Letter: Reading Partners

Originally published by The Post and Courier.

I volunteer with Reading Partners at Sanders-Clyde Elementary. What a rewarding experience it is! My church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, is partnering with Sanders-Clyde to provide support to school families, teachers and administrators. One of our efforts is working with students who read below grade level.

The volunteers are trained by Reading Partners and are asked to volunteer one or two times a week to work with a student who has been identified as needing help with his or her reading skills.

The curriculum is tailored to all of the reading strategies students need to be successful in the classroom. Each lesson is structured and focused on one particular skill. I have already seen real progress with my second grader and have only been volunteering since the first of the year. I am a retired special education teacher and had experience working with elementary school children in the classroom, but volunteers don’t have to be teachers to be effective. The students need tutors who are committed to helping them be successful.

Reading Partner volunteers are in Charleston and Berkeley counties. With the advantage of having adults working one-on-one with young students, I hope that Charleston County School District will continue to help with funding Reading Partners. It is a good organization to support.

And for those who wish to consider volunteering, please go to the website, www.readingpartners.org or you can email volunteersc@readingpartners.org or call (843)-860-3915 to get further information.

Ann Muir