Reading buddies volunteer program helps children with basics, books and bonding
At West Park Elementary, located between Ghormley Park and the University of Idaho, Principal William Marineau said volunteerism is key.
Volunteers donate their time to help with everything from painting walls and installing windows, to serving lunch and watching children at recess. In the classroom, volunteers act as reading buddies and help students master the basics of reading by listening and providing support.
Irene Fracz, retired French instructor and UI graduate, has been a volunteer reading buddy at West Park for 15 years. Once a week, Fracz ventures into a classroom for about an hour and listens to first-graders read.
“I love spending time with kids,” Fracz said. “I think they’re fun and they’re usually pretty smart. They’re full of interesting questions and they’ll tell you just about anything that is on their mind.”
Fracz volunteers at other schools and said she is motivated by the memory of how excited her son was when he first learned to read. Fracz said she tries to keep children motivated and focused on how exciting reading can be, especially when they are struggling. She said it is helpful to let them pick their own books so they can read the tougher parts together.
“I help them sound out words and stuff, but I do the best I can,” Fracz said. “I try to make them feel that it’s okay if they can’t read, because I’m here to help them.”
Sue Engels is another volunteer reading buddy. Also a UI graduate, she said she moved back to Moscow last year for the mixed small-town feel and cultural benefits. Engels became a reading buddy last October.
“Just giving young children any extra time reading is a good thing, because reading is so important,” Engels said. “The teacher doesn’t have time to sit and listen to them read, so the volunteers are a big help.”
While there are other resources available to help children who are struggling with reading, such as specialized reading instructors or practice sheets, Engels said the time spent building a child’s confidence and knowing someone cares about their progress is what makes the volunteer program special.
“I have grandchildren that age, and it’s fun,” Engels said. “It’s really interesting to see where they start at the beginning of the year and how well they learn through the year.”
Engels said reading buddies can be especially helpful for students who are from other cultures and use the experience from the reading buddies in addition to extra practice.
Last year, Engels was partnered with a girl from a dry region of Spain, and had to explain the significance of the ants in the book they were reading — since there wasn’t much grass where the girl was from, she didn’t understand picnics could be bothered by the insects.
Engels said because many of the reading buddies have children or grandchildren of their own, they usually have an idea of what the children need in order to learn and be engaged.
“I think one of the things that’s really important about reading is to know that it’s fun to read and that you can learn things,” Engels said. “A lot of times, just the basic stuff you get in the classroom is OK, but I think hearing lots of stories, reading lots of stories, is what makes children want to read.”
Marineau said the current volunteer program is largely based on the impact volunteers have on children through lessons he learned during his teaching career.
“I’ve been in education for 32 years now, and when I first started, I was teaching in inner-city schools,” Marineau said. “A lot of my students didn’t have a role model for multiple generations, they didn’t have a grandparent.”
For volunteers, a person’s background, work experience or education isn’t as important as the time they spend in the classroom. What matters, Marineau said, is being there.
“Every class has a very structured time where you’re presenting the information and whatnot, and then it usually breaks out to where you have some work time, some time to apply the learning,” Marineau said. “That’s where I wanted the volunteers.”
Currently, West Park has between 20 and 35 volunteers per week and has had as many as 200 per week in years past. Marineau said the volunteers offer the children benefits from the time they spend with the volunteers and volunteers benefit from the experience of watching the students learn and grow.
“When you leave as a volunteer, you feel like you got 100 percent,” Marineau said. “You had to take time out of your work week, you had to take time out of your retirement week, you had to provide time, but usually what they get back is tenfold.”
Daniel Durand can be reached at [email protected]