School Year 2019-2020
Mondays I am at Escape Ministries-an alternative school bringing breakfast or lunch that I have cooked and occasionally one on one tutoring when needed. It is always a delight to see the kids week to week and see their faces light up when they see me (or even not) when I have a hot meal for them. Some have quietly sought me out privately in the kitchenette and thanked me. Several have written me beautiful letters of thanks for feeding them and their classmates. As you know it is hard for the brain to work and learn with out a good meal. It gives me such gratitude that I am given this privilege of bringing a meal to them.
Tuesdays I am at a title one school reading with a class of first graders one on one and then I travel down the hall to a K4 prekindergarten room to do letters, numbers, gross and fine motor skills and beginning reading. These children are an absolute joy to be around and it is so much fun to watch them delight in learning and to realize they have the ability to learn.
Title ONE Definition:
Title 1 is the largest federally funded educational program. The program provides supplemental funds to school districts to assist schools with the highest student concentrations of poverty to meet school educational goals. A title 1 school is a school receiving federal funds for Title 1 students.
The basic principle of Title 1 is that schools with large concentrations of low-income students will receive supplemental funds to assist in meeting student’s educational goals. The number of low-income students is determined by the number of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. Title 1 funds can be used to improve curriculum, instructional activities, counseling, parental involvement, and increase staff and program improvement. The funding assists schools in meeting the educational goals of low-income students.
The types of students served by Title 1 funds include migrant students, students with limited English proficiency, homeless students, students with disabilities, neglected students, delinquent students, at-risk students or any student in need. Schools must make adequate yearly progress on state testing and focus on best teaching practices in order to continue receiving funds.
Wednesdays I am at a public school Montessori reading one on one with some kiddos and holding book clubs with other kiddos in groups of 2-4. This is a first through third grade classroom and I have been with this teacher the longest of all my teachers and classrooms. It is a lot of fun to see the excitement when the kids get to the point that they are in a bookclub and get to read with other kids and discuss their books. These kiddos also take home written assignments to bring back to me to promote comprehension.
Thursdays I am back at the title one school with a different first grade classroom reading one on one with the kids and then back down the hall to the same pre-kindergarten classroom.
Fridays I am at the same title one school but this time for second graders one on one reading. After lunch I head over to our public library to work in the used book store and price and categorize books. This is pure zen.
That pretty much sums up my week during the school year. I do get called to help extra for events or library help. This explanation pretty much is my regular schedule of volunteering for the 2019/2020 school year. I can hardly believe that we are at the half-way mark of the current school year! WOW. Literacy is my heart. I strive to daily give away the love of reading and words. Volunteering for me is my heart and fills my soul. Peace.
