Marjorie Censer Gaultney and Marwah Photo by Tom Gaultney
From student Marwah:
Each week, Marjorie and I do reading worksheets, we read and we talk. Sometimes we talk about reading and sometimes we talk about stuff we just want to talk about. We read chapter books and also fiction and non-fiction. We’ve been reading together for almost a year.
Outside of the library, we’ve gone to the IHOP [for the holiday dinner]. We also went to the summer picnic. Also, we sometimes eat marshmallows after reading.
From working with my mentor, I’ve learned how to read fluently and how to understand what I’ve read. And I’ve learned a lot more sight words. Marjorie has helped me get my reading level really high, and she’s always nice.
From Tutor/Mentor Marjorie:
Marwah and I have been reading together at Beatley Library once a week for close to a year. Her improvement over that time has been amazing and inspiring to watch. She has always had a wonderful attitude, but now I see her confidence growing as she tackles big words and complex sentences.
We typically spend our hour together reviewing flash cards, practicing writing, doing workbook exercises and reading books of Marwah’s choice. She is open to reading almost any book, but she especially likes ones with colorful pictures and ones with animals. Marwah also has a wonderful sense of humor and expressively gives voice to the characters in funny books, like Mo Willems’ “Elephant and Piggie” series. Her favorite sweet is a marshmallow so I sometimes remember to bring those along.
Through Wright to Read, I’ve been able to work with Marwah to improve our reading, but I’ve also gotten to know her whole family. It’s a great organization, providing plenty of support and help.
Wright to Read is a member of the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership (AMP). AMP was created in 2006 to ensure that quality mentors and mentor programs are available for Alexandria's youth and young adults in need. To learn more about Wright to Read, visit www.wrighttoread.org or to learn more about AMP, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Mentoring.