simple formula: Volunteer plus Reader plus Real Book equals reading joy. That is until a pandemic rolls in.
The beauty of holding a book between reader and volunteer, hovering over the pages and illustrations was no longer an option. As we explored the online world of sharing books and transitioned to this new virtual reading space with the start of our program in the 2020 school year, my eyes were opened and my heart grew a little bigger. I was given the time and space to really become an observer to the reading buddy and volunteer relationship in its entirety.
Every week I see our volunteers show up without fail. They have learned a new way to read and share books online and have gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable. They are persistent and patient and share conversations about things beyond books. Our volunteers help reading buddies find a smile on days that do not start off that way. It was online in our new virtual space that I realized, the community of our volunteers is the foundation on which the success of our program rests. Without these volunteers, no matter how sponge ready the kids, no matter how great the newest Newberry books, there needs to be someone there to actually wet the sponge.
Our volunteers soak that sponge! It is a diverse group: yoga instructors, state department employees, family caregivers, financiers, mothers, fathers, siblings, bridge players, law enforcement officers, bikers, therapy dog owners, dog lovers, cat lovers, bakers, activists, professors, social workers, teachers, engineers, zoo volunteers, lawyers, jewelry makers, librarians, master gardeners, cancer survivors, designers. They share the wealth of life experiences that make them amazing and grow reading joy in the children they are paired up to read with each week. They share openly about their ups and downs, showing up consistently with a smile, warm heart and renewed vigor to share a love for reading. They are eternally gracious and grateful. They never get disheartened or frustrated when the day does not go quite as planned. They bring joy for reading and a love of literature each and every time.
When we debrief weekly about our readers, we have also learned to debrief a little about ourselves. I’ve learned a new local restaurant I should support with my takeout orders, that a 25 pound weighted blanket is too heavy for a 5 foot woman, that puppy therapy can be shared virtually, that volunteers are the best recruiters and thoughtful thank you note writers, that we can not take our health for granted and sharing a real book is a gift. Our volunteers are the most humble and compassionate group. It took moving to an online platform for me to see this so vividly. The richness of our community of readers is enhanced by all of you that take the time to volunteer with us no matter what the circumstance. I am beyond grateful to be surrounded by such a wise, selfless, humor-filled group of volunteers. This is my virtual hug to you.