DC Reads, a series of tutoring programs in the District that can serve as work-study jobs, means more to some students than just a paycheck. The program allows AU students to tutor kindergartners through sixth-grade students at 12 different community and school sites throughout the District. Some student tutors say the job can bring about a personal connection.
Yattah Blanton, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a team leader at the Heads Up reading site, said when she is involved with the kids, she is reminded of her personal experiences with education.
"I grew up in Brooklyn and had to deal with [witnessing] the violence, hearing the shooting and put up with the school systems that didn't seem to care whether we learned one way or the other," Blanton said in an e-mail.
Martin do Nascimento, a sophomore in CAS and a team leader at the CentroNia site, said in an e-mail that originally, he was not even aware that he could get paid for his work with the program.
"Initially, I was attracted to the program because it afforded me an opportunity to see new parts of Washington, D.C., and to serve a purpose in those parts," Nascimento said.
Out of almost 180 students participating in DC Reads, about 80 of them are unpaid volunteers, said Robin Adams, DC Reads coordinator at AU.
"They are very passionate about the work they do at the site," Adams said.
What separates this program from other work-study or volunteer activities is that students understand the true significance of their work, she said.
"I think that most [AU students] see it as an act of social justice in that they are empowering students through reading," Adams said.
Their work not only serves to teach the children how to read but to appreciate learning overall, as tutors also help students with other subjects such as math, she said.
Furthermore, tutors follow the individual students closely and work with teachers and other administrators to ensure that each child is making progress in the classroom, Adams said.
Though Blanton said she enjoys getting paid, working with the children is a form of satisfaction by itself.
"[The children] have made me much more effective in the way I teach, speak, learn and act," Blanton said in an e-mail. "It's amazing how much you give to them just showing you care but you never expect how much more they give you in return."
Nascimento said he too has gained unique opportunities from DC Reads.
"I am grateful for the opportunity that this program provides me to serve my students and if I take away nothing other than my memories of them, that would be enough," Nascimento said.
DC Reads, which initially began as a volunteer program in February 1997, is a joint effort of various institutions including D.C. public schools, community organizations and the Department of Education to ensure that students in the District are meeting reading standards.
According to the AU Community Service Center's Web site, students can apply for the program at the beginning of every fall and spring semester. The Career Center Web site provides contact information for students interested in using their federal-work study awards with DC Reads.
