From Celia
I have been with my tutor/mentor for six months. Each week, Berkley and I work on writing, reading, and vocabulary. We practice writing y’s, because I have trouble with them. Berkley taught me how to write on the lines and how to express myself in poetry. We read fairytales and information books. I like these types of books, because I like to ask questions.
I have enjoyed having fun with Berkley. We talk about our day and we laugh. We went to the museum and saw cool animals from the past. Berkley taught me about her family and I taught her about my family in Guatemala.
I think Berkley deserves to be Mentor of the Month, because we work well together and because she is kind, nice, and very patient with me and has taught me never to give up.
When me and Berkley starting meeting each other I started being more confident, because I paid more attention. Thanks Berkley for teaching me. My family and I love you. God bless you.
From Berkley
Growing up my family emphasized the importance of giving back and always taking steps to play a role in the larger community. Working with Celia for the last six months through the Wright to Read Program has enabled me to do just that, and seeing her growth each week has been transformative.
Celia and I have read a range of books and have spent a lot of time reflecting on summarizing stories and articulating thoughts. She is inquisitive and constantly approaches learning with a positive attitude. I can honestly say that there are few people that I have crossed paths with that share her joy and radiant spirit.
The Wright to Read Program and Celia’s parents have been extremely supportive. Celia’s parents ensure that she reads each day and together they push her to never give up. I commend her parents for providing building blocks to success. The Wright to Read program constantly provides books and organizes activities so that students are engaged as active learners. I commend this program for putting resources in place that will change lives and showing me the power that one-on-one based learning can truly have.
My favorite moment with Celia was watching her recite her own poetry in front of her peers. She spoke with confidence and was proud of her work. I would like to thank Celia for being who she is and sharing her joy and kindness with me. I am forever touched and look forward to seeing how she will forge her place in the world.
Celebrating 36 years of giving the gift of literacy, Wright to Read has been serving elementary school students who are reading below grade level. Volunteers meet with their student once a week for an hour in the evenings or on the weekend. Wright to Read is a member of the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership. The Alexandria Mentoring Partnership (AMP) was created in 2006 to ensure that quality mentors and mentor programs are available for Alexandria's youth and young adults in need. There are 11 professionally managed programs in the partnership that need adult mentors. To learn more about AMP, visit: http://www.alexandriava.gov/Mentoring