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Name: Elena Brennan
Hometown: New Haven CT
College and Major: Wesleyan Government & American Studies
Tutoring Site: Science Park
Clubs: Math II
Favorite Childhood Book: The Bloody Jack book series by L.A. Meyer & Katherine Kellgren

At the start of this summer, I was feeling really down. The in-person job I was looking forward to was canceled because of  COVID and I felt an overwhelming lack of purpose. Besides being desultory, I was worried about kids in New Haven who I knew would have to go months without normal school and summer camp. When I met up with a friend in the park (masks on and far apart) she mentioned that New Haven Reads would still be hosting online camp and was seeking interns. I was elated! It sounded like an amazing experience where I could have a real impact during this challenging time. 

Growing up in New Haven, I was always aware of New Haven Reads and the work they did in the community. I had peers who tutored during the academic year and they all loved their experience. This summer has taught me why NHR is so widely regarded. Every day filled me with so much joy! I have worked with incredible kids who love to laugh out loud at the funny books we read together and scream at the spooky ones! I also had the privilege of working with staff members who care deeply about improving the literacy of children and providing the best educational experience possible for them.

My favorite role this summer was leading Math II Club. At the start of the summer, every student tested at a different level. I knew that I would have to create tailored lesson plans to meet their individual needs. I could not have done it on my own. With the recommendations of my site leaders and incredible volunteers, Math II Club quickly fell into a productive rhythm. I would start each session with a brain teaser for the entire group. Then, each student entered a breakout room with a volunteer where they worked one-on-one to tackle personalized lessons. It is incredible that we were able to provide a one-on-one math experience to students, something many hadn’t had for months since in-person school ended. This wouldn’t have been possible without the many dedicated volunteers who I worked with this summer. Their continued efforts speak to the unique community created at NHR.

New Haven Reads put forth an incredible amount of effort to make this summer as engaging as possible despite being over Zoom. We utilized digital libraries, online math activities, Pictionary websites, fun videos, and more to provide students with an incredible experience. I want to thank the organization for everything it does for my community. I also want to thank the First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank for making this internship possible. Thank you! 

Name: Zherah Collier
Hometown: New Haven, CT
College and Major: American University, International Relations and Public Health
Tutoring Site: Dixwell
Clubs: Math Club I, II, Creative Writing Club, Nature and Science Club
Favorite Childhood Book: Goodnight Moon and Strega Nona

I encountered New Haven Reads as a first grader struggling with speech and the pronunciation of common words. My mom, a teacher for the New Haven District, learned of the program from a colleague and was eager to ensure that her children received the necessary educational support. My older siblings and I were always excited to visit the book bank each day after we attended a tutoring session at the Audubon Street location. I still have plenty of the books I acquired over the years; but, as I grew older, I was happy to donate my books to local organizations such as churches, preschools and even family and friends for their children’s collection.

I will always thank my parents and my former New Haven Reads tutors for encouraging me to read, their aid greatly improved my speech which guided me to develop a true love for reading as well as learning.

Furthermore, about fourteen years later, I am now employed by New Haven Reads as a First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank Intern. During my interview for the position, I felt nostalgic and keen to learn about the new programs that are offered and see how tutoring has evolved over time. I learned of fascinating online resources for one-on-one tutoring sessions like EPIC, an electronic library that has millions of books for the readers to use during read aloud or choice time. Lexia is another educational website which uses games to strengthen grammar and other reading comprehension skills. Outside of tutoring, the students participating in New Haven Reads have a variety of stimulating clubs to choose from; beginning with, math, origami, nature and science, creative writing, chess, arts in all forms and music—I know they are in good hands. Ultimately, I was intrigued to see how New Haven Reads adapted to online instruction for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since I’ve started the internship, each day has been awesome. My weekday begins with prepping lesson plans for math club I and II with my Dixwell team of interns as well as site directors—by mid-week, I am helping volunteers with their clubs. In the beginning, I was anxious about my performance as math club leader considering how important the Common Core exam standards are for today’s elementary students; although, after a few weeks I began to feel more comfortable since I knew my team fully supported me. My favorite part of the week is tutoring. I enjoy getting to know my students and being their personal reading buddy. It warms my heart to see how excited my tutee is when she logs onto Zoom or when it’s choice time because we get to play our favorite game “draw and guess” which is played on our whiteboards similar to Pictionary.

My time as a New Haven Reads tutor has been a rewarding life experience and it’s exactly what I needed, to devote my summer to an effective, fun, and unforgettable educational non-profit. I’d like to thank the First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank for making this internship opportunity possible, the New Haven Reads staff for being the heart and soul of the organization; lastly, all of the supporters within the New Haven community. You have all played a phenomenal role in making this summer a pleasant one.

This summer, enrichment clubs at New Haven Reads have been an entirely new experience for everyone — for the students, the families, the helpers, and even the staff — as they were all carried out remotely.

These enrichment clubs range from Chess to Origami, and the New Haven Reads Interns and Fellows have been responsible for planning and leading them.

Natalia Miasek, a rising senior at the University of New Haven and Summer Fellow at New Haven Reads, had some worries about online learning initially. “As someone who prefers face-to-face contact and feels more confident when working in person…I originally thought that Zoom would be difficult to work with and I wouldn’t be able to make personal connections over a webcam,” she shared. “I was proven wrong about using Zoom and was able to get close with my students and the staff at New Haven Reads.”

                                                 Natalia, Her Student, and Elena (A Summer Intern)

Everyday, she is excited to see her students and volunteers in the two clubs she leads, Math I and Make and Take. But tutoring sessions have also been significant to her throughout the summer. “One of the most special moments was with a student I tutored who came from a different culture and loved sharing about it,” Natalia remembered. “She shared very personal stories and we talked about her culture…I looked forward to learning something new when talking to her.”

Robert Oakley, a Summer Intern attending Western Connecticut State University, felt that the tutoring sessions were the best part of his experience. “There are these students who like to fight for my attention because they’re brothers, they’re very sweet and they’re always, always prepared to get their work done,” he said.

Robert and His Student

Another Summer Fellow, Abigail Eswarakuma, thought that the day-to-day moments on Zoom were the most meaningful. These moments, she said, range from the students getting a math problem right or reading a bigger chapter book, or even just sounding out a word, after which they “jump up in excitement!”

Picture Created by Abigail and Her NHR Student

Undoubtedly, this summer had its fair share of challenges at the start, but through hours of planning, brainstorming, and Zooming, these challenges quickly dissipated, replaced by hundreds of positive interactions and memories.

Natalia ended with a comment that in many ways represents the surprising capacity for connection that distance learning still allowed for: “We dance to celebrate each question she gets right, and we do a lot of dancing during our sessions!”

Our Summer Intern positions are funded by the First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank. Be on the lookout for an upcoming blog series from our 4 interns.  

New Haven Reads has a clear mission, one which we work toward day after day: to share the joy and power of reading and to increase the literacy skills of our students. But we also know that our work involves more than just working with our students directly.

Outreach Director Natosha Wengreen recognized that New Haven Reads could expand our reach to play a more vital role in our local and national community. In launching the New Haven Reads Lecture Series, Natosha said she set out to “bring the passion and mission of what New Haven Reads does to a wider community of people, to draw awareness to what we do, which is teaching literacy to students.”

These lectures, hosted every Saturday from now until August 29th, come from a myriad of different careers and offer vastly different perspectives. For example, Wendy North’s August 8th lecture will focus on dyslexia and literacy, while Professor Bryan Brown, lecturing on August 22nd, studies literacy in more than just language arts. “He talks about science, how race and identity involve themselves, and how academic language in science can be exclusionary and limiting,” Natosha explained.

There is a common theme throughout all of these lectures, however: to promote an understanding of someone who is different from oneself. 

“When I came into the position and started to read all the surveys and talk to volunteers, fellows, and interns, the number one thing they say is that I worked with students that I probably would never have met in my entire life,” Natosha said. Enabling these connections between people from different backgrounds also places a responsibility on us at New Haven Reads to ensure that we are educating ourselves and our wider community on issues related to race, identity, and socioeconomic status. 

Dr. Carlotta Penn, who spoke on Saturday, discussed this intersection of race, identity, social class, and literacy. She taught the 40 attendees about some of the leaders — Septima Clark, Paulo Freire, Katerina te Heikoko Mataria, and Edie Benton Benai — throughout history who have sought to reform schools and other institutions so that students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social classes will experience educational equality. After this, she emphasized the way in which we — as community members, volunteers, and teachers  — must strive toward real equality.

“We are bringing who we are to whatever educational space we are in, and it is our responsibility to understand that,” Dr. Penn explained. 

To address the ways in which educational equity goes beyond just the classroom, the last portion of the Lecture Series will discuss architecture. “This relates to the fact that even the buildings we know and use — parks, libraries, and other public spaces — are not accessible to people in equal ways,” Natosha explained. 

SuWe at New Haven Reads hope that the Lecture Series serves as an opportunity for all of us to learn more about these issues and become more aware of the ways in which we can help solve them, whether that be in individual tutoring sessions or, more broadly, through our support for equitability and accessibility  in educational institutions and in public spaces.

See our photo montage to see how New Haven Reads has pivoted to meet the needs of our students and our community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Click here to see our latest video!

As parents and caregivers are homeschooling at the moment, the NHR Education Team would like to share some of the resources we have found useful to support literacy learning at home. Please click the link below for more support and practice for your child. Good luck and be well!

Literacy Resources