From education to service: The AmeriCorps journey of a retired teacher

By Jerri Burnette, AmeriCorps program coordinator with Reading Partners Tulsa

I am Jerri Burnette, a retired special education teacher of 23 years. I have taught all grade levels, from kindergarten to 12th grade, English Language Arts to math and science. My final two years in public education were spent in an affluent middle school, where I taught science to 7th—and 8th-grade special education students. These students had mild to moderate disabilities, most of which consisted of ADHD and learning disabilities in reading and math.

As with every new school year, I was excited to begin and expected much more parent involvement and support as I spent most of my teaching career in lower-income school districts where most parents needed to work and often didn’t have time to help their children with homework and in-depth assignments. Instead, I soon realized that many of these parents were more concerned with the dress code and why their child received lunch detention for cursing, or worse, in the classroom. During my second year at this school, I realized that it was time for me to leave the classroom as a public school teacher. However, my heart for children and a quality education remained at the forefront of my purpose in life.

In searching for my “next chapter” in life, I searched the internet for positions within the field of education that would take me out of the classroom yet continue to impact educational outcomes. When I stumbled upon Reading Partners’ need for AmeriCorps program coordinators in the Tulsa, OK, area and learned more about the position’s responsibilities, I found that it aligned with my goals of working with students and adults while making an educational impact.

As an AmeriCorps member serving with Reading Partners, I am achieving my goals! While I am back in a public school, I participate in a capacity different from that of a classroom teacher. As I mentor volunteer tutors in their journey of working with students one-on-one, I can impress upon them the importance of establishing a rapport with their students. As their connections blossom with their students and me, I can provide knowledge of the Science of Reading and how different steps of the reading process coincide with where students are developmentally. I can connect with school staff and keep them abreast of their students’ progress while learning from them how their students use what they learn through Reading Partners within the classroom setting. I can work with students one-on-one, focusing on the needs of that particular student rather than trying to address the needs of a group of students all at once. The Reading Partners program allows for more individualized instruction, effectively addressing strengths and needs. This was my goal in becoming a special education teacher and has been the best part of becoming an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners.

The students participating in Reading Partners are a joy in the program. They come to us with various levels of reading proficiency; some already have an enthusiasm for reading, and some view it as a necessary evil. Regardless of their varying views on reading, they are delighted to spend time with a dedicated tutor who is there for them specifically. They enjoy the small victories of learning sight words and vocabulary words, and growing their personal libraries with books provided through the Reading Partners Take Reading With You program.

Jerri and Terra, another AmeriCorps member serving with Reading Partners Tulsa

I worked with a kindergarten student who, when he first started the program, was constantly looking at the timer to see when he could return to class. He began making such significant gains in reading that he was promoted to the next level of the curriculum. When I commented on his improvement and how well he was reading, he said, “Well, how else am I going to get smart?”

As my AmeriCorps service term draws to an end, I am looking for a way to use my experience as a public school educator and an AmeriCorps program coordinator in a small rural town in South Carolina, where I will be moving this summer. I have been looking into non-profit organizations in and around the area. However, my passion would be to start a program similar to Reading Partners in the rural areas of the Midlands of South Carolina. While I have more research to complete on the needs of the region, I am considering adult and early literacy.

The experience provided by AmeriCorps through Reading Partners has helped me realize that the success I have witnessed in our students is due to the one-on-one attention they receive in conjunction with classroom instruction. It allows them to ask questions they may not ask in a classroom setting while receiving more in-depth instruction in areas of reading concepts that they have trouble grasping.

I have received invaluable training in keeping data that shows student growth and outcomes. At the same time, I have had some grant writing experience while in the public school system, which was limited to local school grants. I have learned more about pursuing larger grants from the development director in my region at Reading Partners. The time she has spent talking with me regarding her experiences has been invaluable. Both data collection and grant writing are a must when relying on donor-related funding and community volunteers to make a successful and impactful program, which is my hope for the rural areas of South Carolina.

For those who may consider a term of service as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners, the experience is one that you will cherish! You will establish relationships with like-minded individuals in the other AmeriCorps member cohorts, volunteer tutors you mentor, and, of course, the students with whom you teach and interact on a daily basis. You will feel the support and assistance from your program manager and regional office staff to help you run a successful program. Finally, you will feel an enormous sense of pride in knowing that you have been part of a program that benefits children in becoming not only lifelong readers but also lifelong learners!

APPLY TODAY