READ is SO excited to start our tutor mentoring program and introduce our first two tutor mentors! They will be helping our new and existing tutors with resources in the new Tutor Space – a forum for tutors to connect and collaborate.
Meet Erin: I have been a classroom tutor for the READ Center since the beginning of 2019 in Janet’s evening class. A passion for literacy came easy for me because reading is one of the things I love most in life. I wanted to find an organization to volunteer my time that seemed connected to the community, and making a genuine difference in the lives of people in my community – in came the READ Center! Connecting with students, learning their personal reading goals, and reading with them every week is an absolute privilege.
I was excited to hear of the Tutor Mentor position because it seemed like an opportunity to connect with tutors outside my own “zone” of Janet’s evening class, and pool our intellectual resources to better serve the READ Center. As someone with no background in educating, I have been learning a lot as I go along. I would love as a Tutor Mentor to guide new tutors to resources and individuals that can answer their questions and help them build confidence in their interactions with students.
Meet Sue: I started volunteering at the READ Center five and a half years ago. It was a natural progression after teaching thirty plus years as a Special Education teacher for Richmond Public Schools. While teaching at the Virginia Treatment Center, I also did adjunct teaching in the Education Dept. at VCU for several years. After retiring from those two jobs, I worked for five years as Director of Education at Peter Paul Development Center, an after school program in Churchill.
Teaching is something I get great pleasure and satisfaction from, so I don’t think it was a stretch to find myself applying to volunteer at the READ Center. I first started doing one to one placement testing with prospective students. I really enjoyed sharing stories about how we both found ourselves at the READ Center. It was inspiring to share the reading journey together. I also volunteered as a one to one tutor with several students. For the past four years, I have helped, along with other tutors, in Don Wilm’s classroom at the Richmond public library.
Most tutors I’ve talked to will say the same thing about their experiences with the teachers and students. The teachers are capable, supportive and caring. The class I am in has mostly men who work well together, like to have fun and are quick to praise one another and offer support when needed. I continue to learn a lot from my experiences at the READ Center and feel Richmond is fortunate to have this program to offer to adult students, teachers and tutors wanting to take the journey to literacy.
Welcome and thank you, Erin and Sue!
