By Cody Hervey, 2021-2022 Literacy First Tutor My time serving as an early literacy tutor with Literacy First has been different compared to my first two years of national service. Serving as an AmeriCorps member with other programs was rewarding; however, it has been working with kids where I have come alive. There is something […]
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Blog
Student Story: Acalan
By Melody Villarreal, 2021-2022 Literacy First Bilingual Tutor Someone once told me that you don’t know what you don’t know, and through my role as a Literacy First tutor teaching students to read, I can see what he meant clearly. One particular student, Acalan, took his mastery tests and was able to get halfway through, […]
Read MoreFormer Tutor Spotlight
Katie Van Winkle’s Service Comes Full Circle While working as a professor at Austin Community College (ACC), former Literacy First tutor Katie Van Winkle would interact with high school students participating in the Early College High School program (ECHS), an opportunity to obtain college credit while in high school. During one of her theatre classes, Katie […]
Read MoreMy Experience with Literacy First and Mindful AISD
Celeste discusses her experience serving remotely, both as a tutor and in her partnership creating mindfulness videos for AISD students.
Read MoreIt All Adds Up
Serving as a middle school mathematics tutor, a soon-to-be Literacy First tutor witnesses firsthand the connection between literacy and academic success.
Read MoreConfidence, Earned
By Illan Kunik, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor One of the things that I am most frequently asked about regarding my experience as a Literacy First tutor is simple: what is my favorite part of working with the kids? Such a simple question can be one of the most difficult things to answer. For starters, there […]
Read More11 a.m. on a Wednesday
By McKenna May, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday and I’m sitting at home, on my couch, trying to type with a dog on my lap. This doesn’t seem like a bad place to be. I love my dog and this couch is very comfy. If this were a weekend or […]
Read MoreCelebrating Uniqueness with Author Jennifer Lynch
When asked to give a synopsis of her new children’s book, Livi & Grace, in one sentence, author Jennifer Lynch pauses thoughtfully. After a few moments of reflection, she relays what she writes when signing a copy – “Love your uniqueness.” It’s clear that Jennifer’s brief hesitation is due to her deep, personal connection with […]
Read MorePartnering with BookSpring to Prevent the Summer Reading “Slide”
Literacy First tutors dedicate thousands of hours each year teaching students to read. However, research has shown that during summer vacation, 80 percent of students from economically disadvantaged communities lose reading skills. Literacy First is proud to partner with BookSpring to help mitigate that loss through the Summer Success program. Summer Success includes STEAM-themed teacher lesson plans and books, parent […]
Read MoreThe Power of Perseverance
Some Literacy First students begin our program very far behind: their reading skills are more than one grade level lower than the state guidelines for their current grade. For these students, “significant progress ” means that they make exponential gains in reading but they are still below their grade level at year’s end. However, this […]
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